Taiki

After my preparation the night before, I was off to Toyama. I had gone pretty close on my trip to Kanazawa the year before, but this time I was planning on touring Toyama city and then heading on the Kurobe Alpine Route to see Kurobe Dam.

前の夜の準備をしてから富山に行くことになりました。金沢に行ったときには近かったですけど、今回富山市と黒部ダムを遊びに行くつもりでした。

Whoops, I messed up in my Toyama Castle photo

富山城を撮り間違え 

 Toyama City

富山市

Firefly squid

ホタルイカ 

White shrimp

白海老 

Toyama craft beer Ecchu Fuga

富山生産地ビール「越中風雅」

But I wouldn't dream of stopping in Toyama without trying their famous ramen. I've had it on occasion before, but now with a chance to have it in its birthplace, I looked for a famous shop in the city, and made my way to Taiki.

もちろんせっかく富山に行ったので富山風ラーメンも食べなあかんかった。食べたことがありましたけど、本場で食べるのが正しいと思います。いい場所を検索して「大喜」という店に行きました。

The Bowl
They say that Toyama ramen was created in the fifties; laborers were working all day, and needed sodium to replenish all the salt they were sweating out. Where there's a need, business will fulfill it and extra-salty Toyama black was born. Workers would take rice from home, and use that to counteract the salt in the ramen itself.

I have to say, I understand why that rice was there. The pitch black soup was maybe the saltiest ramen I've ever had. In other bowls that would disappoint me, but with Toyama black that's kind of the point. Similar to Osaka's Takaida-kei ramen, you're not really supposed to drink the soup (although I did anyway), it's more of a flavoring agent for the absorbent yellow ropes of noodles. The menma were super thick too, and it was impossible to eat one of the slices of chashu without feeling like I took a small shot of soy sauce. I was not let down by this bowl.

富山ラーメンは５０年代に作られたそうです。労働者がずっと働いていて汗をかいて塩分不足になったらしいです。それで、塩分補給のための富山ブラックが生まれました。労働者は家からご飯を持って行って昼に塩辛いラーメンを食べました。

ラーメンの一口を食べると、なぜご飯が必要かわかってきました。真っ黒なスープは人生の中に一番塩っぱいラーメンかもしれません。ほかのラーメンだったら「やりすぎ」といいますけど、富山ブラックはわざとでした。大阪の高井田系ラーメンみたいにスープを飲むはずもありません（けど、僕は飲んでみました）。太ぉい黄色い麺とメンマの味をつける感じがしました。チャーシューは固くて食べると「醤油！」という味がしました。やるな、富山ブラック。

Would I Go Again?
Toyama black is not an every day thing; it was a bit much but I also really enjoyed it; I would go back.

毎日こういうラーメンが食べれませんけど、うまかったです。また行ってみたいです。

Should You Go?
For any ramen tourist, Taiki or a similar shop is a must stop.

ラーメン旅行者には大喜に行くべきです。

Information
大喜