[Junren Head Office in Sapporo] Rich Taste Miso Broth Ramen

Junren

Sapporo Junren (さっぽろ純連) is a popular ramen restraunt based in Hiragishi, Toyohira ward, Sapporo city. Mr. Noriyoshi Muranaka (村中 教愛) established it in 1987, and RENFOODS corp. runs it. Mr. Takanori Yamagishi (山岸 敬典) is a company president at present. Mrs. Akeko Muranaka (村中 明子), the founder's mother, established Sumire (純連) in 1964, and the Junren successed her taste. The head office and a brach are in the Sapporo, and the Junren is well-known as a long-established ramen restraunt of Sapporo Miso Broth Ramen. By the way, Mr. Noriyoshi, the founder, is a company president of Miki Food corp. (有限会社 ミキフード), and runs Sapporo Junren Sendai Branch now.

I have known the Sumire for a long time, but I have never visited. I often confused "Junren (純連)" and "Sumire (すみれ)", but now I know about the Junren and the Sumire. Mr. Noriyoshi, her eldest son, and Mr. Nobuyoshi Muranaka (村中 伸宜), her third son, have successed his mother taste of ramen, the founder of the Sumire, and Mr. Noriyoshi has established Junren (純連) since 1987, and Mr. Nobuyoshi has established the Sumire (すみれ) since 1989. Collectively, ramen restraunts carried on the the taste of Mrs. Akeko's ramen are called Junsumi style (純すみ系), and ramen restraunts inspired by her ramen taste spread over the Japan.

Movie of Junren Head Office

My visited place is the head office nearby Tenjinyama Park (天神山緑地). The nearest station is Subway Nanboku Line Sumikawa Station, and customers need to walk a little from the station. A parking lot is provided in front of a building and on the opposite side of a road, and the third parking lot is also provided. The ramen restraunt is not so large, and the appearance and the interior decoration are fresh. Counter seats and table seats are provided, so I guess that even family customers enjoy meals.

Hiragishi Tenjin Wisteria

Tenjinyama Park (天神山緑地) is located in Hiragishi, Toyohira ward, Sapporo city. There is Mt. Tenjinyama with an altitude of about 90 m along National Route 453, and Tenjin Wisteria (天神藤), Soma Shrine (相馬神社), Taiheizan Miyoshi Shrine (太平山三吉神社), Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio (さっぽろ天神山アートスタジオ) and Jaoanese-style Garden (日本庭園) are on the site. The Mt. Tenkjinyama used to be a fort built by Ainu people, and a view is good, too. There are vestiges of the fort now. The Tenjin Wisteria is donated to Sapporo city by Mr. Akihiro Yamagiwa (山際廣昭) that lived at the foot of Mt. Tenjinyama in 2016 , and become a part of the Tenjinyama Park. 300 cherry trees such as double cherry trees and Yezo mountain cherry trees are planted, so pink flowers and purple flowers can be enjoyed from a spring to an early summer. This park is a relaxing place that local people enjoy themselves in a city. Admission free. Read More

SAPPORO

Sapporo (札幌) that about 1,960,000 people live is the largest city in Hokkaido. Although there are various theories, its origin of the name is "Dry Big River (乾いた大きな川)" in Ainu language. A population of the Sapporo is the 4th largest city after Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya in japan, and the population accounts for 36 % of Hokkaido's population! So the Sapporo has been flourished as the center of the Hokkaido. The area of the Sapporo is 1,121.26 km2, and is about as big as Hong Kong, and is the 7th largest city in the Hokkaido. The Sapporo is also famous as a tourist city, and about 15 million people come. As for a climate, it is hot that temperature rises to nearly 25 degrees in a summer, but it is easy to live without moisture. I always feel a little cool. It is cold that temperature falls to nearly -10 degrees in a winter, and amount of snowfall sometimes has more than 1 m. Read More

Ramen of Hokkaido

Ramen is a noodle soup dish topped with ingredients. It is said that Chinese noodles is the root of the ramen, and there are various theories, for example, Mr. Mistukuni Tokugawa (徳川光圀 * Mitokomon (水戸黄門)) ate the ramen in 1697 for the first time in Japan or the first ramen was that Keitaimen noodles (経帯麺) served in 1488 was written in Biryueken Diary (蔭涼軒日録). Noodle soup dishes were spread out in Japan because Nanking noodles (南京そば) was served in various China Towns, Japan. In Hakodate with a China Town, Yowaken (養和軒) served the Nanking noodles in 1884. In Sapporo, it is a root of Sapporo Ramen that a noodle soup dish was cooked by Mr. Wang Wen Zai (王 文彩), a chief chef of Takeya Shokudo (竹家食堂), in 1922. Houran (芳蘭), a branch of the Takeya Shokudo, opened a business in 1933 in Asahikawa. Asahikawa Ramen, Sapporo Ramen and Hakodate Ramen called the 3 Major Ramen in Hokkaido were born. But current ramen do not succeed to the taste of those ramen. Read More

Miso Broth Ramen

I visited here around 13:00 on a weekday. The ramen restraunt was almost full, and there were few counter seats. The Junren was popular after all. First I bought a meal ticket of Miso Broth Ramen (味噌ラーメン) via a ticket vendor. The price was JPY 820. I sat at a counter seat, and handed the meal ticket to a waitress. While wainig for the ramen, a lot of customers came to the ramen restraunt one after another. They queued up, so I was lucky! By the way, Kanjani Eight (関ジャニ∞), a popular idol group in Japan, shooted their special offer dvd here, so a lots of their fans come to visit the real-life locations of the dvd. The Junren becomes popular more and more.

About 15 minutes later, the ramen was served. Chopped roasted pork fillets, fried bean sprouts and ground meats, bamboo shoots and green oinons were on noodles. I ate a sip of soup immediately. It tasted rich salty-sweet, and was fatty. It also tasted a little ginger. The soup was tasty! I suppose that the ginger becomes a symbol of Junsumi style family group. But this soup was more mild than Sumire's soup, and I guessed that it probably was affected by amount of fat. They inherited their mother's ramen, and each ramen will probably continue to evolve.

The noodles were egg noodles made by Morizumi Noodles Factory (森住製麺), and were the length of about 15 cm as well as the Sumire. The noodles went well with the soup, too. To reffer to the difference between the Sumire and the Junre, those are that there are more chopped roasted pork fillets than the Sumire, and nothing are written on the bottom of the ramen bowl after drinking up the soup. By the way, in case of taking a pee after eating egg noodles, people are sometimes surprised by too yellow pee, and the reason is yellow food color contaning vitamin B2. That is a common story of the egg noodles.

Miso Broth Ramen and Atmosphere of Ramen Restaurant Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Miso Broth Ramen

List of Accommodations

Refer to following websites for the accommodations in the Toyohira ward. You can get information regarding online reviews and photos.

Premier Hotel Tsubaki Sapporo(プレミアホテル-TSUBAKI-札幌)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Sapporo International Youth Hostel(札幌国際ユースホステル)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
UCHI Living Stay TOYOHIRA(UCHI Living Stay TOYOHIRA)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Sapporo Guesthouse Nariya(札幌ゲストハウス 成屋)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
SAKURA34(SAKURA34)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Pension Setsurin(ペンション 雪輪)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Terrace Toyohira(Terrace Toyohira)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Sejour Toyohirakoen(セジュール 豊平公園)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Marutomi Ryokan(丸富旅館)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten
Hotel SULATA Sapporo(ホテルSULATA札幌)	HP	Booking	Jalan	Rakuten