Sabukaru x Ramen Beast - Ramen Stories 001: “The” Ramen YouTuber, SUSURU TV

---

Ramen Stories is a new series where Sabukaru teams up with the Ramen Beast Team, one of the biggest & most in-depth ramen groups in the world to present you firsthand stories of the ramen scene of Japan. For the very first edition, the Ramen Beast Team sat down and talked with SUSURU TV, the biggest ramen YouTuber in Japan.

---

The food scene in Japan is, as you might know, out of this world. From how deep it is, how well-trained the chefs are, how wide of a variety of meals there are, there is no bottom to the food pit. Out of the countless kinds of Japanese dishes there are, there is one that stands out: ramen. The ramen fanbase ranges from casual enjoyers, to almost cult-like followers, and the amount of details and time that go into making the perfect bowl are unthinkable.

One big fan of ramen, and one of the people spreading word about the best bowls to eat, is SUSURU TV. SUSURU TV is a Japanese YouTuber who specializes in videos about Ramen, and he is one of the first & best to do it. But most of all, he just loves ramen. Having been in the game for five years, he has brought a new ramen video every day for the world to enjoy.

Being a YouTuber, many people get the impression that he creates ramen videos to review and rank ramen he eats, but this is not his goal. What he really wants to do is show everybody how fun ramen is, how appetizing ramen is, and make people want to go eat ramen. He’s done a good job at that, because tons of viewers go to the shops he visits, to a point where even many store owners know who he is.

Many ramen enthusiasts already knew about SUSURU TV, and now you have a general idea of who he is and what he does. But how did he get there? What is his relationship with ramen? What does he do when he isn’t eating & filming? Check out what he had to say in the interview with the Ramen Beast Team below.

Could you please start off with an introduction of yourself?

Hi, my name is Susuru and I eat ramen every single day. At the time of the interview, it’s been five years since I started making videos for Youtube. For the last five years, I’ve been making a ramen video every day. Regardless of my own preference, I try to showcase as many different styles of ramen as possible. The goal for the channel isn’t to critique or describe the ramen, but rather to make it look appetizing, appealing, and fun so people will go and eat ramen. I’m originally from Aomori Prefecture. I’m 28 years old.

Is there a certain reason as to why you started to make YouTube videos?

Obviously I enjoyed eating ramen before, but at the time, one of my Senpai from college had suggested I start making YouTube videos. Back then, I enjoyed watching a lot of ramen vloggers, but I didn’t have one that really caught my attention or I latched on to. I was also kind of curious what would happen if I ate a bowl of ramen everyday. So that was kind of the reason why I started.

How has creating ramen content changed your life?

So I ate ramen every single day and it might be obvious, but I gradually gained weight as time passed. After the first year, I had a doctor’s check where they run tests to check my health and I essentially scored the lowest on every test. I kind of realized this wasn’t healthy so I started going to the gym everyday as well.

What’s the process behind your video making? What goes into making one video?

At the minimum, I eat a bowl a day. Sometimes if I’m traveling to an area, I’ll eat at 3 shops a day. The most shops I visited in a day was 9. As for videos, I try to make one or two a day. I’m more the filmer and eater nowadays, so I go and film myself eating, etc. I have an editor now who helps me with the video editing so I hand it off to them, I add voice overs and we usually post once a day. In a year I eat at a bit more than 600 shops. 

Everybody knows you as “the” ramen eater. Do you have any days where you don’t eat ramen?

When I first started YouTube, because I had other obligations I would spend a day filming at multiple restaurants and not eat ramen for a couple days or so. Nowadays, even during my days off, for instance Ramen Jiro, they don’t particularly enjoy having people film there so I don’t as a sign of respect. However, I love Ramen Jiro so on my days off, I’ll go and eat there. And I also just go to my favorite stores without filming on the days off.

Do chefs recognize you when you go to their stores? Do you ever get any special treatment from them?

Recently yes, and yes, sometimes to my detriment (laughs). I was once traveling to a remote area for ramen and had been eating all day. When I got to the fourth shop of the day, despite ordering only a regular bowl, the master surprised me with a Tokusei (all toppings). Of course, I’m so appreciative when masters surprise me with extra services, but it really did me in that time and I happy cried my way through the bow

How have your ramen tastes and preferences changed in these five years? Is there any style you’ve discovered that you feel is a bit underrated?

There’s a ramen shop I’ve been super into lately called Oiwatei in Aichi prefecture. The ramen is so thick, your spoon stands up when you stick it in and yet the owner/master is even more impressive than this thick soup. For instance when he strains the noodles, he makes a loud shout and he’s become a bit of a local celebrity. I guess showcasing these unique ramen masters is something I hope people will go seek out.

How did you develop your video style?

I’m a huge fan of this tv show/anime called Kodoku no Gurume [Solitary Gourmet, Popular show, currently streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime] which is about an old man who goes around and eats at these different restaurants. Throughout the show, you see his thoughts and feelings about the dish, but since he’s shy, he doesn’t verbally express them to anyone. The narration is like a voiceover so that really influenced my voiceover style rather than talking about it directly into the camera. And of course, I want to show people the ramen and make it the star of the show which this allows me to do. 

You have gained so many followers over the past years, what are they like? Who are most of your followers? Any stalkers?

When I first started, a lot of raota [ramen otaku] found me and started following me, but I’ve gotten a lot of casual ramen lovers following me as well. Once I started doing location shoots to other prefectures, I started getting regular people looking for food recommendations, and their following as well. I haven’t had any stalkers, I do have hardcore fans who show up to every event I get invited to though. Super fans!

Do you or have you had any other jobs besides YouTube?

