There’s a vast range of cooking styles and chefs taking great pleasure in using the finest ingredients.

As many know, there’s more to Japan than just ramen, sushi, and umami although you will find the very best of those dishes and flavours here, ready to be explored.

What to Eat in Tokyo (Full Guide)

So, let’s take a look at what to eat in Tokyo when you arrive! Scroll to the bottom for Tokyo’s best Ramen restaurants.

What to Eat In Harajuku

Sakura Tei – $$ Okonomiyaki is a delicacy and a staple Tokyo food. It’s delicious savoury pancake-style dish mixed with fried vegetables. When you’re pondering what to eat in Tokyo when you first get there, okonomiyaki is a fine start.

And there’s no more entertaining place to try okonomiyaki than Sakura Tei.

Located on one of the most upmarket streets in Harajuku but wonderfully budget this is an all-you-can-eat style restaurant where you can choose your own toppings and style of Okonomiyaki for 90 minutes at a fixed price of 1,500 JPY.

There’s also a regular menu that you could order from if you’re not looking for the ‘create your own’ fun.

Harajuku Gyoza Lou –  $ Gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) are a hugely common dish in Japan. Looking for what to eat in Tokyo that isn’t too out there?

Gyoza are to Tokyo what pastries are to Denmark. and Harajuku Gyoza Lou has perfected this simple dish and have made it their pride and joy.

Known for selling some of the best steamed and fried gyoza in Tokyo they cost 290 JPY for 6 pieces so it’s very biggest-friendly and filling. The shop usually has a sizeable line outside but they serve quickly.

Read More: Sushi Etiquette: How to Eat Sushi the Right Way

What to Eat In Shinjuku

Himawari Sushi – $ Trying conveyor belt sushi in Tokyo is a must and Himawari Sushi is fun, occasionally sends out a steam engine along the belt with condiments, and is reasonably priced (150 JPY to 200 JPY per roll) with great quality sushi.

Very popular with locals, it’s busy but the crowd moves quickly.

Nabezo – $$ Shabu Shabu is a classic stomach-warming dish that’s best enjoyed with 2+ people. If you’ve heard of Chinese hotpot, then this is very similar but far less spicy.

You dip sliced meat and vegetables into the hot water or broth to cook them and then dip the items into some sweet soy sauce.

What’s great about Nabezo is that you can eat as much as you like for 100 minutes and upgrade the beef with an extra charge.

What to Eat In Shibuya

Sushi no Midori – $$ If you’re looking for a mid-range sushi place which offers creative seafood dishes as well as sushi, then you can’t go wrong with Sushi no Midori.

When considering what to eat in Tokyo, you can never go wrong with sushi, provided you find a place that’s not overly pricey.

Sushi no Midori have a set meal which is a really good deal and comes to 1000 yen ($10). They also offer online reservation so you can book ahead and avoid any awkwardness on the phone. It’s also just three minutes walk from Shibuya station.

Yaffa Organic Café – $$  Although they have meat dishes on the menu, this is also perfect for the vegetarians and vegans as they offer a range of organic dishes to suit both.

It’s also ideal for those who want an incredible view over Shibuya in an open-terrace garden – to be enjoyed with their great craft beer and wine list.

Read More: Try These Hidden Ramen Shops in Shibuya

What to Eat In Ueno

Sasanoyuki  – $$ A classic Japanese style restaurant that specialises in pushing tofu to its maximum culinary potential.

Often when we think about what to eat in Tokyo, our minds don’t jump to tofu – but maybe they should! Sasanoyuki is a family run business now in its 9th generation and offers a quaint authentic surrounding with a beautiful Japanese garden to look out on.

As this is all tofu, it’s perfect for vegetarians and vegans but worth trying for anyone interested in fine, authentic Japanese food.

Yabu Station – $ You haven’t lived until you’ve tried soba (Japanese noodles) in Japan and this is one of the longest established soba restaurants standing since 1892. Different to ramen, soba is served separately to the broth which ones on the side.

It’s also served with a side of meat, vegetables, or tempura making for a wholesome meal and a unique experience.

