Ingredients & Craft
Niboshi: The Sardine Stock That Defines Tokyo Ramen
Tokyo's most aggressive bowls of ramen taste of dried sardines — bitter, oily, savory, almost confrontational. The reason has less to do with cooking and more to do…
Culture & History
Why Each Tokyo Neighborhood Has Its Own Ramen Style
The ramen at a Shinjuku tsukemen counter and the ramen at an Ogikubo shoyu shop are not just different bowls — they are different worldviews, shaped by which…
How to Eat
The Unspoken Rules of Eating Ramen in Tokyo
Most of what tourists hear about ramen etiquette is either wrong or out of date. Here are the rules Tokyo regulars actually follow — and the ones nobody…
Culture & History
How Tsukemen Was Born — A Brief History of Tokyo’s Dipping-Noodle Revolution
Tsukemen — the dipping-style ramen that now sustains queues across Tokyo — was invented by a single chef in 1955, in a tiny noodle shop in Nakano. The…