Tsukemen Haku at Okubo Park is not repeating its usual greatest-hits stall list this autumn. From 10 October to 15 November the same Kabukicho lawn runs Ra-1 Grand Prix: 64 shops whose trade names are 15 years old or younger, visitor votes, and a planned 5 million yen prize. Entry is free. Food is not. The tasting cup is 800 yen until 17:00, two cups 1,500 yen, a full bowl 1,200 yen. If you treat it like a normal ramen queue you will eat one shop and miss the vote.
The 15-year rule
Only shops under that age cap can win. Older names sit in legend booths. You can eat them. You cannot vote for them. On Wave 1 that means 麺堂 稲葉 in booth E on 10 and 11 October, 一品香 小山 in the same booth from the 12th to the 14th, and 群馬連合 in booth J for the whole first block. They are the names people photograph. The prize is in the eight battle booths next to them.
The July press release from the Tsukemen Haku committee is specific about the small bowls. Tasting cups stop at 17:00, every day. After that you are on 1,200-yen bowls. If the point of coming is to compare two shops before you vote, get to Seibu-Shinjuku before the lunch line hardens.
Wave 1 if you are going 10 to 14 October
Official cards on dai-tsukemen-haku.com put eight battle shops in booths A to D and F to I.
- 自家製麺竜葵 (A)
- 麺房 鶏くらふと (B)
- じゃぐら高円寺 (C)
- 五反田 つけ鰤ズム (D)
- Commons Market & Kitchen (F)
- 麺屋四季 Shiki (G)
- 中華そばイッキュー (H)
- 清湯そば 芽麦 (I)
The later waves sit on 16–18 October, 20–22 October, 24–28 October, 30 October–1 November, 3–5 November, 7–11 November, and 13–15 November. The park is dark between those blocks. Tokyo Curry Expo on the same ground ends 7 October, so the 8th and 9th are empty before ramen starts. The last wave puts 中華蕎麦 とみ田 and 山岸一雄 大勝軒 in the legend slots. Still not voteable.
How to spend 1,500 yen without wasting a vote
Buy the two-cup set. Eat one battle shop you already like and one name you have never seen. Vote only after the second cup. Legend bowls are optional and they do not move the trophy. Rain goes ahead. Severe weather cancels. Seven-Eleven tickets exist with a lottery number for merch inside the venue. You do not need a ticket to walk in.
Seibu-Shinjuku is about one minute. JR Shin-Okubo about seven. JR Shinjuku about eight. Higashi-Shinjuku on Fukutoshin and Oedo about eight. Hours, the eight-wave table, and the full 64-shop list stay on the event page. The official roster is on dai-tsukemen-haku.com.
Practical Details
- Dates: 10 October to 15 November 2026 (eight waves, dark days between)
- Time: 11:00–21:00, last order 20:45. Tasting cups until 17:00
- Venue: Okubo Park special venue, 2-43 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
- Nearest station: Seibu-Shinjuku (about 1 min). Shin-Okubo, Shinjuku, Higashi-Shinjuku also walkable
- Price: Free admission. Tasting cup ¥800, two-cup set ¥1,500, regular bowl ¥1,200
- Website: Ra-1 Grand Prix official site