Read More: The Ten Foods you Must Try in Toko

What to Eat In Akihabara

Yamano $$$ – This intimate restaurant in bustling Akihabara, just a minute from the station, and a fine place to try the Japanese speciality yakiniku (Japanese style BBQ which translates to ‘cooked meat’).

Yamano serves the finest quality meat at A5 rank Japanese beef meaning it’ll be melt in the mouth kind of tender – making Yamano one of the best places to eat in Tokyo.

Perfect for two or more people enjoy cooking your meat and sides on the open fire for a heart and stomach-warming experience.

Marugo – $ Tonkatsu is a dish that is almost universally beloved by everyone in Japan. Thick pork is deep-fried with panko breadcrumbs in a katsu style and is tender and filling, it’s usually served with rice.

Marugo offer some of the highest quality tonkatsu in the city for very reasonable prices.

Honestly, when you’re looking for the best of what to eat in Tokyo, both tonkatsu and chicken katsu are the best of choices, and Marugo is a great place to enjoy tonkatsu.

What to Eat In Ginza

Annam Indian Restaurant – $$ It’s not always easy to get high-quality Indian food in East Asia so when you find a good one it’s best to pass on that knowledge like a senpai to his junior.

Annam serves authentic North Indian cuisine as well as halal, vegan, and vegetarian dishes in very pleasant surroundings.

Kushiyaki Bistro Fukumimi – $$ Yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) are a delicacy in Japan; something so simple is barbecued to perfection and sold everywhere: from convenience stores, to pubs, to the finest restaurants. It’s simple Tokyo food, but irresistible.

You’ll be spoiled for choice at Kushiyaki Bistro Fukumimi, as they serve 40 different kinds of charcoal-grilled skewers from free-range chickens and have an extensive sake menu to accompany them.

What to Eat In Roppongi & Asakusa

Itamae Sushi – $$$ Famous for their superior tuna, meaning that if you’re a tuna fan, this instantly becomes one of the best places to eat in Tokyo.

If you’re a lover of tuna then you can’t go wrong going to the renowned experts of the freshest tuna sushi and sashimi.

They perform live tuna-cutting shows while you eat and have you remembering your experience here for a very long time. Just a one-minute walk from Asakusa station, it’s incredibly convenient.

Kobe Beef Kaiseki 511 – $$$ Kobe beef is infamous and the finest Kobe beef is something truly special. Wracking your brain over what to eat in Tokyo?

You can answer that easily with two words: Kobe beef. Kaiseki 511 serves A5 quality beef (which is as good as it gets).

You can enjoy your beef in various ways such as steak, sushi, or a shabu-shabu. If you’re with a group who can’t decide which Japanese delicacy to go for, this might be the place to make everyone happy.

It’s not cheap but they do offer a special lunch deal which comes in at $15-$20.

What to Eat In Shimokitazawa

Shirube –  $ An izakaya is a must-try experience when in Tokyo. Izakaya are Japan’s answer to the old British pub: they serve cheap beer and excellent food, and they’re very much an integral part of life in Japan.

This is one of the most popular izakayas in Shimokitazwa. There are plenty of tables which can often be an issue in the normally cramped establishments and they have English menus to choose from.

You can expect to find lots of yakitori skewers, bar snacks, and an extensive drinks menu. For the real Tokyo eating experience, you cannot pass up on a good izakaya, and this one comes highly recommended.

Magic Spice – $$ This is a rare chance to try Sapparo’s soul food: soup curry. It’s exactly how it sounds; a curry flavoured soup ramen affair which is absolutely delicious.

It’s more towards Indian style curry than Japanese and they have a range of spice options.

Tokyo food is great, don’t get us wrong, but the variety you’ve got a chance to try here can’t be ignored.

For what to eat in Tokyo that’s a little rarer and unique, being that it comes all the way from Sapporo, this is certainly worth checking out.

Tokyo Ramen Restaurants Guide

Whenever we’re in Tokyo, there are two meals that we go after time and time again: katsu chicken curry and ramen. If you think you’ve had ramen outside of Japan and you know it well enough, don’t be so sure.

