A Brief Introduction To Ramen In Japan
Ramen is a popular staple dish found across all of Japan however it was originally introduced to Japan from China during the 1880’s, and originated in the Chinatown area of Yokohama.
After the second world war food was scarce, but ramen gained popularity and it was embraced as a cheap and tasty dish. At first it was a dish that was only being sold at street stalls, but these modest stalls eventually developed into shops and were soon everywhere across Japan. Ever since then it has been changed, developed and perfected across Japan; and you can find many different variations being sold in small shops to Michelin-starred restaurants. So if you’re on a journey to discover the best ramen in Japan it may take you a lifetime!
There’s four, main base-broths that are the used in all ramen dishes found across Japan, with endless adaptations and various different regional styles.
The four main types of ramen
- Shio – Salt based ramen
- Shoyu – Soy sauce-based ramen
- Miso – Soybean paste-flavored ramen
- Tonkotsu – Pork-bone broth ramen
Ichiran Ramen
In Japan, ramen is known to be the nation’s favorite comfort food, and we’d have to agree! What’s more comforting than slurping your way to the bottom of a giant bowl of delicious tonkotsu! It’s also great hangover food or to eat at the end of a night out – being full of sodium, and you’ll find most ramen restaurants open 24 hours in Tokyo.
We tried many different ramen restaurants during our time in Japan and it was always delicious, however there was one place that really stood out for us in terms of both taste and the experience – that was Ichiran Ramen.
Ichiran Ramen is a chain which has over 60 restaurants across Japan, and they specialise in tonkotsu (pork-bone broth ramen). The ramen here is delicious but the restaurant can be a little confusing for first-time visitors, so we’ve put together a short guide to help you.
Step 1 – Use The Vending Machine
There’s many restaurants in Japan where you will order and pay for your meal through a vending machine, and Ichiran Ramen is no different.
First you will need to put the money into the vending machine and select your ramen, you can also add any extras here as well as drinks. If you wish to have a desert you will also need to purchase it here and the vending machine will dispense a separate ticket for each item.
The ramen dish on its own at Ichiran Ramen costs 890 yen (~$8.20 USD) and then there are various extras such as a boiled egg, extra sliced pork and mushrooms.
Step 2 – Customise Your Ramen
You will be given a small card where you can circle any preferences that you’d like. You can choose anything from the richness of the ramen, to how much garlic you want, the spice level and even the noodle texture!
Step 3 – Pick Your Seat
In some of the restaurants we visited there is a board which shows you which seats are free and you can press the button to claim that seat. The restaurants we visited in Tokyo were very busy and nearly always had queues so we were usually given our customisation card to fill in while we were in the line.
The seating arrangement is basically a corridor with rows of seats on each side, and each one is individually partitioned. If you visit Ichiran Ramen with someone you can remove the partition between the two seats if you’d like.
Each booth has a number of beakers and its own water tap as well as a small button which you can press to call the waitstaff.
Step 4 – Hand Over Your Tickets
After taking your seat, waitstaff will come over to the other side of the booth and greet you with a bow and take any tickets for your order as well as the customization card. There is a short wait before they return with a delicious bowl of ramen and any drinks or extras you have ordered.
Once the order is completed the waitstaff politely bow again towards you before closing the small hatch in front of the partition, and leaving you to enjoy your ramen in complete privacy.
Step 5 – Enjoy Your Ichiran Ramen
Time to enjoy that lovely bowl of ramen! Don’t forget that there is a small button in each booth to call the waitstaff so if you have ordered extra noodles or a desert you can add these on during and after your meal.
