It takes more than just patience, persistence and a willingness to wait in line if you want to eat at Ginza Hachigo. Precision planning is needed. An alarm clock would come in handy too. Your goal: one of the most unusual — and outrageously excellent — bowls of ramen anywhere in Tokyo.
In the two years since this discreet, refined, six-seater noodle counter opened on the fringes of Higashi-Ginza, it has soared from an insiders’ word-of-mouth favorite to media prominence, hence the inevitable lines around the block. All for a simple bowl? Not quite: In fact, it comes with a long and fascinating backstory that adds extra spice to the slurping.
Ginza Hachigo did not spring out of nowhere, nor did owner-chef Yasushi Matsumura. He already had two popular ramen shops under his belt. First, in 2015, came Chukasoba Katsumoto, near Suidobashi Station, serving an updated version of classic Tokyo-style shoyu ramen. Less than a year later, he opened Kanda Katsumoto in Jinbocho, specializing in tsukemen (dipping noodles).