There is no ramen like Tokyo ramen (just like there’s no food like Tokyo food), and so we beg you: visit every ramen place you can while in Tokyo. You won’t regret it.

Here’s a guide to the best Tokyo ramen to help you out. These are some of the best places to eat in Tokyo, hands down.

AFURI – $ A light and delicate ramen option which used fresh local vegetables and spring water from Mt. Afuri giving their a ramen a totally unique flavour.

Their specialist dishes include Yuzu Ramen which a chicken based broth, and their Vegan Ramen option. With lovely surroundings, it’s a favourite among many.

Ichiran– $ Specialising in Tonkotsu (pork-based broth) ramen, it’s a beloved restaurant among fans. It’s a chain and is based in every major district of Tokyo, including Shibuya.

Kyushu Jangara Ramen – $ Also specialising in Tonkotsu ramen, you can enjoy this Kyushu specialty in Akihabara or Harajuku. They also offer vegan ramen options which are as delicious as the original.

Menya Musashi -$$ The best Tokyo ramen? Maybe. One of the most wholesome and flavourful ramen experiences in all of Tokyo, Menya Musashi delivers the quintessential ramen experience.

A good meal will cost around $10 and your ramen bowl will come with a soft-boiled egg, some nori, and some soft, supple pork (if you want it). There’s a veggie option, and some simple English is spoken to help you out.

Ramen Yoroiya – $ Asakusa is overflowing with traditional foods, including a store that exclusively sells melon pan.

If you want a fantastic shoyu ramen (ramen with soy broth) experience, you’ll find it here at Ramen Yoroiya. Your ramen options include pork, chicken, and dried sardines.

Ippudo –  $$ A very popular option in Tokyo, this is a firm favourite when you ask people what their favourite ramen joint is.

Originally established in 1985 in Fukuoka, the southern-most tip of mainland Japan, there are ten stores across Tokyo.

Fuunji – $$ this is one of the best places to try Tsukemen style ramen which is served with extra thick noodles and the aromatic broth is made with chicken and fish.

If you feel like you’ve tried everything and are looking for a different kind of ramen then this might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Most of Korea’s most famous foods come from all over the country, with most towns and cities having their own proudly local dish. Taking a culinary trip around South Korea to learn the origins of these dishes, and to sample the best local Korean foods, is one of the best ways to explore South Korea.

While travelling to South Korea isn’t possible for many of us at the moment, this culinary journey will give you some ideas for a food themed road or train trip once travel gets back to normal. South Korea is such a diverse and beautiful country that we had the pleasure to call home for a year and we can’t wait to show you why a visit to South Korea should be your next trip.

Read More: Best Korean Ramen (Ramyeon)

A Culinary Guide to South Korea: What to Eat and Where

Here is your full and complete culinary guide to South Korea: what to eat and where to find it. We’ll explore the country’s biggest and best culinary locations and what each place has to offer in terms of local cuisine.

Incheon: Jajangmyeon

We begin our culinary journey around South Korea in the town of Incheon. Perhaps most famously known as the Seoul satellite city where the nation’s international airport is found, Incheon has a long and fascinating history as a port town, and so the airport only continues that trade and travel tradition.

Because of its history as a port town, Incheon is home to a thriving Chinatown – the most famous and thriving Chinatown in South Korea. And it’s in this Chinatown that many Chinese-inspired Korean dishes first originated. The most popular and celebrated of these is, without a doubt, jajangmyeon.

Jajangmyeon is a filling and satisfying dish of Chinese style noodles, diced pork, and a thick black sauce known in Korea as chunjang and in China as tianmian. The sauce is made from sweet bean paste and has a very mild flavour. While the dish was first brought to Korea by a Chinese chef living and working in Incheon, it can now be ordered at any local restaurant in Seoul, but Incheon Chinatown is still the best place to try this fantastic dish.

Seoul: Bulgogi, Bbudae jjigae, & Dakgangjeong

Seoul is a city that needs no introduction. The capital city of Korea is also the largest and most populous city in the Korean peninsula. Being the capital city, Seoul naturally has a wealth of its own local dishes. What’s surprising, however, is how many of these dishes are either fairly modern inventions, or have very unique origins.

