Small Rabbit, Big Flavor: Kousagi's Tantanmen in Otsuka
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
Otsuka has quietly become a serious ramen pocket over the past few years. And right in the mix is Kousagi (らーめん 子うさぎ) - a tiny shop whose name means “small rabbit.”
It’s the second branch of Usagi, a shop many of you might already know. While Usagi in Shibuya does a great shoyu ramen alongside its tantanmen, Ramen Kousagi in Otsuka is clearly leaning into one thing: Tantanmen.
And they’re doing it well.
Tantanmen with Soup (Start Here)
The bowl arrives crowned with fresh mizuna, a bright green contrast to the lava-red chili oil shimmering across the surface. That chili oil? Made in-house.
The spice comes from a blend of three types of togarashi, layered with numbing pepper and backed by a creamy sesame paste that rounds everything out. It’s spicy, yes - but controlled.
You can customize the numbing pepper level and spice level:
• 0 (none)
• 1 (moderate)
• 2 (more pronounced)
The bowl pictured is level 1 for both, which I think hits the sweet spot. But even level 2 shouldn’t blow your head off - it’s not that kind of shop.
Toppings are minimal: spring onions and minced pork. That's ok - the real story is the broth.
The Soupless Tantanmen (The Crowd Favorite)
Interestingly, the soupless version is actually slightly more popular.
This one leans into thicker noodles and the full mix-it-all-together experience. Stir everything up and the chili oil, sesame paste, and minced pork coat each strand. It’s richer, more concentrated, and a bit heavier.
Like the soup version, the noodles use Hokkaido wheat flour, and the house-made chili oil plays a major role. The numbing pepper is still present and still customizable.
If you like your tantanmen bold and direct and with more impact - this is your move.
A Tiny Shop for Otsuka Ramen...with Big Flavor
Kousagi, like its Shibuya sibling, is small. Intimate. A few seats. No frills. Just focused bowls coming out one after another.
And that’s part of its charm.
Otsuka itself has grown into a legitimate ramen hotspot. If you somehow managed to grab a seat at nearby Nakiryu - famous for being the second ramen shop in Tokyo to earn a Michelin star for tantanmen - you’re already in the neighborhood.
But even if Nakiryu is booked out, Kousagi isn’t a consolation prize. It’s a destination in its own right.
