‘Naruto’ Fans, Ichiraku Ramen Is A Real Place

Watching anime when you are hungry is never a good idea. Fans may tune into Naruto looking for a distraction, but they'll find themselves salivating when Naruto digs into a bowl of ramen. Those hunger pains run deep, but you can heal them if you're in Japan.

You know, because Ichiraku Ramen is actually a real place. If you want to eat like Naruto Uzumaki, then the only thing stopping you is — well — nothing. Well, except for a really expensive plane ticket and an empty stomach.

Naruto fans will be very familiar with Ichiraku Ramen thanks to its popularity with ninjas. Masashi Kishimoto hid the ramen stall in the Leaf Village, but the creator dined at his own Ichiraku Ramen as a student.

According to the artist, he based Ichiraku Ramen off a real ramen dig. The store was located in Fukuoka near the Kyuusandaimae Shop (via Sora News). In the past, Kishimoto has said he traveled through that area as a student, so he drew a lot of inspiration from Kyuusandai while creating Naruto.

Sadly, the specific store Kishimoto visited as a kid closed in 2014, but that does not mean you cannot sample its savory stuff. The original Ramen Ichiraku may be gone, but it has branches in Fukuoka. All of those locales carry the same menu Kishimoto would have enjoyed, so anime fans will want to splurge on a trip if they visit Japan.

Oh, but don't expect Teuchi to be working at these restaurants. The chef has plenty to worry about cooking for Naruto Uzumaki back at the Leaf Village... Sorry!

For those unfamiliar with Naruto, it has quite a storied history. Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows Naruto, a young ninja with a sealed demon within him that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and featuring the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.

Would you like to try out some of this legendary Ichiraku Ramen? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!