Assari ramen: light does not mean bland — 5 restaurants in Tokyo and Chiba

Based on online information as of September 28, 2026. This site has not conducted any on-site interviews or actual tastings. Edited based on official store information, facility guides, media coverage, etc. The order of publication is not a ranking. Business hours, prices, menus, and payment methods are subject to change. Please check the latest information for each store before visiting. Don't rely on the name of the dish alone to determine whether it meets dietary restrictions or allergies; please check with the restaurant individually.

``I want to eat ramen, but today I'd rather have a refreshing bowl than something greasy.'' At times like these, what you want to look for is light ramen.

However, "light" does not mean "almost no taste." Here, we use the word to focus on the soup stock and aroma rather than the thick consistency.

Assari describes a light style, not a seasoning

Shoyu, shio and miso mainly describe seasonings; chicken, pork bones and seafood mainly describe broth ingredients. Keeping these two categories separate makes a menu easier to read. Both chicken-broth shoyu ramen and seafood-broth shio ramen are possible combinations.^[S01]

The technical term for clear broth is chintan. Its clear appearance alone does not tell you how much salt or oil it contains. This article mainly introduces clear-broth styles, without suggesting that every dish at each restaurant is light.^[S02]

Beginners should consider not only whether it is "light or strong" but also whether you like the scent of citrus, whether you like the flavor of soy sauce, or whether you like fish stock .

Three restaurants to try in Tokyo

1. AFURI Ebisu | Discover lighter ramen through the aroma of yuzu

AFURI is known for Yuzu Shio Ramen. Yuzu adds a citrus aroma to a broth made with ingredients including whole chicken, seafood and aromatic vegetables. Look for the combination of dashi and citrus, rather than treating it as simply a salty soup.^[A01]

If you can choose the amount of chicken oil (chiyu), start with the standard tanrei option on a first visit. Maromi uses a little more oil: the difference is richness and aroma, rather than saltiness. This is a starting point for people who enjoy a refreshing aroma.^[A01]

First order suggestion: Yuzu Shio Ramen with the tanrei chicken-oil option. The Ebisu branch is at 1-1-7 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku. The official branch guide mentions cashless payment, so bring a payment option besides cash.^[A02]

2. Menya Hyottoko Kotsukaikan | Japanese-style dashi in Yurakucho

This Japanese-style ramen restaurant is on basement level 1 of Tokyo Kotsukaikan in Yurakucho. The facility’s own coverage introduces Yuzu Ryu-men as a bowl highlighting dashi ingredients such as bonito and kombu.^[A03][A04]

This is a candidate for people who want to try ramen that is closer to Japanese soup stock than a rich meat soup. Like AFURI, yuzu is featured, but when comparing the two restaurants, pay attention not only to the aroma but also to the combination of the noodles and soup stock.

First order suggestion: Yuzu Ryu-men (Wafu Yuzu Ryu-men). The restaurant is below ground, rather than on the building’s ground floor. Check the facility’s floor guide before heading there.^[A03][A04]

3. Menya Shichisai Hatchobori | Freshly made noodles as well as broth

Menya Shichisai in Hatchobori is known for making noodles from flour after an order is placed. The restaurant listing describes both shoyu and niboshi (dried-sardine) broths.^[A05]

Start here with a bowl of shoyu ramen. If you enjoy a fish aroma, niboshi is another option, but choose the flavour you want rather than assuming all clear broths taste alike. This restaurant can also spark an interest in the texture of the noodles themselves.

First order suggestion: shoyu ramen. Allow enough time for your visit to enjoy the process of making the noodles. The restaurant is at 2-13-2 Hatchobori, Chuo-ku.^[A05]

Two restaurants to try in Chiba

4. Tomonomoto | Shoyu aroma and homemade noodles near Higashi-Kaijin, Funabashi

Shoyu ramen is a starting point at Tomonomoto in Funabashi. The restaurant’s own information describes preparing its broth, seasoning sauce and noodles in-house. TRY’s award coverage describes a sauce blending several soy sauces and a broth using chicken, pork and seafood.^[A06][A08]

Shoyu ramen is not ``soy sauce added to hot water.'' This is a restaurant where you should pay attention to both the thickness of the dashi and the aroma of the soy sauce. Even if it is transparent, it does not necessarily mean that it is weak in body.

First order suggestion: shoyu ramen. The restaurant is near Higashi-Kaijin Station, at 7-23-14 Honcho, Funabashi. It is also listed in TRY’s 2025 shoyu category. Avoid confusing this address with its former location in older articles.^[A07]

5. Shina Soba Komuro | Shio broth and wontons in Gyotoku

At Komuro in Gyotoku, Ichikawa, consider wontonmen in shio broth, a bowl listed in TRY’s 2025 shio category. This is an option for people who want to enjoy noodles and wontons together, as well as the broth.^[A09]

Wonton is a dish with filling wrapped in a thin piece of dough. Try to be conscious of the texture by eating the noodles first, then the wontons containing the soup. It's a perfect choice for days when you want something light, but also want to enjoy the toppings.

First order suggestion: wontonmen in shio broth. The restaurant is near Gyotoku Station, at 1-18-13 Suehiro, Ichikawa. Do not interpret the menu name shio, meaning salt, as a promise of low salt content.^[A09]

Taste your first bowl before adding condiments

Don't add a lot of pepper or garlic from the beginning, try tasting a small amount of soup and noodles first. After that, you can add seasonings as needed, making it easier to think about whether you like the soup stock, the aroma, or the richness of the oil.

Light ramen is not a diluted version of rich ramen, but an entryway to enjoying the aroma and soup stock from a different angle. When choosing your next restaurant, consider ``what kind of aroma do you want to enjoy?'' rather than the color of the soup.