If you haven’t noticed, the focus of most of the ramen on this site is what’s available in America. Below you’ll find a short list of places in Japan from my visit in Oct 2022. If you want to do a deep dive of ramen in Japan for your own ramen hunt I recommend you check out my ramen resources page.
Shop: Kisurin
Location: Akasaka. Centrally located in Tokyo, this area is quite in the mornings, but bustling with bars and night life for the afterwork crowd.
Bowl: Tantanmen
Bowl: Paiko Tantanmen
Why eat here: If you want spice, pork, and sesame flavors, this is the one you want. Tantanmen is a style of ramen known for its blend of creamy sesame paste, minced pork, wok roasted beansprouts, and chili oil. This shops soul focus is on this style of ramen. When you open the door of this shop you’ll be greeted with the aroma of fried pork and sesame paste. I call this place “tantamen heaven”.
Shop: Ramen Mizuna
Location: Akasaka. Centrally located in Tokyo, this area is quite in the mornings, but bustling with bars and night life for the afterwork crowd.
Bowl: Ramen Mizuna – Shoyu
Bowl: Ramen Mizuna – Shio
Why eat here: The Shio ramen is served with clams and scallops which gives it a light but rich flavor profile. Clams and scallops in the broth usually makes any bowl amazing.
Shop: Papapapapine
Location: Machida, Western Tokyo. Located in a large shopping mall.
Bowl: Shoyu Pineapple Ramen
Bowl: Shio Shrimp Pineapple Ramen
Why eat here: Only if you want to try something weird while feeling like you’ve been transported to a tropical island. This ramen has a hint of pineapple juice and sliced pineapple that makes it slightly sweet and salty. This a bucket list item for many people after they’ve been hunting ramen for years.
Shop: Yagu Noodle
Location: Koto City, Located just east of central Tokyo. It’s a much more relaxed neighborhood that’s not too busy and has lots of coffee shops. There are a series of bridges and canals that you can walk over that give this neighborhood a Brooklyn vibe.
Bowl: Shoyu
Bowl: Hot and Sour Ramen
Why eat here: This shops focus is on chicken-based broths. Both the Shoyu and the Hot and Sour ramen are simply delicious.
Shop: Iida Shoten
Location: Kanagawa,1-2 hours by train south of Tokyo along the coast. This area is known for lots of traditional hot springs.
Bowl: Shoyu
Bowl: Shio
Bowl: Shio Tsukemen (Dipping Noodles)
Why eat here: It’s the number 1 ranked shop in all of Japan. Their Shoyu and Shio ramen are really simple and super luxurious at the same time. It’s nearly impossible to get a reservation though. The reservations for a week come online the Monday night at 9pm PST a week in advance only. The system sells out in under 10 minutes. Your odds of getting a reservation will improve if all the individuals in your party try to book a spot when the reservations are available. Good luck.