{"id":329,"date":"2026-06-12T12:34:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=329"},"modified":"2026-06-12T12:34:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:34:50","slug":"winding-down-with-old-friends-at-tampopo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cambridgemovinghub.com\/?p=329","title":{"rendered":"Winding down with old friends at Tampopo"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When 2025 became 2026, Yasumasa Ito decided 34 years was long enough and it was time to shut down Tampopo, the venerable Japanese noodle and donburi bowl bodega in the Lesley Building in Porter Square. Cambridge Day posted an appreciation piece highlighting our favorite dishes, and lauding Ito for maintaining high quality over the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Fifty years since recombination debate ushered in biotech in Cambridge<\/a><\/p>\n

That story led to this story: around Memorial Day, the Day received an email from Kotaro Moria, who lives in Kanazawa \u2014 also known as \u201cLittle Kyoto\u201d \u2014 in Japan\u2019s Ishikawa Prefecture. Moria told us he appreciated our story, and it was a reason why he was coming to Boston to help Ito through the last 30 days of Tampopo\u2019s existence.<\/p>\n

Moria studied at Fisher College 16 years ago and worked for Ito while he was here. He now runs an IT and web design firm in Japan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew Tampopo was closing,\u201d Morita said. \u201cAnother staff member asked me to make a website so customers could send messages to Ito-san. While I was working on it, I saw a recent photo of him. He looked thinner than I remembered, and I thought that this was hard on him, and I felt like I should go help. A few days later he took me up on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extended stay<\/h2>\n

Ito originally came to America to learn English, then stayed to study Aikido. To support himself in those early days Ito toiled in various Japanese restaurants including Genji, the sushi Mecca of Newbury Street in the \u201980s and \u201990s (now the home of Sonsie). When the Sears in Porter Square closed in the mid-1980s, the building was taken over by Lesley University, which created a food court. \u00a0Ito was one of an influx of Japanese proprietors that organically settled in and created \u201cLittle Tokyo\u201d\u2014a hub of Japanese street food vendors. Most of these have left or closed; when Tampopo shuts down in<\/p>\n

June, only two of the seven bodega stalls will remain occupied.<\/p>\n

Ito named his eatery after the hit 1985 noodle Western film that chronicled a ramen restaurant\u2019s rise from obscurity to a roadside destination. The title, which translates to \u201cdandelion,\u201d is the name of the widow and noodle shop owner played by Nobuko Miyamoto, who gets her kitchen groove on with the aid of two truckers who were passing through. Forty-plus years later, the film stands up today, as does Ito\u2019s udon and donburi. ironically, Ito\u2019s Tampopo does not serve ramen.When Ito arrived, the booth next door was Sapporo Ramen, which, after 33 years in the Lesley Building, departed in 2024 for the revamped CanalSide food court at the CambridgeSide Galleria.<\/p>\n

Read more Cambridge Local first to host second annual 617 Day small business summit<\/a><\/p>\n

In the early days of Tampopo, Ito graced the cover of Boston Magazine as a mover and a shaker to make note of., Ito mostly recalls his loyal and kind customer base. \u201cReally nice people,\u201d he says, but early, the hive of Japanese eateries had some cultural awkwardness to work through. \u201cCambridge has very educated people,\u201d Ito said with a smile. \u201cIn those days, chopsticks weren\u2019t popular, and we only had chopsticks. A customer would ask for a fork and knife, and another customer would say, \u2018This is a Japanese restaurant. Why aren\u2019t you using chopsticks?\u2019 I was so glad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the announcement of the closure, people have been flocking by in droves for one last donburi bowl and to wish Ito the best. \u201cIt\u2019s been crazy,\u201d he said. The eatery only has four tables, and a prominently positioned sign asks patrons to share them.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow everyday is busy,\u201d Ito says. \u201cWe have no (empty) chairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

To capture the memories and fond farewells, Morita made a special interactive site where customers and fans can connect and interact with Ito. Ito says that will likely happen more once the shop closes and he can catch his breath.<\/p>\n

Watching Ito and Morita work in tandem is like a ballet. They gracefully bob and duck around each other in the narrow confines of the small gallery-style kitchen. There\u2019sa father-and-son-like aura to their interaction, culminating in the food that is prepared with pride and care.<\/p>\n

There are 20-plus days of Tampopo to go, and the shrimp tempura udon is a great savory treat even during these early days of summer. Stop in for the food and pay your respects to the skilled preparer of your meal before he sets off the rising sun \u00a0and a next chapter that will include continuing aikido, traveling and spending time with his grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Read more Events this week in Camberville: Wax museum, Fresh Pond Day, & soccer watch parties<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When 2025 became 2026, Yasumasa Ito decided 34 years was long enough and it was time to shut down Tampopo, the venerable Japanese noodle and donburi bowl bodega in the Lesley Building in Porter Square. 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