NEWSWORTHY
Mensho San Francisco: Ramen given the West Coast treatment
It's no secret: Ramen is big in America, and getting bigger fast. It also seems to be undergoing some unusual mutations in its new, no-holds-barred environment. No one understands this better than the self-styled "hyper ramen creator," Tomoharu Shono. He's the man behind some of ...
Kirin Ramen gets new name amid trademark battle with beer giant
Noodle-maker Ogasawara Seifun said Wednesday it has picked a new name for its mainstay ramen product, Kirin Ramen, amid an ongoing trademark battle with major brewer Kirin Co. The ramen, styled by the company based in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, as "local soul food every single ...
Ayu Ramen: Hole in the wall noodles topped with sweetfish
The noren half-curtain across the entrance, the compact seven-seat counter, the steam wafting up from the simmering vats — this is the DNA for thousands of hole-in-the-wall noodle joints across Japan. But Ayu Ramen stands out in one crucial respect. Every bowl here comes ...
Tak Tokumine: It's all about love and noodles
Founder of Japan Centre and Shoryu Ramen says the U.K. is now his home.
Ramen chain Ichiran faces charges for allegedly working foreign students longer than permitted
Police are set to refer ramen chain Ichiran and some of its managerial staff to prosecutors this week for allegedly breaking the immigration law by forcing foreign students to work illegally long hours at two stores in Osaka, investigative sources said Monday. Ichiran, founded in ...
Men Labo Hiro: Balanced ramen from a yakitori chef
Men Labo Hiro is far from your standard noodle counter. Squeaky clean both inside and out, with spacious tables by the door and enough room to squeeze in even a stroller or two, it feels more like a family restaurant than the type of ...
Aitsu no Ramen Kataguruma: Tsukemen the show stopper
If you're a fan of tsukemen, the ramen dish where the noodles are served separate to the soup, you'll need to get here early.
End of 47-year Japan rice program signals boost for ramen wheat
The end of Japan's four decades of rice-market control could be good news for noodle lovers. That's because rice farmers may plant alternative crops like wheat once government control ends by March 31 and look to tap into rising demand for ramen. Fukuoka Prefecture is ...
Homemade Ramen Muginae: These noodles are well worth the wait
All the best restaurants require considerable outlay. Usually that means a hefty dent in your bank balance. At Homemade Ramen Muginae the demand is not on your pocketbook but your time. Just reaching this simple, bright, nine-seat noodle counter entails a trek out to nether ...
Ippudo ramen chain credits its global success to localized tastes
Toshiyuki Kiyomiya likes to compare ramen to a carefully arranged universe in a bowl. The savory combination of steaming broth, noodles and toppings — typically ranging from chāshū (Chinese-style roasted pork) and menma (pickled bamboo shoots) to soy-sauce braised soft-boiled eggs and sheets of nori ...
Hokkaido's Hakodate is heaven for gourmands of all stripes
Hakodate occupies a unique place on the Japanese landscape, both literally and gastronomically speaking. Facing the Tsugaru Strait from its position on the southern shores of Hokkaido's Oshima Peninsula, the city grew from a small Ainu fishing village to become, in 1854, Japan's first port ...