A little history is needed to appreciate some of the dishes we’ll talk about here. After the Korean War ended in 1953, Seoul was heavily occupied by American military forces (it still is to this day, in fact), and those soldiers had a considerable impact on the local cuisine.

On top of this, Seoul’s proximity to the new and dramatic border between North and South Korea means that it is a refuge for many escapees from North Korea. What is considered by many to be Korea’s most famous dish – bulgogi – actually originated in North Korea (or, rather, the northern parts of Korea from back when it was still one complete nation).

Refugees from North Korea helped to popularise the dish and, today, it is a celebrated and dish in South Korea.

Bulgogi is a dish of barbecued strips of beef or pork (the name literally translates to “cooked meat”) similar to Japanese yakiniku. Various cuts of beef can be used, and it is often served with leafy vegetables that can be used to handle the meat. Rice can also be served as a side, and bulgogi is best enjoyed with a few cold beers.

As for how the American military, and western cuisine in general, has influenced Seoul’s local cuisine, look no further than dakgangjeong. This is a dish of sweet, crispy fried chicken. The young people of Seoul wholeheartedly adore fried chicken, and it’s in Seoul that you’ll find the biggest variety of fried chicken in the whole world.

It’s hard to overstate just how delicious, and how popular, dakgangjeong is in Seoul. There are countless dakgangjeong restaurants in Seoul alone, and all of them offer a huge variety of dakgangjeong dishes.

You have fried chicken on or off the bone, and the sauces/toppings range from cheese to sweet or spicy sauces, soy, garlic, and more. Seoul is the true home of fried chicken.

Finally, Seoul is also where you can find the origins of bbudae jigae (army stew). The stew perfectly combines Korea’s most popular food — kimchi — with American pork staples like spam and sausages. Bbudae jigae was created after the Korean War by mixing surplus army rations with locally sourced foods.

To this day, spam is considered a kind of strange delicacy in Korea and is given by bosses to workers as a thank-you gift.

Read More: Enjoy the street food of Myeongdong in Seoul

Sokcho: Fresh Seafood

Sokcho is a port city that has its ancient roots in a fishing village. Today, it’s a natural tourist spot in South Korea thanks to its close proximity to Seoraksan National Park. Seoraksan is home to South Korea’s tallest peak, and is an endless, rugged wilderness of wild, craggy peaks and lush vegetation: a hiker’s paradise.

Sokcho itself is famous for its fresh seafood, caught by local fishermen just offshore. In fact, Sokcho offers visitors a colossal seafood market known as Sokcho Jungang Market. This heaving marketplace has more than four hundred seafood stalls, each serving up enormous, freshly-caught squid, crabs, shrimp, and so much more.

If you’re looking to get a vivid image of Sokcho before visiting, definitely read Winter in Sokcho by French author Elisa Shua Dusapin, one of the best books to read before visiting South Korea.

Andong: Soju & Jjimdak

Andong is a beautiful, peaceful town on the east side of central South Korea. If you’re looking for a place in Korea that really celebrates its folk traditions, Andong should be at the top of your list. Andong Folk Festival, for example, is a yearly tradition, held during October, that celebrates the local art history of the region. The local university even specialises in Korean folk history.

One of the coolest culinary aspects of Andong is its soju. While soju is the staple alcohol of South Korea (like sake in Japan and baijiu in China), the Andong brand of soju is considered the finest in all of South Korea. If you want to experience soju at its finest, you need to visit Andong.

As for the food, Andong has a culinary history to match its folk history. The town’s most famous and celebrated dish is easily jjimdak: a Korean stew made from steamed chicken and mixed vegetables marinated in a soy-based sauce (known in Korea as ganjang). This local chicken stew is an absolute delight, full of subtle flavours and extremely nourishing.

Jeonju: Bibimbap & Kalguksu

Jeonju is a small city near the West coast of Korea. The city is predominantly known to tourists for its Hanok village. These are vintage villages populated by traditional Korean-style houses, sort of like Japan’s Edo period buildings found in the Gion district of Kyoto.

