Ryuji Eats the Ramen He Calls "the Best in the World," Chiba's "Kaizan," for the First Time in 18 Years

According to Ryuji, Kaizan serves a tonkotsu ramen loaded with back fat, in the same lineage as Ramen Shop. In his twenties he went around eating ramen across Chiba, and this was the place he thought was the best. Neither of his two companions had ever eaten there, and they didn't even know the shop's name.

Seeing the garlic on the table, Ryuji reminisces, "With this garlic here, it really feels like I've come to Kaizan." He says he used to be an "extremist" who couldn't be satisfied unless he added garlic. There was also doubanjiang and vinegar on the table, and he explained to his companions that they could add them to taste. He was also surprised that they got in right away this time, when in the past you had to wait in a long line to get in.

Ryuji says, "There's no other ramen I praise this much," prompting his companions to quip, "You're raising the bar." Still, he stressed that the last time he ate it was 18 years ago. Inside the shop were signs such as "No. 2 Nationwide in Ramen Walker" and No. 1 in the rankings of a Chiba ramen guidebook, suggesting the shop remains popular to this day.

The side dish he strongly recommended was the "negi-don" (green onion rice bowl). He explained that the sauce-coated green onions combined with finely chopped chashu are delicious, and said that since it comes with green onions, they should order the green onion ramen too. Takeout souvenirs are also available.

The green onion ramen arrived piled high with green onions and menma, with a striking topping of coarsely ground black pepper. At the first bite, Ryuji said, "It's still delicious," and his companions agreed with his comment that "it's pretty salty."

The three were especially unanimous in their praise for the green onions. They all remarked on how good the crisp, sauce-coated green onions were, and they also agreed about the broth: "The soup is so good." Ryuji was delighted that "the flavor hasn't changed," and his two companions replied, "I really love it."

The negi-don has nori hidden beneath the rice, and Ryuji's recommended way to eat it is to pour the ramen broth over it. He further explained that the rice here is on the firm side, and eating it together with the oily broth is irresistible. The spicy condiments on the table can be added to the broth or put on the rice in small amounts. Ryuji himself put doubanjiang on his rice, saying it was delicious, with saltiness and umami.

Partway through, Ryuji adds the garlic from the table, saying, "I love the garlic here." The chashu is large, the kind where you can really taste the meat, and his companions reacted with "Super delicious." He says eating it with garlic and black pepper together is the way to do it here.

Ryuji praised it, saying, "I've eaten ramen all over Japan, but this place is good," and added that the portion was just right, so you can polish it off easily. He said the amount of back fat was just right as well.

As he kept eating, Ryuji let slip, "I'm about to tear up a little." Even though he had only eaten it 18 years ago, the flavor was memorable enough that he still remembered it clearly. They visited a little after 3 p.m., and he said he was also happy that the shop is open even at that hour.

Asked whether he could recreate it at home, he answered that, first of all, getting back fat is difficult. He laughed that if he sourced back fat he might be able to manage it, but he doesn't want to go to that effort. He also joked, "Just from Kaizan being this good, I can live another five years."

He also mentioned that Kaizan used to have only two locations: Nishi-Funabashi and the main branch. Ryuji once again said, "It's still No. 1," and shared that ever since moving to this area, he had always wanted to come. His companions also said, "Chiba ramen is amazing," and Ryuji responded that Chiba has a lot of great ramen shops.

Ryuji said there are probably only about two ramen shops he features in his videos, and while mentioning Yamaokaya, he said this was completely different. The green onions are pleasantly spicy and generously portioned, and they go well with the garlic. Although it's in the same lineage as Ramen Shop, he describes it as different from Ramen Shop too, with a clean broth and a flavor that really stands out.

On the other hand, his memory of the taste wavered somewhat. Right after he started eating he said "the flavor hasn't changed," but toward the end he also said, "Maybe it was a little different back then, maybe it was the rice, I don't know." He himself doesn't assert that it's exactly the same.

He grumbled that he'd like to drink all the broth, but it's hard since he's full and it's too hot, while repeating "That was delicious" to the very end. He joked that he'd sleep like a log tonight, that it was practically a sleeping pill, and one of his companions also said, "I love this" and "I want to come again."

The video wraps up with a scene in which it turns out the shop's president knew who Ryuji was, much to Ryuji's surprise.