Hiyashi-chuka (Chinese Style Cold Moodles)
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2025年6月 山田うどん：冷やし中華（大盛無料）￥820（税込）
Hiyashi-chuka (Chinese Style Cold Moodles) – ヒヤシチュウカ : ひやしちゅうか (冷やし中華) –
Hiyashi chuka is a classic Japanese summer dish consisting of Chinese noodles rinsed in cold water, topped with colorful ingredients such as shredded egg, ham, cucumber, tomato, and pickled ginger, and served with a sweet and sour sauce based on vinegar and soy sauce or sesame.
My understanding is that chilled Chinese noodles are served with just enough soup so that the noodles are not covered in it (about the same amount of soup as spaghetti soup), and chilled ramen is hot ramen that has been cooled (some restaurants even add ice).
Hiyashichuka：冷やし中華（チュウカ）
2025年6月：餃子の王将「冷やし中華￥858（税込）」
Chilled ramen（Hiyashi-ramen）：冷やしラーメン
2025年6月：麺屋 三槍「冷やし鯛塩拉麺大盛￥1,320（税込）」
The name varies depending on the region; in Western Japan, especially the Kansai region, it is often called “Rei ramen（冷麺）,” while in Hokkaido it is also called “hiyashi ramen（冷やしラーメン）.”
Although it has a Chinese name, it is a dish that originated in Japan, and there are two restaurants that claim to have originated it.
One of them is Ryutei（龍亭） in Nishiki-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, where the prototype of chilled Chinese noodles is said to have been released in 1937 (Showa 12).
The other is the Yousuko Restaurant（揚子江食堂：ようすこうしょくどう） in Kanda Jinbocho, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, which is said to have been created after World War II or in 1933 (Showa 8).
The cold Chinese noodles in the title image at the top are from Yamada Udon, which began selling them on April 24th in fiscal 2025.（The sales period usually starts around May and runs through September, with other stores also holding sales around the same time.）
Yamada Udon is a restaurant chain operated by Yamada Foods Industry Co., Ltd., headquartered in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture. It serves a menu centered around udon noodles, with its “Panch (motsunabe stew)” and “Kakiage rice bowl” being particularly popular.
It is loved by Saitama residents as “Saitama soul food.”
It is available in Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki and Gunma prefectures, and offers set meals. I often use it, so I used it in the image above.
Summers in Japan are hot and humid, and the heat feels more unbearable every year.
When it’s hot, chilled Chinese noodles will quench your thirst and help you get through the summer. We’ll introduce you to soy sauce-based and sesame-based “hiyashi chuka” and other noodle dishes that have similarities.
Utsunomiya Mintei: Chilled Chinese noodles（宇都宮 珉亭：みんてい)
This popular restaurant is loved by locals and has been featured on television, claiming to be “the third most delicious in the world,” where you can eat chilled Chinese noodles all year round (2025).
When I ate it, there was a lot of soup, the noodles were quite thin, and the shredded seaweed was nice.
The soup is a classic vinegar and soy sauce base that has a refreshing taste that you will never get tired of.It goes well with thin noodles, and the ramen noodles are also thin, so I’ll try the ramen next time I’m in the area.
June 2025 ¥1,045 (tax included)
Bamiyan: Steamed chicken and mixed vegetable chilled Chinese noodles (sesame sauce)
Bamiyan, one of Japan’s largest family restaurant chains and part of the Skylark Group, serves up a summer staple of chilled Chinese noodles, packed with ingredients.
The “Steamed Chicken Gomoku Chilled Chinese Noodles” comes with a choice of sesame or soy sauce based soup.
My favorite is shredded egg, ham, cucumber, tomato, wakame seaweed, bamboo shoots and steamed chicken with a sweet sesame sauce.
June 2025 ¥879 (tax included)
Kourakuen（幸楽苑）: Cold tantan noodles（冷し担担麺）
Kourakuen’s chilled dandan noodles are a summer-only menu item that features a rich white sesame soup and medium-thick wavy noodles.
The soup is not too spicy, has a rich white sesame flavor, and is full-bodied and sweet.
The spiciness is mild, so if you like spicy food, we recommend adding the spiciness agent on the table.
June 2025 ¥790 (tax included)
Yamada Udon（山田うどん）: Cold Chinese noodles
Unusually for a cold Chinese noodle dish, it comes with mayonnaise, which you can either dip in the toppings or dissolve in the soup.
A classic chilled Chinese noodle dish made with ham, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, pickled ginger, wakame seaweed and shredded egg.
It features a sweet and sour soy sauce with a subtle sourness from sudachi and kabosu.
Extra large servings of noodles are free.
June 2025 ¥820 (tax included)
Gyoza no Ohsho（餃子の王将）: Chilled Chinese Noodles
Gyoza no Ohsho’s gyoza is delicious, of course, but their noodles are also tasty.
I’ve also used it in the image comparing it to the chilled ramen above, and it has a soft, medium-thick noodle shape which is just what I prefer.
Made with charcoal-grilled pork for concentrated flavor.
This chilled Chinese noodle dish has just the right amount of sweetness with a hint of lemon flavor, leaving a clean, refreshing aftertaste.
June 2025 ¥858 (tax included)
There are still many delicious chilled Chinese noodles restaurants in Japan, but what’s even better is that they are sold at convenience stores in Japan during the summer.
Seven-Eleven（セブン‐イレブン）: Chilled Chinese noodles
A colorful cold Chinese noodle dish topped with seven different ingredients (roasted pork, shredded egg, cucumber, boiled egg, wakame seaweed, bean sprouts, and pickled ginger).
June 2025: Cold Chinese noodles: ¥572.40 (tax included)
Seven-Eleven official website
Lawson standard price: 599 yen (tax included)
LAWSON | Official website
Family Mart regular price: Standard! Special soy sauce and 6 kinds of toppings in cold Chinese noodles: 578 yen (tax included)
FamilyMart Official Website
The noodles in chilled Chinese noodles sold at convenience stores can be hard, so it is common to first loosen the noodles with the sauce, then add the toppings and eat.
In Japan, it is common for households to eat their favorite chilled Chinese noodles in the summer.
If you come to Japan in the summer, be sure to find your favorite chilled Chinese noodles.
In addition, we will add any rare or recommended chilled Chinese noodles we find.
Thank you for watching.
