You might be surprised to learn that Japanese curry is one of the most popular dishes in Japan, on par with considering it a “national dish”.  Originally introduced by the British during the Meiji period, it is still considered to be 洋食 (yoshoku, western food) but definitely it’s own creation now. Thicker than Indian or Thai curry, it is made with a roux and often seen as a beef stew.  There are so many different variations though. Regional local specialties at mom and pop shops.  “House” curry you’ll find in retort packets at the grocery stores. Navy curry on the JMSDF ships and then there is CoCoICHIBANYA.  A quick and delicious chain restaurant.

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Curry House CoCoICHIBANYAor “CoCoICHI” History

The Curry House at the beginning of the name is normally dropped off in conversation to leave you CoCo壱番屋 (CoCo ICHIBANYA, romanized with all capitalized letters at the end) or mostly abbreviated as CoCo壱 (CoCoICHI) was first established in 1978 in Nagoya. Specializing in Japanese-style curry, it is now a chain restaurant that has expanded greatly over the years.

First went overseas to Hawaii in 1994 and now it can also be found in 12 overseas countries. 185 of 1482 (as of April 2020) CoCoICHIBANYA locations are overseas!

Sadly, the ones in my home country of America are all in California and Hawaii but I’m still holding out that the east coast will eventually get one!

If that seems like a lot of stores, it is! In January of 2013, CoCoICHIBANYA received the title of “the largest chain of curry restaurants in the world”.

What makes Japanese Curry, Japanese?

It’s actually very hard to peg down as it has so many different variations.  And it’s quite common for families to have their own curry recipe. You’ll also see some hotel restaurants with “hotel” curry.  It just means it’s their recipe. 

Roux is definitely the binding factor (see what I did there?). As such, Japanese curry is thicker than most other Asian curry varieties.

I liken it to a savory gravy served over rice, in the case of curry rice (カレーライス, that’s a “rey” sound, not a “ri” in ka-rey rai-su, katakana can be strange).  But you will also see it over noodles, like with curry udon, and in bread (Japanese bakeries have the craziest, delicious varieties of bread products!) as well. 

In general, it’s much sweeter and less spicy than other curries you may be familiar with. While most mom-and-pop curry restaurants might have a “normal” and one or two levels of “spicy” curry, CoCo Ichibanya takes the spice game to a whole other level.

How to order at CoCo Ichibanya

The best part about CoCoICHIBANYA (or CoCo’s as most American’s call it), is how customizable it is.  Sure, they have a massive menu full of all different combinations already laid out for you, it’s just as easy to order it specifically.  There’s usually an English menu to help out. If not, the pictures are always a good backup.

First, select your curry sauce

The important thing that makes it curry is the curry sauce, so you pick that first! The meat options have small chunks of the meat in them but really it is to inundate the flavors.

If you don’t make a different specification, the pork curry sauce is the 普通 (futsuu, normal – not to be confused with the same word being used for local trains) and what will be served.

• Pork Curry
• Sweet Pork Curry (this is also used in the Children’s option)
• Beef Curry
• Vegetarian Curry
• Hashed Beef

Second, Choose how much rice you want

The “base” option will give you 300 grams of rice, that’s a lot for me personally. You can dip down to 200 grams which will also give you a small cost savings (and there is an option for a bit smaller we’ll get to in a minute). But you can also get massive portions of rice. Just go in 100-gram increments, and while the menu shows something like 900 grams (yikes) as maxing out, you could get more if you wanted.

Third, Choose your spice level

Whereas most food in Japan is relatively mild, CoCo Ichibanya definitely knows how to kick it up a notch.  Above “normal” which CoCo Ichibanya considers “medium” spice level, there are ten levels of spice you can go through.

Don’t think for a second that is a linear scale though!

• Level 1 Spicy = Baseline that the following levels are based off.
• Level 2 Spicy = Twice as spicy as level 1
• Level 3 Spicy = Four times as spicy as level 1
• Level 4 Spicy = Six times as spicy as level 1
• Level 5 Spicy = 12 times as spicy as level 1
• Level 6 Spicy = 13 times as spicy as level 1
• Level 7 Spicy = 14 times as spicy as level 1
• Level 8 Spicy = 16 times as spicy as level 1
• Level 9 Spicy = 18 times as spicy as level 1
• Level 10 Spicy = 24 times as spicy as level 1

And per their menu, they won’t let you go above 5 without proving you don’t die with level 5 first! I have seen a few exceptions to that rule but they do actually get spicy fast.

While I now default to a level 6 or 7, it took me many meals to rise to that level. So if you like spicy food as I do, this is definitely a place for you.

However, if spice is NOT your thing, you can also add sweetness levels to your curry, from 1 to 5. The sweet sauce has honey in it though, so they warn against giving it to babies under 1. You can thank them for adding the sweetness levels in 2015.

Fourth: Toppings!

