Sakurajosui Funakoshi is a shio (salt-seasoned) ramen specialist on Koshu-kaido avenue, just north of Sakurajosui Station on the Keio Line. Owner-chef Funakoshi Setsuya trained for roughly 13 years at Watanabe (Watanabe Style) in Takadanobaba before opening his own shop here on 15 January 2023. In that same first year, the shop took first place overall in the "TRY New Shop Grand Prize" of Kodansha's 24th TRY Ramen Awards 2023-2024.
About the shop
Funakoshi was born in 1978 in Kurayoshi, Tottori Prefecture. According to the official site of Watanabe Style, where he trained, his apprenticeship ran from December 2009 to October 2022 — close to 13 years — and he is one of the disciples who left owner Watanabe Juan to open independently. His route into ramen (starting an apprenticeship at 31, opening his own shop at 44) was the subject of a feature in Toyo Keizai Online, headlined "the life of a man who began training at 31 and opened a ramen shop at 44" (published 26 November 2023, and also syndicated to the lifestyle magazine OCEANS).
The house bowl is shio chuka soba. In a press release dated 22 April 2024 announcing a tie-up cup noodle — "Maruchan Funakoshi Shio Chuka Soba," which went on sale on 6 May 2024 — Toyo Suisan described the shop's shio chuka soba as "a powerful salt-and-pork-bone soup combining pork, chicken and beef with seafood ingredients such as kelp and dried sardines." So despite being a salt bowl, it is not built as a clear, delicate broth — the animal-based body is pushed to the front. That much is stated in the official material.
What to order
On a first visit, start with the shio chuka soba. It is the bowl that was turned into a cup noodle, and it is the shop's reference point. The shio wonton men, which adds wontons, is listed at 1,300 yen on the official TRY (Tokyo Ramen of the Year) shop page, and was placed third in the 2024 TRY "Elite Shop Division, MIX" category.
Prices and the menu line-up do change, however, and as of July 2026 we could not confirm a current price list from the shop itself. Please check the official X account (@funaramen) for the latest menu and prices before you go.
- Shio chuka soba — the signature bowl, later adapted into a cup noodle
- Shio wonton men — listed at 1,300 yen on the official TRY site (not confirmed by the shop as of July 2026)
Tips for visiting
The shop serves lunch only and does not open in the evening. Seating is limited, so allow yourself time. One practical point changed in 2025 and is worth knowing before you arrive: how you pay.
- Open 11:00-15:00, lunch only (per the official TRY site and the shop's own X announcements); closed Wednesdays and Sundays (per the official TRY site and the Tabelog Hyakumeiten listing)
- On 13 March 2025 the shop installed a cashless ticket machine and stopped accepting cash (announced on its official X account). Major credit cards, barcode payments and e-money are accepted
- 8 counter seats; no parking (per the official TRY site)
- Summer breaks, New Year closures and ad-hoc closures are announced on the official X account (@funaramen)