- Tann-ya was probably the ramen joint that opened my eyes to the possibilities. It was also the first restaurant I ever knew of that had real-time online information about how long the line is -- being across the street from Tokyo Institute of Technology brings you a creative, technical clientele.
- Ichikanjin here in Kamakura makes a original, fresh take on ramen: tou-nyuu (soy milk) with crisp, sharply-flavored fresh vegetables on top. Walking distance from our current house.
- Yoshimura-ya, which anchors what we call "ramen intersection" in Yokohama. Smoky flavor, and some fantastic, green not-really-garlic garlic, and a broth that you can watch being made in stages. The wait might be over an hour, so plan accordingly. Has a Wikipedia page!
- Soranoiro with vegan ramen, though I'm a fan of having the crisp-fried cheese with it.
- Yabai Ramen is the opposite from Tokyo, but we'll go out of our way to eat there when driving through Odawara. (We've only eaten at Yabai, not its sister shop.)
- Tinnun in Jimbocho is maybe the farthest from traditional -- it's Thai style green curry ramen. I'm always jonesing for this. Gotta go to the Jimbocho restaurant, it seems the other ones in this small Tokyo chain don't have the goods on this.
- Fuku-ya, a tiny local joint with good, well, they call it soba, but it's closer to ramen. Not a game-changer, but one of our local haunts. Their focus is about 50/50 on the noodles and on artisan sake they bring in from another prefecture, which interests me not at all. They're actually doing take-out during this episode, but we haven't ordered from them yet.
- Ramen Jiro. Of course. 'Nuff said.
There are many websites in both English and Japanese dedicated to the art of ramen. I should check them out, but I think I'd wind up walking to Tokyo and pounding on some doors and begging.
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