Two minutes from Minowa Station on the Hibiya Line, Ramenya Toy Box is an eight-seat counter shop that opened in 2013. It took the grand prize of the TRY Ramen Awards four years running — a first in the awards' history — and entered the hall of fame from the 26th edition. It has also been listed as a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 12 consecutive editions of the Michelin Guide Tokyo, through the 2026 edition.
About the shop
Owner-chef Takanori Yamagami opened this small eight-seat counter shop in Minowa (Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa ward) in 2013. At the TRY Ramen Awards, Toy Box took the overall grand prize four consecutive years, from the 22nd edition (2021–2022) through the 25th (2024–2025) — a first in TRY history — and entered the hall of fame from the 26th edition, only the third shop ever to do so. In the 25th edition it also placed first in the shoyu and miso categories and third in shio among established shops.
The shop has been listed as a Michelin Bib Gourmand for 12 consecutive editions of the Michelin Guide Tokyo, through the 2026 edition. In October 2025, a Yamagami-supervised shop, Ramen GINZA TON BOX, opened in Ginza.
What to order
The signature is the shoyu ramen (¥1,200, per listings current as of July 2026). The broth is made from nothing but chicken and water — several breeds including Hinai-jidori, simmered for about seven hours at 94°C — and paired with a tare blended from ten soy sauces. It is finished with chicken oil and served with thin straight noodles.
The miso ramen (first in the miso category of TRY's 25th edition) and the shio ramen (third in shio) are ¥1,200 each. At night only, the shop serves a back-fat shoyu ramen introduced in 2023 — a rich counterpoint to the clear daytime shoyu, born from the chef's own love of back-fat ramen.
Tips for visiting
The shop is a two-minute walk from Exit 3 of Minowa Station on the Hibiya Line, and about two minutes from the Minowabashi stop on the Toden Arakawa tram line, making it easy to pair with a stroll through this old downtown area. Order by buying a meal ticket (shokken) from the vending machine at the entrance; there are just eight counter seats.
The shop may close early once ingredients run out, and evening service is irregular. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays are generally lunch only, so check the official X account (@toybox1215) for the day's schedule before you go.
- Lunch only on Sat, Sun and holidays as a rule
- Ticket-machine ordering; eight counter seats
- Evening hours and temporary closures announced on official X (@toybox1215)