Photo/Illutration King Frederik X of Denmark talks with Shigemi Kawahara, left, founder of the Ippudo ramen chain restaurant, in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on April 23. (Kenta Sujino)

Ramen is for everyone—even royalty as King of Denmark Frederik X proved when he popped into an Ippudo in Tokyo's Ginza district for a bowl.

The major chain, operated by Chikaranomoto Holdings Co. headquartered in Fukuoka, has sourced pork for its "chashu" slices and "niku-miso" topping from Denmark for over 10 years. 

Menus even feature a logo for the Danish-imported meat. 

“It has the best balance of lean texture and juicy fatty meat," a Chikaranomoto Holdings employee said. “I am confident that even the king will be satisfied.”

This is the king's first official visit to Japan since his accession to the throne in January 2024 and goes from April 23 to 25. 

His stop at Ippudo on the first day of his trip came after a conference and seminar on food security, and he attended the Danish National Day event at the Osaka Kansai Expo the following day. 

Though scores of foreign tourists have flocked to Ippudo locations in recent years, staff said, “I think this is the first time a head of state has been served here.” 

As for his order, the king went with a bowl of Ippudo's classic "Shiromaru" tonkotsu ramen, known for its smooth flavor, with "katame" hard noodles. 

After a taste of the soup base with the "renge" spoon and switching to chopsticks to try the the noodles and meat, he summed up his thoughts with a simple "'oishi' (delicious)." 

He also smiled and thanked the restaurant in Japanese for using Danish pork.

According to the Danish Agriculture and Food Council’s bureau in Japan, pork livestock production is the core of agriculture in Denmark, with about 30 million heads of cattle processed annually.

Ippudo is one of a number of Japanese chains to frequently incorporate Danish pork over the past decade or so.

According to the Japanese government’s summary of imports and exports of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products released on April 22, Denmark ranked sixth in terms of Japan’s pork imports in 2024, following countries including Canada and the United States.

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