Kyushu is famous for its rich, varied food culture, and particularly for the rivalry between Hakata ramen and Kumamoto ramen. The former uses pork-based soup, thin noodles, ginger and fresh garlic, and is distinguished by a serving of only a small amount of noodles, to which the customer requests seconds. Kumamoto ramen uses a mixture of pork- and chicken-based soups, thicker noodles, and garlic that has either been fried or boiled. Hakata's ramen champion is the legendary restaurant Ichiran, while Kokutei carries the banner for Kumamoto.
Situated in a corner of the large underground shopping arcade at Hakata train station, more than 40 people wait in line outside Ichiran at peak hours, browsing framed photographs and signatures of celebrities who have eaten there. Buzzer-like music loops every 30 seconds above your head, and when a waiter outside the entrance hands you a questionnaire and asks you if you're a regular, you begin to feel as though there is a standard you need to match.
This turns out to be true. The restaurant prides itself on a turnover of one customer every 33 seconds. On the questionnaire, you can choose the strength of garlic, hardness of noodles, volume of negi, amount of chili and any extras. The queue continues inside the cramped restaurant, reminding you of a claustrophobic indoor roller-coaster ride. This adventure, as it turns out, is just as intense and thrilling. Once you fill out your form and buy a food ticket at the machine, you wait for the electronic board to indicate that seats have been vacated.