Hanok villages are gorgeous, and they can be found in multiple cities around South Korea, including Seoul. But the most impressive Hanok village is to be found in Jeonju. Jeonju is also the home of Korea’s most famous dish: bibimbap. Bibimbap is to Korea what a roast dinner is to the UK: a rounded, wholesome meal of meats, vegetables, and sauces.

Bibimbap is a hefty rice bowl topped with mixed vegetables (kimchi, radishes, carrots, etc), a generous helping of meat (traditionally beef), and a raw or fried egg.

Bibimbap is also flavoured with a chili pepper paste known as gochujang. Needless to say, there’s never a better place to try a dish than its own home, so trying bibimbap in Jeonju is a necessity and a privilege. Jeonju even hosts a yearly Bibimbap Festival to celebrate the national dish.

It’s fairly unclear where kalguksu originates from, but the most famous version of this dish comes from Jeonju. Kalguksu is one of the very best Korean noodle dishes.

For comparison, you can think of kalguksu as Korean ramen noodles, though they are still very much their own thing. Kalguksu is made from wheat flour noodles served with a seafood broth made from anchovies and kelp. The dish is often finished off with potatoes or scallions.

Daegu: Dongindong Jjim galbi

South Korea’s fourth-largest city, Daegu, is a thriving metropolis that combines traditional Korean culture with the most exciting aspects of modern Korean life. Since the Korean War, this city has been the hub of Korea’s electronics and textiles industries, making for a rich and thriving metropolis and one of the best cities to visit in South Korea.

Daegu also has a fairly secretive culinary history, with local dishes that many people have never heard of. One of these dishes is dongindong jjim galbi, a mouth-watering dish that will excite the taste buds of any ambitious carnivore. Dongindong jjim galbi is essentially a large metal dish filled with beef ribs. The ribs are seasoned with pepper and garlic, and the dish is traditionally enjoyed with a generous amount of Korean soju to really elevate the spices.

Gwangju: Ori-tang

Gwangju is a name that may be familiar to many people with a passion for Korean cinema or an interest in Korean history. The nation’s six-largest city was home to an enormous and transformative pro-democracy uprising in the 1980s.

This uprising was captured amazingly in the fantastic Korean film A Taxi Driver. Today, the legacy of that uprising, which changed the future of South Korea, can be seen in Gwangju’s 5.18 Memorial Park.

As for the city’s local cuisine, Gwangju is perhaps best known for its ori-tang, a kind of Korean duck stew. With duck being one of the softest and most flavourful meats, this is a true local delicacy in Gwangju. Ori-tang is often spiced with chili powder and the broth thickened with perilla seeds.

Boseong County: Green Tea Specialities

One of the natural wonders of South Korea is, without question, Boseong County. This area of South Korea on the nation’s south coast is home to a seemingly endless sea of tiered green tea fields. A mountainous region at the edge of the sea, populated by green tea fields: there may not be a more picturesque place in all of Korea.

Naturally, it should come as no surprise that Boseong County’s culinary speciality is green tea. Both Korea and Japan are famous for their green tea-flavoured products, and in Boseong County you can find everything from ice cream to noodles flavoured with green tea. If you’re a fan of green tea and its flavour, you’ll be in heaven when visiting Boseong County.

Busan: Dwaeji Gukbap & Ssiat Hotteok

Busan is the southern capital of Korea: a thriving, bustling city on the southern edge of the country. A place of iconic beaches, fantastic bars and restaurants, and a temple that hangs over the rocks at the edge of the water (see photo). There is so much to love about Busan, and one of the many things to enjoy is the city’s cuisine.

Dwaeji gukbap is a soup local to Busan, with its primary ingredients being pork and miso, flavoured with soy and sesame oil. It’s a soothing, flavourful, and friendly dish that almost anyone can enjoy. It’s a favourite amongst locals and one of those dishes that isn’t overly popular across the country, so you really do need to visit Busan to get the true dwaeji gukbap experience (like you needed another reason to visit Busan).

