On the Japanese island of Rishiri, at the northwestern tip of Hokkaido, is a small ramen restaurant. It is a family run shop and is only open for two and a half hours each day. Getting there usually involves a combination of plane, train and ferry. So, it’s good that Mirako’s Rishiri Ramen is unbelievably good.
Here they serve a unique type of ramen with local kelp that makes it special. The kelp is matured for three years, and the bone and vegetable extracts are extracted for eight hours.
Locally harvested kombu seaweed is a not-so-secret ingredient, but probably too expensive to serve anywhere else.
Rishiri is home to just over 5,000 people and has a beautiful dormant volcano at its center. It is part of Hokkaido Prefecture and takes its name from the Ainu language. The word Rishiri means “high island” or “island with a high peak”.
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Tourism and fishing make up the majority of Rishiri’s economy, with tourists traveling to see its spectacular scenery on challenging hiking trails or scenic bus tours that take you to the edge of the island. However, getting there can be more challenging.
The most common route involves a ferry from Wakkanai, a small town at the tip of Hokkaido Island. Wakkani is the northernmost part of Japan, only 27 miles from Sakhalin Island in Russia.
Most people traveling to Wakkanai take the train from Sapporo, Hokkaido’s largest city. It takes more than five hours and continues to the west coast of the island. You can also fly or take a bus to the port, where the seasonal ferry from Wakkanai to Rishiri takes just over 90 minutes and runs 2-3 times a day.
Here in Great Big Island, MA love Ramen We have bird ramen, super spicy ramen and of course instant ramen. If that’s not enough to go on, check out Japan’s famous Black Rum below!
