A note on the words: Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto is a Tokyo ramen chain built on chilli heat, and Hokkyoku — “the North Pole” — is the fiery bowl it is known for; Hokkyoku no Honoo, “the flame of the North Pole”, is the version above it. Sansho is the citrus-scented Japanese pepper that leaves the tongue tingling. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto, Kami-Itabashi main shop, on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
I want to eat something good today as well. This is Hangover Meshi. Life has been extremely stressful lately and it is hard going. At times like that —
— to clear the head, it has to be something hot.
I assumed the evening would be busy, but there was no queue at all, and I was drawn into Nakamoto as if by a magnet.
There was a spell when I came fairly often; lately, not at all.
Hokkyoku no Honoo, 1,140 yen
Since learning that Hokkyoku no Honoo exists I do not think I have ever ordered anything else. This time too, then. Noodles at a quarter portion.
The coupon gets you oolong tea, and somehow a highball got ordered as well.
Everything is ready to be washed away. Highball in hand, I wait for the Hokkyoku no Honoo to arrive.
There it is.
A great heap of bean sprouts and wood ear mushroom, with sansho pepper laid on hard — that is the Hokkyoku ramen feeling.
With this much vegetable, I think a quarter portion of noodles is about right.
And this, you see, is good. Hot it certainly is, but the broth carries a firm savour underneath.
The Hokkyoku that day did not feel hot at all — perhaps it varies from day to day.
(Or perhaps what varies from day to day is my own condition.)
These toppings make a fine thing to drink alongside, too. Finished in no time.
The one above, incidentally, is a Hokkyoku no Honoo from a different day. The vegetables are piled a little lower, but this one felt hotter. It looks redder, plainly. So perhaps it does vary from day to day after all. For the record, I prefer the redder, smaller one.
So: when things are hard, eat something hot. Hokkyoku no longer even makes me sweat, but hot food does clear the head. Eat Nakamoto on the way home in the evening, take a long bath, and go straight to sleep. Is that not the best way there is to put the mind back in order? Eat too much and you will not sleep well, so keep the noodles on the small side.
Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto, Kami-Itabashi main shop (Ramen / Kami-Itabashi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