Visit any street food market in Seoul, and you’ll have plenty of chances to try hotteok: sweet Korean pancakes. But the city of Busan has its own unique take on hotteok, known locally as ssiat hotteok. The only real difference is that ssiat hotteok are filled with local seeds that are extremely healthy and add a welcome texture to the hotteok.

Jeju Island: Black Pork

Jeju Island is a popular tourist destination for locals and foreigners alike. In many ways, this island off the south coast of Korea is a land and culture all its own. In fact, ask anyone native to Seoul and they’ll tell you that it’s far easier to understand the modern North Korean dialect than it is to work out what the islanders of Jeju are saying.

Jeju is a perfect island paradise, and home to an enormous wealth of unique local foods. The most well-known and beloved of these dishes is easily Jeju black pork.

This is a local kind of pork sourced from Jeju black pigs (heuk dwaeji). The meat is traditionally barbecued in the same way as beef is in a traditional Korean barbecue. Jeju islanders and mainlanders alike all attest that Jeju black pig pork is the finest pork in the entire Korean peninsula.

You can take a hint of Japan’s ramen craze from the fact that Tokyo alone has over 20,000 shops that will serve you a perfect bowl of hot noodles. As you walk down any street in Japan, you can find so many neon signs telling you about ramen shops that you can easily gauge the country’s ramen game in a space of about 10 meters.

From the high-end restaurants to the neighborhood shops, the nation’s passion for ramen cannot be overstated. While making Japanese ramen at home is certainly doable, there’s nothing like eating ramen out and about.

In Japan, ramen is not just food; ramen a way of life. Its popularity is more farfetched worldwide than any of the other traditional delicacies ranging from sushi and sashimi to curries and tempura. For the beginners looking for a roadmap, we have created an ultimate guide to ramen in Japan.

A Brief History Of Ramen

Ramen is a traditional dish made from wheat noodles, flavoured in a fish or meat-based broth. It mainly comprises of noodles and broth. Although it appears like a simple dish, its amazing depths of flavour from various soup bases, toppings, and sides make it a work of art.

A bowl of ramen is sprinkled with numerous toppings of bamboo shoots, sliced pork, nori seaweed, and so on. Despite being a popular dish in Japan, it does not have its roots in the country. It is believed to have originated in China, but how it came Japan is still a topic of debate.

 One of the most widely accepted version is that a Chinese restaurant opened its doors in Yokohama in 1910 and they served a dish called lamian. This dish inspired by Chinese-style wheat noodles served in broth soon became a rage with more restaurants coming up to sell lamian. 

During the Second World War, ramen became one of the most industrialized foods in Japan. It achieved a high status in the mid-1950s when the country went to a boom period. By the 1980s, ramen was highly sought after by the young people who belonged to the new breed or Shinjinrui.

Read More: A Guide to Japanese Snacks (And Where to Buy Them)

What Types of Ramen Are There?

Beginners will be surprised to know that not all ramen are alike. They can be broadly classified into four different types. The dish also varies depending upon the regional influences on them. Other factors such as stock bases used, seasonings, and chef’s special formulas may also bring about a difference in taste:

Shoyu or Soy Ramen

This variety comprises of a shoyu broth that has a clear brown colour. It comprises of noodles, meat or vegetables that add flavours to the dish. 

Shio Ramen

Shio or Salt: It is often considered as the oldest of the ramen types, typically made from a shio broth comprising of pork or chicken base. The soup base is salty and has a clear yellow colour.

Tonkostu

Tonkotsu or Pork bone: Made from boiling up grounded pork bones for up to 20 hours until all the collagen dissolves into soup. It is seasoned with soy sauce and salt to enhance the flavour.

Miso Ramen

This variation was developed in Hokkaido and added to the family around the 1960s. It comprises of sweet opaque soup in nutty colour with chewy and curly noodles.

