Itsuki Instant Ramen Noodle Hokkaido Yuzushio

This is the Hokkaido Yuzushio (yuzu salt) entry in Itsuki’s regional Japanese ramen kit line, alongside the Kyoto Miso Tonkotsu and the Osaka Shoyu Tonkotsu. The pack labels the flavor as “Yuzu Flavor Mellow Salt Ramen,” and it carries an “Animal Free” badge.

Product of Japan.

What’s in the Package

Inside the pack you get two bundles of thin straight air-dried Japanese ramen noodles and two blue Itsuki Soup Powder sachets.

How to Cook Itsuki Hokkaido Yuzushio Ramen

From the front of the pack: ready in 2.5 minutes

1. Bring 500mL of water to a boil. Add one noodle bundle and cook for 2 ½ minutes, stirring gently.
2. While the noodles cook, place one soup powder sachet into a serving bowl.
3. Pour the cooked noodles and the hot cooking water over the soup powder, stir well, top with garnishes, and serve.

How Does It Taste

The yuzu flavor is faint. The “Yuzu Flavor Mellow Salt” label on the front is accurate to a fault since mellow is putting it generously. What we really tasted was mostly salt, MSG, and a small bright citrus lift in the back. It was a clean, salty broth.

The noodles save the bowl. Same air-dried straight noodles as the Kyoto Miso Tonkotsu. They’re chewy, bouncy, and properly Japanese. Noodle thickness 1 out of 5. Japanese instant ramen brands really do know how to make the noodles, and Itsuki demonstrates it consistently across this regional kit line.

Sodium is higher than most instant ramen. It’s 2,430mg per serving so this is a salt-forward bowl by the numbers.

How Does It Compare

Within the Itsuki regional line, this Hokkaido Yuzushio is the lightest of the three. The Kyoto Miso Tonkotsu is the richest. The Osaka Shoyu Tonkotsu sits in the middle with darker soy weight. This Yuzushio is the clean, citrus-forward, vegetarian option for when you want something gentler.

How to Level Up Itsuki Hokkaido Yuzushio Ramen

Corn is what I would add. The package even shows it with corn on top. The sweet kernels against the salt-citrus broth would balance everything out. Frozen or canned corn dropped into the broth at the end works.

Bamboo shoots (menma) are the other obvious classic add. It’s also already pictured on the pack and a natural fit for a clean shio broth. I would also add Napa cabbage, sliced chashu, a soft-boiled egg, green onions, and a small wedge of fresh yuzu peel if you can find it.

Final Verdict

The Itsuki Hokkaido Yuzushio Ramen is a clean, animal-free Japanese shio ramen kit with great noodles and a too-mellow yuzu broth. Average flavor, above-average noodles. Worth keeping in the pantry for vegetarian friends or for when you want a quiet bowl. I’d buy it again, but the Itsuki Miso Tonkotsu is the one I’d reach for first from this line.

How do I rate my ramen? Check out the Ramen Rating Guide.

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