Hiyashi Ramen, or cold ramen, is one of Yamagata Prefecture’s distinctive local specialties. Yamagata is famous for foods such as Yonezawa beef and cherries, but it also has a strong ramen culture and is known for its high level of ramen consumption in Japan.
Among Yamagata’s many ramen styles, one of the most unusual is Hiyashi Ramen, served with a chilled soup rather than the hot broth used for conventional ramen.
Some restaurants simply call it “Cold Ramen,” but Hiyashi Ramen is not merely an ordinary soy sauce ramen that has been cooled down. The soup and noodles are carefully prepared so that the soup remains enjoyable when chilled, without the fat solidifying. The result is a refreshing bowl with a clean taste and rich umami from the broth.
Yamagata’s ramen is traditionally centered on soy sauce-based flavors, and Hiyashi Ramen typically features a clear, soy sauce-based chilled broth. Dashi made from ingredients such as bonito flakes and kelp is combined with soy sauce, while the noodles are chilled in cold water after cooking. Soba restaurants and ramen shops throughout the region offer their own versions, allowing visitors to discover subtle differences from one restaurant to another.
Although some restaurants serve Hiyashi Ramen throughout the year rather than only in summer, it is especially refreshing on a hot day. It is a uniquely Yamagata-style bowl of ramen that can make you feel cooler while enjoying a familiar Japanese comfort food.
Hiyashi Ramen is generally said to have been created in 1952 at Sakaeya Honten in Yamagata City.
Located in a basin, Yamagata City experiences extremely hot summers. In July 1933, the city recorded a temperature of 40.8°C, a figure that was known for many years as Japan’s national record for the highest temperature.
Even during such hot summers, regular customers still wanted to enjoy ramen. Inspired by the tradition of eating chilled soba in hot weather, Sakaeya Honten, which originally operated as a soba restaurant, began experimenting with the idea of serving ramen with a cold soup.
This creative approach eventually led to the Hiyashi Ramen that is enjoyed today.
Simply cooling a bowl of hot ramen creates a problem: the fat in the soup can solidify and produce an unpleasant texture. Sakaeya Honten therefore spent considerable time developing a broth that would remain delicious even when served cold.
The development was led by Senshiro Abe, the restaurant’s first owner. He began training at a long-established soba restaurant in Yamagata at around the age of 13 and opened Sakaeya Honten in 1932. After the war, the restaurant began serving ramen, and Abe started developing a chilled version in response to customers who wanted to enjoy ramen during Yamagata’s hot summers.
It reportedly took about a year of experimentation to create a soup in which the fat would not solidify when chilled. In 1952, the Hiyashi Ramen that became the foundation for the modern style was born.
Sakaeya Honten’s Hiyashi Ramen features a broth made by combining soy sauce-based sauce, water, and dashi prepared from bonito and kelp. A touch of sesame oil adds a subtle aroma and richness, while the chilled broth retains a clean and refreshing character.
Vegetables such as cucumber and bean sprouts also pair well with the cold soup. Their crisp texture adds another refreshing element, making the dish particularly easy to enjoy during the summer months.
The noodles are just as important as the soup in Hiyashi Ramen. At Sakaeya Honten, an original thick noodle is specially prepared to complement the chilled broth.
After being boiled, the noodles are immediately cooled in cold water. This gives them a firm, springy texture that is noticeably different from the softer texture of noodles served in hot ramen.
The cooking process is also carefully controlled. The noodles are boiled for approximately seven minutes, after which their firmness is checked by hand to determine when they have reached the desired texture.
Sakaeya Honten is widely known as the birthplace of Hiyashi Ramen and has attracted generations of customers. The restaurant can become busy even during weekday lunch hours, and its cold ramen has become an iconic part of summer in Yamagata.
During the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival, in particular, large numbers of visitors and local residents come to the restaurant. On some days, the restaurant has reportedly welcomed around 700 customers.
While preserving the basic character of its traditional Hiyashi Ramen, Sakaeya Honten has continued to make small adjustments over the years. Today, the soup combines sesame oil with white sesame-derived cooking oil, while kelp is used as part of the dashi, helping maintain the traditional flavor while refining its balance.
The distinctive taste of Sakaeya Honten’s Hiyashi Ramen gradually spread through word of mouth and other forms of local popularity, eventually becoming recognized throughout Japan as one of Yamagata’s signature regional foods.
The restaurant displays numerous autographed boards from well-known visitors, reflecting the many generations of customers who have enjoyed its ramen. Today, packaged soup products and other souvenirs are also available, allowing visitors to recreate the taste of Hiyashi Ramen at home after returning from Yamagata.
Hiyashi Ramen is much more than ordinary ramen served cold. It is a distinctive local food culture created through the combination of Yamagata’s hot climate, its long-established soba tradition, and its love of ramen.
Its chilled soup, firm noodles, bonito and kelp dashi, fragrant sesame oil, and crisp vegetables offer a completely different experience from conventional hot ramen. When visiting Yamagata, be sure to try authentic Hiyashi Ramen—especially on a hot summer day, although many restaurants serve it throughout the year.