Tabelog ratingRamen Hoshijirushi (ラーメン星印) is a tiny family-run counter with two sides. The owner trained in the lineage of the late Minoru Sano's Shina Sobaya and cooks with that discipline. The room, meanwhile, is a shrine to rock singer Eikichi Yazawa, with posters, merchandise and his records played loud. It has been selected for Tabelog's regional Ramen 100 list every year from 2019 to 2025.
The dish reviewers single out is the kombu-sui tsukemen: noodles served in thick kelp water, eaten first with just salt and then dipped. Several call it the best of its kind. The shoyu ramen, with a fish-and-chicken broth and silky thin noodles, is praised for its balance. Regulars also order the ginger-scented wonton, the three kinds of chashu, the well-seasoned egg, the rotating limited bowls and a mini curry made to Sano's recipe. Service is warm, and English-speaking visitors found the staff patient and helpful.
The deliberately soft noodles divide opinion, and some diners call them overcooked. Some Japanese and foreign visitors found the ramen ordinary for the price. Other complaints include a cluttered room, the owner chatting loudly while he cooks, a curt assistant in 2023, and handwritten limited-menu boards that are hard to read.
Expect to spend ¥1,000–1,999 at lunch or dinner. Between 2024 and 2026, reviewers paid around ¥1,100 for shoyu ramen and ¥1,600 for the tokusei (fully loaded) shoyu or shio ramen. The tokusei kombu-sui shoyu tsukemen cost ¥1,750–1,800, the mini curry ¥500, and the rock'n'roll gohan (rice hiding chopped pork) ¥400. Value is fair rather than cheap. Portions are generous and the toppings are high quality, but several reviewers rate the cost-performance below the food itself.
- Getting there: 4–5 minutes on foot from Tanmachi Station (Tokyu Toyoko Line); 5–6 minutes from Kanagawa Station (Keikyu Main Line); 10 minutes from Higashi-Kanagawa Station (JR Keihin-Tohoku Line, West Exit).
- Payment: cash only. Credit cards, electronic money and QR payments are not accepted. You order verbally and pay at the end; there is no ticket machine.
- Booking: reservations are not accepted. Walk in and queue; weekend waits of 20–45 minutes are common.
- Seats: 8 counter seats, no private rooms. Good for solo diners or small groups of friends.
- Smoking: non-smoking inside; there is an ashtray outside.
- Parking: none, but there is a paid car park next door.
- Language: no English menu is mentioned. Limited specials are on handwritten boards.
- Hours: these change often. Check the shop's X account before you go.
- Loud Yazawa music plays throughout your meal.
