About five minutes on foot from the South Exit of JR Shinjuku Station along Koshu-kaido avenue, Fu-unji has been one of Tokyo's most talked-about tsukemen shops since opening in 2007. Tsukemen are thick noodles served separately from a concentrated dipping broth — here, a creamy-white soup made only from domestic chicken, layered with the umami of niboshi (dried sardines) and dried fish flakes. The address is technically Yoyogi in Shibuya Ward, but in practice this is a Shinjuku Station shop. It runs lunch and dinner shifts and closes for the day once the soup runs out.

What kind of shop it is

Fu-unji was opened in 2007 by Shigeyuki Miyake, who came to ramen after an unusual career as an Italian-restaurant head chef and hotel manager. According to an official interview, the soup is made by simmering domestic chicken for hours until it turns creamy white, then combining it with niboshi and dried sardines from the Seto Inland Sea — with no MSG. It is often cited as a defining example of the chicken-paitan-plus-seafood school of tsukemen, a distinct lineage from the pork-based tonkotsu-gyokai style associated with shops like Rokurinsha.

Ramen made up about 70% of orders when the shop opened, but by the second year tsukemen had overtaken it, by the owner's own account. The shop itself is a 15-seat, non-smoking counter. There are now two branches as well: Tokyo Ramen Yokocho at Tokyo Station and a Yokohama shop.

What to order

The signature is the tsukemen (¥1,000): a rich, creamy chicken dipping broth with a pronounced dried-fish aroma, paired with custom noodles said to aim for the chew of Sanuki udon with an al dente bite. The tokusei tsukemen (¥1,300) is the deluxe version. The ramen (¥950) — the shop's original mainstay — is also worth considering; the owner has said critics often recommend it over the tsukemen.

An extra-large noodle portion is +¥200, and toppings such as seasoned egg or nori (¥150) and chashu pork (¥250) are available. All prices are as of July 2026, per the official site.

Tips for visiting

The shop operates in two shifts, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. and 5:00–9:00 p.m., and closes once the soup runs out. Per the official site it is open year-round, and no reservations are accepted at any branch. To be safe, aim for right at opening or the early evening shift rather than peak mealtimes.

It is about a 5-minute walk from the JR Shinjuku Station South Exit, but only about 1 minute from Exit 6 of the Toei Shinjuku and Oedo lines. There is no parking, so come by train. Payment methods are not listed on the official site, so bringing cash is the safe bet. Temporary closures and schedule changes are announced on the official site's news page and on X (@fu_unji) — check before you go. If you can't make it to Tokyo, the shop offers official mail-order noodle kits via Takumen.com (domestic Japan shipping).

  • No reservations at any branch (per the official site)
  • Closes once the soup runs out
  • 15 counter seats, non-smoking, no parking
  • Temporary schedule changes announced on the official site and X (@fu_unji)