We stopped at Mensho Tora-ji in Fujiyoshida after our trip to Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine and Chureito Pagoda. It was a short 10 minute drive away. The restaurant was located in a small plaza that had ample parking.

There were a decent amount of tables, some bar seats, and a raised platform with sitting tables. Our party of six was given one of these sitting tables. Usually tables like these have space below where you put your legs and sit normally. These tables had no such space and it felt a bit cramped in my opinion. The tables were too low for me to sit cross legged, so I had my legs folded to the side. The table was definitely meant for smaller groups.

Mensho Tora-ji Menu

The menu consisted primarily of ramen and tsukemen. Their main two varieties were shoyu and miso. They had both ramen and tsukemen versions of both. In addition they had options for premium toppings. They also had a variety of sides that included fried and boiled gyoza. To increase the variety, there were three different oils that could be added to any of the ramen or dipping sauces for the tsukemen. The gold was shrimp flavored, the black was garlic flavored, and the red was spicy.

We ended up ordering the shoyu tsukemen with the black oil and premium toppings, the miso tsukemen with gold oil and premium toppings, and orders of both the fried and boiled gyoza to share with everyone.

Mensho Tora-ji Food Review

First to come out were both the boiled and fried gyoza. The boiled gyoza were good. They were juicy on the inside and had a soft skin. The filling was a nice mix of pork, onion, and garlic. The fried gyoza were crispy on the bottom and super juicy on the inside. Both were delicious, but I think we preferred the fried gyoza. There was just something about the contrast between crispy bottom and the juicy inside that did it for us.

A little while later, our ramen came out. The miso broth was delicious. It had a very deep and rich miso flavor. The scallions and pork chunks enhanced the flavor of the broth and gave it depth. A must try for miso lovers. The shoyu broth was delicious as well. The green onions, pork chunks, and garlic oil were a nice combination. The premium toppings included a shoyu marinated soft boiled egg, two thick slices of chashu, and a piece of seaweed. Both of the broths had a thicker consistency than we were used to which probably helped it adhere more to the noodles.

Note: We could have upgraded our portions of noodles to a larger size at no additional cost. In the past, we’ve done this and regretted it. We decided to play it safe this time and just go with the normal amount of noodles. At the end of the day we made the right decision as the normal amount of noodles was more than enough.

Final Thoughts

The tsukemen here was delicious. The cool noodles provided a nice contrast to the hot broth. The broths were both rich and flavorful. If your ever in Fujiyoshida and need a hot meal on a cold day, then we recommend Mensho Tora-ji.

More to Come…

Here is the link to their Facebook Page.