Towzen (Mamezen)

Towzen (とうぜん) — listed on Tabelog as "Tonyu Ramen Senmon Ten Touzen" (豆乳ラーメン専門店 豆禅) — is a small, shoes-off ramen shop set inside a converted house north of Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto's Sakyo ward, about a 15-minute walk from Matsugasaki Station or two minutes from the Takagicho bus stop. Founder Minoru Yonekawa, who comes from a family tofu business, opened it in 2004 and converted the entire menu to vegan in 2018. The kitchen also avoids the "five pungent roots" (garlic, onion, and other alliums) — known in Japan as gokun — a nod to the Buddhist shojin ryori tradition.

The signature dish is soy-milk ramen, served two ways: the original "Musashi" bowl — a creamy broth of kelp, soy sauce, and sansho pepper topped with yuba (tofu skin), mushrooms, and a touch of plum paste — and a spicier tantanmen-style version with chili paste and simmered soy-based "meat." Past visitors have also praised an eggplant nigiri styled after unagi (eel), part of a creative vegan sushi line the shop calls "neo shojin sushi" — though it has appeared only intermittently rather than as a standing menu item, so ask staff if it's available that day. Gluten-free vegan desserts are a more consistent offering. Tabelog's price bands put lunch around ¥1,000–1,999 and dinner around ¥2,000–2,999 (a bowl of ramen alone runs about ¥1,500 on the shop's current menu), though prices should be confirmed on site.

Every dish is vegan by design, and thanks to its meat- and allium-free kitchen the restaurant turns up on some general Kyoto dining guides that bundle vegan, vegetarian, and halal options together — but there's no evidence of formal halal or gluten-free certification, so travelers with strict requirements should ask staff directly rather than assume. Reservation policy has been inconsistent: the shop has at times taken bookings via LINE and at other times suspended reservations entirely due to no-shows, and both Tabelog and the shop's own site currently list it as walk-in/queue only. Hours are also irregular — lunch most open days, dinner Friday through Sunday, closed Wednesday and Thursday — so check the shop's Instagram or LINE account shortly before visiting. Staff can manage basic English, and past guests report an English menu is available.