Read More: A Complete Guide to Japanese Izakaya

Choice Of Ramen Toppings

The subtle burst of flavours in a ramen dish comes from the choice of toppings used by the chef. Besides enhancing the taste of ramen it also makes the dish more presentable with beautiful garnishing. Here are some popular choices:  

∙         chashu (roasted or braised pork)

∙         seaweed (nori)

∙         karanegi (negi cooked in chilli oil for spiciness) 

∙         moyashi (bean sprouts)

∙         negi (chopped green onions)

∙         menma (bamboo shoots salt)

∙         tamogo (hard-boiled, raw, or marinated eggs)

∙         kamaboko (steamed fish cake)

∙         Yellow corn and butter

Read More: A Guide to Japanese Onigiri (Rice Balls)

Six Regional Variations Of Ramen 

As mentioned above, ramen is not the same everywhere. You will find a slight change in flavor and taste in different regions depending on the type of toppings and base used. If you are a ramen fan, we would suggest you to sample as many different varieties during your visit to Japan:

Tokyo Ramen

In the capital city, you can get to enjoy a varied taste of regional ramen dishes. However, the local style which reflects traditional Chinese-Japanese roots is the most popular. It comprises of a shoyu broth with noodles, seaweed, chashu, green onions, and bamboo shoots. Here are some great ramen shops in Tokyo or try these hidden ramen gems in Shibuya.

Kyoto Ramen

This imperial city takes the credit for two ramen styles – first is an assari mix of pork with chicken broth and shoyu tare. The second is chicken bowl comprising of chile-bean paste, local onions, and spicy chives.

Sapporo Ramen

The city is credited as the cradle of miso ramen. Here you can find a mouthwatering bowl of ramen noodles filled with garlic, ginger, and minced pork with other regional ingredients like yellow corn and butter.

Hakata Ramen

The signature white Hakata-style broth is made by simmering grounded pork bones. Other ingredients include spicy mustard greens, pickled ginger, and thin semi-boiled noodles. 

Yokohama Ramen

Often considered as the birthplace of ramen, this place is home to the National Ramen Museum. The city is known for its popular porky tonkotsu broth filled with nori bits.

Wakayama Ramen

This city offers ramen that sports a cross of flavors between shoyu and tonkotsu. This is a heavy and rich ramen in pork bone broth. Other ingredients include straight noodles, chashu, and kamaboko.

Read More: 10 Traditional Foods you Have to Try in Japan

Five Things to Remember When You Visit A Ramen Shop 

Just like sushi etiquette, there are also some golden rules about eating ramen. There is nothing to be intimidated about them because they are created to give you a better customer experience:

• Most popular ramen shops in Japan will have a queue, especially during peak hours. So, wait in line for a few minutes because the queues go down pretty quickly. 
  
• Orders may be given to the staff or you may get a ticket from vending machines for the self-service shops. If you are not sure what to order, ask the server for recommendations. 
  
• Ramen is considered as fast food and must be eaten quickly while it’s still hot. It tastes best when it’s freshly made and can soon turn mushy. Moreover, you must eat quickly to empty the seat for the next customer waiting in the queue. 
  
• The bowl of ramen will come with chopsticks for noodles and spoon to drink the broth. You can pick your bowl and drink if you like till the lees. Slurping is not a bad idea and you can see many people doing it. 
  
• The ramen shops in Japan mostly accept cash so make sure you have enough. If you are keen on showing your gratitude in Japanese, you can say gochiso-sama-deshita, which means thank you for the meal.

Read More: Sushi Etiquette: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Sushi Correctly

How much does ramen cost in Japan?

A hot bowl of delicious ramen is not expensive and it serves as a quick go-to food for the locals and tourists alike. The price may range between 550 to 1400 Yen, depending on the ambience, location, staff, and settings. 

What is Instant Ramen?

When Japan was struggling with nation-wide famine and the worst rice harvest post-war, Momofuku Ando invented pre-cooked instant ramen in 1958. He believed that this easy to prepare and distribute food can ensure that people don’t die out of hunger. There are interesting instant ramen museums in Yokohama and Osaka if you’d like to learn more!

Read More: If you liked this, you might enjoy learning about the history of Japanese tea ceremonies and what you’ll need to do it yourself or learn how to make bubble tea at home.