Yamadai New Touch Shizuoka Yaizu Katsuoboshi Instant Ramen Review

I'm almost caught up on my last batch of reviews for New Touch bowl ramen. This Shizuoka Yaizu Katsuo Ramen is going to be a fishy tasting ramen, just because of the katsuoboshi ingredient. Katsuoboshi is a dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna product used extensively in Japanese cuisine. It comes in big rock-hard fish shaped pieces which are shaved with a wood plane like device to produce the bonito flakes that are a key ingredient in dashi, a broth that forms the base of many Japanese dishes, and is also used as a garnish or topping.  So why is this ramen a Yaizu special?

Yaizu is a coastal city in Shizuoka Prefecture and renowned fishing hub with a rich maritime history. Nestled along the Suruga Bay, it has thrived as a fishing port since the Tokugawa era (1603–1867), specializing in bonito, tuna, skipjack, and mackerel. The city's fishing industry expanded significantly in the early 20th century, with deep-sea fishing becoming a major economic driver.

Yaizu boasts three major fishing ports—Yaizu Port, Kogawa Port, and Oigawa Port—each contributing to the city's reputation as a seafood powerhouse. Yaizu Port, in particular, ranks number one in Japan for bonito landings, a tradition dating back to the Heian period. The port also plays a crucial role in tuna fishing, with vessels venturing as far as the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. The Ogawa Port, a smaller facility, specializes in mackerel, which are sorted and packed locally before being shipped to urban markets.

Yaizu’s seafood culture extends beyond fishing, with numerous businesses producing himono (dried fish) and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). The Uogashi Shokudō restaurant, located at Ogawa Port, offers an array of fresh seafood dishes, including tuna, bonito, and mackerel, alongside local specialties like pink sakura shrimp. Diners can enjoy Suruga set meals, featuring tuna sashimi, grilled salted mackerel, deep-fried sakura shrimp, and dark hanpen (fish-paste cake). While seafood dominates Yaizu’s culinary scene, ramen remains a staple comfort food. Many local eateries incorporate fresh seafood into their ramen, creating unique flavors that reflect the region’s maritime heritage. 

3/4 view of the ramen bowl. It mostly shows a portion of a ramen bowl that is covered with katsuoboshi flakes.

Lid of the ramen bowl.

The graphics on this bowl really focus on the ramen soup and the ocean heritage of Yaizu. There is an ukiyo-e type ocean scene on the top half of the bowl, with a great wave type motif. There is also a pickure of a skipjack tuna and the mascot for Yaizu "Yai-chan" is shown on the right hand side. I think it is a tuna? This seafood pork bone soy sauce soup is supposed to have a mellow aroma and flavor of bonito flakes, with ingredients from Yaizu! 

Side of the bowl shows a great wave in white and a nice gold background.

Preparation directions and ingredients.

Nutritional information, warnings, and contact info.

You get a dried noodle block, katsuoboshi flakes, a liquid soup packet and a sachet of dried ingredients with the piece of pork, bamboo shoots, and green onions. 

Dried ingredients poured on top of the noodles.

I rehydrated the noodles with boiling water poured up to the fill line. After waiting 4 minutes I poured in the liquid soup base and mixed everything up. 

The soup is a nice rich brown colour and the katsuoboshi flakes pretty much soften and almost dissolve into the soup.

The aroma off the soup was mild, but you could get a fishy smell. The katsuoboshi adds a ton of umami, but there is a distinct fishy note. It is a flavourful soup though, but I don't think I would call this one of my favourites by any means.The noodles were good and of course the piece of chashu pork was meaty and added a nice touch to the ramen. This one is in the middle of the road for me, but your mileage will vary based on your tastes.

Closeup of the noodles.

Other Ramen and Japanese Pop Culture Articles

Follow me on Twitter or Instagram at @Tostzilla or my feedburner.