features: Tenkaippin

Tenkaippin opened in Waikiki by Scott Suzui in 1999, introducing Hawaii to their unique ramen taste. Since then, Tenkaippin has become a name known all across of Oahu. After almost ten years in Waikiki, Scott took the chance and moved the shop to Kapahulu in 2008, and the move has been beneficial to both Tenkaippin and it's customer base.

Suzui tells me "Almost everything comes from Japan. We need to keep the taste authentic, so even something simple as shoyu is brought in." He also adds that "I've had Japanese tourist who come here and know about Tenkaippin, taste the soup base first, and automatically know that it is the same thing as in Japan."

Tenkaippin is a chain of over 200 restaurants in Japan, and the creator is looking to make it up to 300 chains all over Japan. I had asked Scott if he knew if there are any plans on taking Tenkaippin to the mainland, and he said that eventually it will, but there are obstacles to be overcome, mainly from getting the ingredients to the mainland. "Tenkaippin will have to build a plant to manufacture all of the ingredients, as shipping all of it would not be an option. However, it is not just a simple start up and go, so it will take some time. But, yes, it is in the planning and development stages."

The customer base of Tenkaippin, comes from all over Oahu who are craving this unique ramen. The headliner of the menu, is the Kotteri Ramen, which is ramen in a thick, rich, chicken based soup and available with char siu. The Japanese call it "kuse ni naru aji" and it's exceptional taste makes it habit forming. Other items on the menu are the Miso ramen, and of course, their fried rice. There are three combo meals, with your choice of ramen, with either Gyoza, Fried Chicken, or Fried Rice.

In 2008, Scott also launched his new TV show, Ultimate Japan. After continually seeing shows on TV that were by now, twenty years old, he decided to create his own show. Going to different places showcasing the many cultural aspects of Japan, finding hidden gems of restaurants, tourist attractions that are not generally known outside of Japan, and what the Japanese people do, while bringing his local flavor to the show is what Ultimate Japan is all about.

"The show has also brought more people into Tenkaippin. We saw a significant increase in traffic after the show started" Suzui reports. "It helped bring our restaurant more visibility to a customer base that probably would not have been reached otherwise."

Along with his wife Mayumi, his son Skyler also takes part in hosting the show. Scott says of his son, "Skyler has been really good, as creating this show takes a lot out of us as we are constantly on the go. And even when we are shooting a segment that he is not in, he'll wait patiently while we do our thing. He never fusses about it at all."

Tenkaippin and Ultimate Japan are complementing each other, and we the customers and viewers are the beneficiaries of Scott's hard work. Tenkaippin's hours are from 11am to 10pm Monday to Thursday, and 11am to 11pm Friday and Saturday. Ultimate Japan runs on OC16 Wednesdays at 9:00 P.M and Saturday's at 8:30 P.M. and about 10 other re-airs weekly.