No, YouTube is now my full-time job, but I did work part time jobs when I first started. I was working at a Gyutan restaurant [beef tongue specialty] when I first started making YouTube videos.

When were you able to make the shift to quitting your job to pursue YouTube full time?

After about the first year I would say.

A question not many ask but are all curious of is payment. Around how much do you make as a ramen YouTuber?

I would say I make better money than an average salaryman of my age and experience, but I don’t make nearly as much as you might think when you think of YouTubers. Our videos are quite short so we’re not the right type of profitable videos through the YouTube platform so I’m envious of other YouTubers (laughs). 

Has your enjoyment of ramen changed since it has become your “job”?

I think my enjoyment has actually increased since doing this full time. When I choose the shops to film, I’m choosing shops I want to go to and having the luxury now to travel throughout the country and eat at these shops, I would say it’s become even more enjoyable.

Have you ever been told off by the master or someone from the store? Do you always ask for permission to shoot footage?

I’ve never been told off by the master, but when I first started, the customers would get mad or be passive aggressive towards me. Nowadays, a lot more people recognize me so they ask for pictures when I’m filming, but before, they would talk loud or passively aggressively tell the master that they hate customers who film themselves eating, etc. I try to be as polite as possible and call ahead of time telling them I’ll be there and ask. A lot of time, ramen shops don’t have phone numbers or never pick up so during those times, so I ask permission when I get there.

One of the top stores in the ramen pyramid is Jiro. Is there a certain reason why you don’t shoot there?

I’m pretty close to the son of Yamada-san who works at Jiro. He jokingly told me he would kill me if I shot a video at Jiro (laughs). But honestly, I do it out of respect for them and it's also my favorite shop/style so I rather go there to enjoy the bowl than to film.

Can you describe Ramen Jiro to our foreign readers? Many have heard the name, but not many know too much about it.

It’s a ramen that you either love or hate and become addicted to if you love it. The ramen is massive, and the sense of happiness, pride and accomplishment after finishing their bowls is truly addicting. You might not be able to stop yourself after having a bowl. The shop is really intimidating, and now that I think of it, for foreigners it must be even more so with the strict lines, them telling you when to buy your tickets, and asking you for your topping options, etc. For first timers, I recommend going with a Japanese person who has been to Jiro before. Also clear your schedule before going because if you eat a bowl there, you’re not gonna be able to eat dinner so you should probably avoid booking a sushi reservation on the day you’re eating Jiro (laughs). My favorite Jiro is the Jimbocho location. I feel like the bowls here are the epitome of what makes Jiro Jiro. Flavors are spot on, the plating is perfect, I just think it’s the best personification of Jiro. [Check our Article on Ramen Jiro]

What would be your favorite Jiro-kei ramen?

Momijiya is my favorite, as I went to University nearby and I’ve been having bowls there since my school days. No11 is also good for foreigners. I think it’s one of the easiest places to sit down and eat while also getting an authentic Jiro feel.

What do your family and friends think of being a ramen YouTuber?

In the beginning, I honestly didn’t tell my family that I was doing the whole YouTube thing. Maybe two years in, my mom’s friends saw me and told her I had a YouTube channel. But at that point, I had a pretty solid fan base and a good number of subscribers so they were supportive and cheering me on. Nowadays, my grandma watches my videos twice a day. As for my friends, people ask me now to be an MC or speak at their weddings which is a privilege I’m incredibly happy to have. 

What was the biggest hurdle of becoming a ramen YouTuber? Any big obstacles you had to overcome?

I love eating, but with the job, I can’t eat things other than ramen as frequently as I like. The reason why I gained weight is because I was eating whatever I wanted along with the ramen I was eating for my videos. In order to stay healthy, I had to limit my daily intake so having to balance is a bit of a struggle. But editing, shooting, etc has been quite smooth for me.

Is there any specific ramen store that you love in Tokyo?

For shoyu ramen, I love Aoshima Shokudo in Akihabara. There are a ton of refined shoyu ramen, but I quite like the unrefined vibe of Aoshima Shokudo, that really pulls me in.

How about a shop you haven’t been to yet that you’re dying to go to?

Rairai in Fukuoka for sure.

You mentioned you’re from Aomori prefecture. What is your favorite ramen there?

Ohhh, for Aomori. I’m from Hirosaki and there's a market there called Hirosaki Chuo Ichiba. Inside the market is a ramen shop called Chuka Soba Yamada. That is definitely my favorite. It’s run by an old lady and it’s like a shokudo diner, but I always end up going when I’m back.

Are there any ramen shops in West Tokyo you wish got more love?

Minmin has a lot of history and culture in their bowls that I think people would be surprised by. Very good and I think it has a great story.

It seems like you like the kind of down and dirty ramen shops. What are your thoughts on the more refined ramen?

To me, I enjoy the every day feel of places like Jiro and Aoshima Shokudo. I enjoy that those are places I can go to whenever I want, but for the refined shops I’m almost going to experience that specific shop so the mindset when I go to these shops are a little different I guess.

Did you have any favorite YouTubers when you were just getting started?

I was a fan of Haiji-san [Haiji is a comedian who branched out in to making Youtube videos] and he would sometimes eat ramen and being featured on his channel has been fun. I do sometimes take inspiration when I make my thumbnails, I think he makes some great ones.

Do you have any goals for the future?

I would love to just continue making a video everyday and keep eating ramen everyday. Maybe, one day, I would like to start my own ramen shop… as someone who has eaten so many bowls throughout the country. But for the time being, I want to focus on these videos and eating at as many shops as possible.

Thank you a lot for your time!

---