Yoshimuraya Yokohama: How to Order, Wait Time, Menu & Prices

Yoshimuraya in Yokohama calls itself the head shop of iekei ramen. A basic ramen is 890 yen, and the ticket machine takes cash only. Here's how it works, from the queue and buying a meal ticket to choosing noodle firmness, flavor strength and the amount of oil.

Yoshimuraya Hours, Location and Access

Yoshimuraya is about an 8-minute walk from the West Exit of Yokohama Station, or about 5-7 minutes from the North Exit of Hiranumabashi Station on the Sotetsu Line. It's open 11:00-20:00 and closed on Mondays. When Monday is a public holiday, it closes the next day instead.

Yoshimuraya is known as the shop where iekei ramen began, opening in Shinsugita, Yokohama, in 1974. On March 24, 2023, it moved to its current address at 1-6-4 Okano.

Yokohama iekei ramen is on Kanagawa Prefecture's list of "100 Famous Products of Kanagawa" (かながわの名産100選), and the prefecture also introduces Yoshimuraya as where iekei ramen started.

※ Check the official X account before you go for temporary closures or changes to opening hours.

If you're heading straight to Yokohama from Narita Airport, see my post on N'EX, JR and limousine bus fares and times.

👉 Narita Airport to Yokohama: N'EX, JR & Bus Times and Fares

Yoshimuraya Wait Times and How to Queue

When the line is long, you don't queue in front of the shop. You start in the waiting line in the side street next to Hiranuma High School (平沼高校). Staff move you to the line in front of the shop, and when it's your turn you buy a meal ticket.

When I went around 7 p.m. on a Thursday, about 15 people were waiting in the side street by Hiranuma High School. While we waited, a staff member came and moved as many people as could fit in the line in front of the shop.

Following the staff member, I moved up to the front of the shop with the others who'd been waiting.

Once I was in the line out front, staff told me when to go inside and buy a ticket, and then I went back to my place in the line. It took about 30 minutes from joining the line to buying my ticket.

Yoshimuraya is open until 20:00, and its official X account says you can still get in if you're in line by 20:00.

Wait times vary with the day and time you go, so if you have a booking afterward, leave yourself plenty of time.

How to Order at Yoshimuraya: Menu, Prices and Flavor Options

At Yoshimuraya, staff show you in, and you choose your ramen and toppings at the cash-only ticket machine inside. After buying your ticket, you go back to the line and wait, and then you choose noodle firmness, flavor strength and the amount of oil.

The sign above the ticket machine explains the steps in Japanese and English.

✅ How to order

1. Choose your ramen size: regular (並), medium (中) or large (大).
2. Choose any toppings you want.
3. Buy your ticket and go back to your place in the line.
4. Choose noodle firmness, flavor strength and amount of oil.

✅ Yoshimuraya menu and prices

※ Prices are from the ticket machine on September 24, 2026. Some noodle dishes went up on September 1, 2026, but the regular ramen stayed at 890 yen.

When you buy a ticket, you get a plastic ticket whose color depends on what you ordered. Instead of paper tickets, the color tells the staff your order.

When I went, foreign customers were handed a card in English and Japanese to choose noodles, flavor and oil in advance. I picked regular for all three.

※ You can't choose the noodle thickness.

Yoshimuraya Ramen: Taste and Toppings

I ordered a regular ramen with extra nori and a seasoned egg, plus a small beer. That was 890 yen for the ramen, 90 yen for nori, 80 yen for the egg and 380 yen for the beer, 1,440 yen in total. I picked regular for noodle firmness, flavor strength and oil.

The extra nori came as several sheets fanned out around the back of the bowl. It was more than I expected, and for me the bowl would have been enough without it.

Yoshimuraya's ramen is tonkotsu shoyu: a broth of pork and chicken bones with soy sauce tare and chicken fat (chiyu, 鶏油). Founder Minoru Yoshimura also explains that he uses pork bones, chicken bones and chicken feet (momiji), with plenty of chiyu. The soy sauce tare uses Yamasa's koikuchi soy sauce.

The regular-strength broth I had was rich and heavy, but the soy sauce didn't come across as too salty or muddy. The soy flavor was clear, the finish fairly clean, and I enjoyed it.

The noodles were short, flat and medium-thick, with a chewy bite, and they picked up the thick broth well. Medium-thick noodles and a tonkotsu shoyu broth with chiyu are the hallmarks of iekei ramen, and the shops in Yoshimuraya's direct lineage also say they use medium-thick noodles.

The chashu had a smoky aroma and a deep pork flavor. The seasoned egg I had wasn't runny in the middle, but it was rich and tasty.

The counter had a lineup of condiments, including chopped ginger, grated ginger, ramen pepper, garlic chips, gyoja garlic (行者ニンニク), doubanjiang, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame and a green chili seasoning.

FAQ: Yoshimuraya Wait Times, Ordering and Flavor Options

Q. How long is the wait at Yoshimuraya?
A. When I went around 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, 2026, it took about 30 minutes from joining the line to buying my ticket. Waits vary with the day and time.

Q. Can I order at Yoshimuraya if I don't speak Japanese?
A. When I went, the ordering sign above the ticket machine also had English, and foreign customers got a flavor-choice card in English and Japanese. I chose my order at the ticket machine and used the card to pick noodle firmness, flavor strength and oil.

Q. What should I choose for noodles, flavor and oil on my first visit?
A. I picked regular for noodle firmness, flavor strength and oil. Choosing regular for all three on your first visit makes it easy to try Yoshimuraya's standard bowl. When I went, a staff member told us to say so if the flavor turned out too light or too strong as we ate.

Q. Does the ticket machine take cards?
A. No. The ticket machine is cash only, so be sure to bring cash.

If you're planning to see more of Yokohama, take a look at my Yokohama 1-day itinerary too. It covers a day's route from Chinatown to the Red Brick Warehouse and the night views.

👉 Yokohama 1-Day Itinerary: Route, Food & Night Views

Just getting to eat iekei ramen at the place in Yokohama where it started made the wait worth it. The rich broth, the short chewy noodles and the chashu with its light smoky aroma all had a style that was clearly Yoshimuraya's own.

Even after I left and walked through Yokohama again, the taste of that rich broth stayed with me for a while. If you like iekei ramen, tasting it where it began, in Yokohama, is an experience you'll likely remember for a long time.

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