Sayonara to an old-school traveller’s way to eat noodles.

The constant sound of trains arriving and departing. A stream of passengers appearing and disappearing. And all throughout, the delicious aroma of ramen wafting through the air.

That’s the scene that passengers at Tokyo’s Nishiarai Station have been able to enjoy for over 50 years, but it will soon be sadly coming to an end, with the announcement that Nishiarai Ramen will be closing its doors to the public on 31 March.

▼ This closure is big news in the noodle world, so we wasted no time in heading out to Adachi Ward to have one last meal at the ramen stand.

Located on Platform 3 and 4, which serves the Tobu Skytree Line, Nishiarai Ramen has been selling simple, old‑school Tokyo shoyu (soy sauce) ramen to hungry commuters since it opened here in 1969. When we arrived at the humble ramen stand on a sunny Saturday afternoon, we found it was crowded with customers.

We’ve seen a few historic soba restaurants on train platforms in our time, but ramen restaurants are a much rarer find. The stands we’ve seen have never drawn crowds like this one, suggesting we weren’t the only ones here for one last slurp of ramen on the platform.

▼ A sign by the stand confirms the closure.

The sign above reads:

“Notice from Nishiarai Ramen.
Thank you, Nishiarai Platform.
To everyone who has eaten here, alongside the sound of trains, Nishiarai Ramen will be closing on 31 March.
We won’t forget those who have stopped by, even if just for a short time.
Thank you very much for the past 56 years.
Although this location will be closing, the flavour will live on at our second branch in front of the station.
Next time, please take a seat there and eat slowly.
One final bowl. And from then on, at the station-front store.”

Though we were relieved to learn that Nishiarai Ramen’s noodles will still be available, it did little to ease the pain of having to say goodbye to the branch on the platform. There’s something beautiful about being able to enjoy a hot bowl of noodles while trains whizz by within metres of you, and it’s an old-school, nostalgic experience that’s disappearing now in the world of modern train stations.

▼ Eating shoulder to shoulder on the platform is like a memento of a bygone era.

With the sense of something soon to be lost making us feel slightly emotional, we purchased a ticket for our last bowl of ramen at the ticket machine and joined the queue. The line moved steadily forward, but it took about an hour before we were able to reach the counter and exchange our ticket for food.

When we finally caught sight of our order, a bowl of Char Siu Ramen for 850 yen (US$5.39), it appeared slightly blurry through our tears.

It was a simple-looking dish, but when we tasted the broth, it had a delicious soy sauce flavour that would be on par with any good non-standing ramen restaurant. The straight noodles from Tsurushiko (a Japanese restaurant chain known for chewy noodles made from wheat and potato starch) added to the overall flavor, creating a very hearty meal.

The salt in the char siu added a nice flavour throughout, giving the dish a nice balance that shows why this place has been popular for so many decades.

As we slurped up every last strand of these noodles, we also soaked up every last bit of the atmosphere in which it was served. The smell of the trains, the noise of the people, and the ebb and flow of movement around us added to the unique enjoyment of the meal.

Ordinary places and moments like these can be the most beautiful of things, and we felt the sadness of Tokyo’s disappearing history as we walked away from the ramen stand one last time.

▼ Stopping by Nishiarai’s ramen restaurant at the front of the station, we found that it retained its platform history on the sign outside…

▼ …but it just didn’t have the same type of vibe.

With the current Reiwa era steadily marching on through time, it’s sad to see the remnants of the Showa era slowly disappearing in front of our eyes. Happy for small consolations, we chose to take solace in the knowledge that the flavour of Nishiarai’s ramen will live on for now…albeit without the bustling, decades-long atmosphere of the platform stand that made it famous.

Store information

Nishiarai Ramen / 西新井らーめん
Address: Tokyo-to, Adachi-ku, Nishiarai Sakaecho 2-1-1 ,  Tobu Isesaki Line Nishiarai Station Platforms 3 and 4
東京都足立区西新井栄町2-1-1 東武伊勢崎線西新井駅3、4番線ホーム
Open: 8:00 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

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