Ramen & Noodles · Nakano

Nakano Taishoken 中野 大勝軒

Where tsukemen was born: on 1 April 1955 this Nakano shop put 'tokusei morisoba' on the menu, a staff meal invented by its then manager Kazuo Yamagishi. The family-run shop has served it ever since.

About

Nakano Taishoken traces its history to 1951, when Masayasu Sakaguchi opened a Taishoken in Nakano, and in 1955 it became the first shop to sell dipping noodles. The idea came from Kazuo Yamagishi, then the manager, who had been eating leftover noodles dunked in a cup of soup and soy sauce as a staff meal; the shop priced it at 40 yen, five yen more than a bowl of ramen. The shop moved to its current spot south of Nakano Station in 1974 and is now run by the founding family's third generation. The tsukesoba here is lighter and more old-fashioned than the rich, fish-powder tsukemen of the 2000s: springy noodles with a clear, gently sweet and sour soy dip. The counter-centred room still feels like Showa-era Nakano. For anyone tracing the history of tsukemen, this and Higashi-Ikebukuro Taishoken are the two essential stops.

Highlights

• Credited as the first shop to sell tsukemen (1955)
• Light, sweet-sour 'tsukesoba' in its original Showa style
• Family-run by the third generation since 2025
• Counter-centred room with an old-Tokyo feel
• Short walk from Nakano Sun Mall and Nakano Broadway

Tips

• Here it is called tsukesoba, not tsukemen
• Combine with Nakano Broadway for a half-day in Nakano
• Hours are lunch to late afternoon; do not plan a late dinner here
• Cash is safest

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Coin Lockers · Nakano StationLuggage Storage · 260 m away
• Fujiya Camera Main Store (Nakano)Camera Store · 360 m away
• Nakano Sun Mall ArcadePhoto Spot · 420 m away
• Don Quijote Nakano EkimaeUnique Store · 580 m away
• Nakano Shiki no Mori ParkPark · 580 m away
• Nakano BroadwayAnime & Otaku · 620 m away
• Daily Chiko (Nakano Broadway)Café & Sweets · 620 m away
• Yamato Transport · Nakano Broadway CenterLuggage Storage · 690 m away