There are plenty of combinations in the menu already picked out for you, and you can choose one of those and go for it. Or you can create your own from the 40 or so toppings. OR you can use something on the menu and still add something else to it. Skies the limit on options here at CoCoICHIBANYA. While not all-inclusive, here’s some of the toppings that I pulled from the menu:

• Eggplant
• Spinach
• Cheese
• Scrambled Eggs
• Cream Croquette with Crab
• Natto
• Mushrooms
• Garlic
• Pork Cutlet
• Sausage
• Lightly Crisped Chicken
• Stewed Chicken
• Thinly Slicked Pork
• Hamburger
• Chicken Cutlet
• Fried Fish
• Squid
• Shrimp Cutlet
• Mixed Seafood
• Mixed Vegetable

Watching Calories or Special Dietary Restrictions with CoCoICHIBANYA

For calorie watching, you can go with the “スモールサイズカレー” (Small size curry) or “Mini Curry” as it’s translated into English. Instead of the normal 300 g of rice, it comes with 150 grams of rice and the portions of the other ingredients are also smaller. For instance, I love getting the croquette added to my curry. They normally would be to give you TWO. That’s a lot. With the mini option, you get one! And if you want to add extra toppings, you can still do that.

If you just want slightly less rice, but still the same size toppings, go with the 200 grams I mentioned before.

There is also a low carb version which uses 180 grams of cauliflower (カリフラワー) instead of rice! Before you ask, yes, when they give the grams, they mean it! They’ve got weighing machines in the kitchen.

For vegetarians, there is the vegetarian curry option and there is usually a menu just for vegetarians. Still craving a cutlet? They have a soy meat version, look for “大豆ミート”.

If you have allergies to certain food items, CoCoICHIBANYA has a convenient allergy information sheet in English and Japanese to help.

Limited Edition Menus

My suggestion?  Go with the seasonal, regional or store specific menus for a real treat.  Some examples of the seasonal menu are vegetable or chicken soup curry or Pumpkin and winter vegetable curry. The summer “spicy” (as in spice flavor, not spice hot) chicken and vegetable is AMAZING. 

And if you go with a regional/store, you’ll always have something new if you need a quick bite.  Like in Kansai where they had a special 牛すじ煮込みカレー (Gyu-suji nikomi, stewed beef tendon curry).

For local options, in my area, we have よこすか海軍カレー (Yokosuka Kaigun or Navy Curry). The two “downtown” Yokosuka stores, plus the Oppama store and a little farther away to Kanazawa Hakkei (easily accessible on the Keikyu Line), have something called マスクドCOCO壱監修ホットエナジーカレー, which translates roughly to “the masked CoCoICHI supervised this hot energy curry”. More on the masked guy in a bit.

If I have my story straight, it was part in thanks to the Yokosuka stores (the two downtown and one in Oppama are owned by the same person) pressing for some “local specialties” as to why these became a thing. More on how Yokosuka and Curry go together another time.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Making CoCo Ichibanya at home

If you are in Japan, you can find CoCo Ichibanya retort packets online which make for great snacks when you just need a quick meal. Especially when you can get pre-made rice at the convenience store. I know, I know, the sacrilege. I do have a super awesome rice cooker too.

If you want some of the local flavor options, you can order the Yokosuka CoCo Ichibanya retort packets online, or at the shops themselves.

Masked CoCoICHI (マスクドCOCO壱)

I’ve been lucky to see the masked CoCoICHI several times. He’s the official mascot of CoCoICHI and wears a Mexican wrestling mask. Similar to the luchador masks defining a wrestler’s identity and keeping a persona, this works the same for the masked CoCo ICHI.

And persona does he have. The mask is bright gold with “CoCo Ichibanya” all over it, so he’s hard to miss if you happen to run into him. He’s got a great social media account with all his silly antics, and he’s also been blogging about Masked CoCo Ichi since August of 2011 (!!).

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For what may be the best I’ve ever had, you must try this Japanese curry in Hirosaki! カレーとコーヒーかわしま (Curry and Coffee Kawashima) has been in business in Hirosaki since 1973 (!). You can’t get more mom and pop than 45+ years of Japanese curry perfection.

You also can’t talk about the curry shop without the street it is apart of, Dotemachi has been around since castle times!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Dotemachi (土手町) History

As you’ll see in a second, Japan’s names stick around for a long time. They also to someone that doesn’t speak the language sound very eloquent when really they are very straight forward names. But much as we English speakers tend to forget when some of our road names make sense, I’ve pointed out how names translate to English to my Japanese friends and they laugh and say they’ve never thought about it that way.

To this day, addresses in Japan utilize the “town” as a pinpoint, including how to locate Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま) on a map. You don’t label the street, you label the blocks within a 町 or “machi” which means town. However, not as in a town as we think of it. Imagine if you will the “downtown” area of a small town. It’s on Main Street but not all of Main Street.

Towns, in this case, are more areas. Over here were the butchers, over there were the blacksmiths, etc.

So what’s Dotemachi mean (besides the “town” part at the end)? 土手 or “dote”, means bank as in the bank of a river (it can also be a type of stew but I digress). When Hirosaki Castle was being built, gee, 400+ years ago, this was the only way into the castle from the east. The embankment part comes from the thought that there was one such feature installed along the Tobuchi River that it crosses.

It’s been a merchant area since 1685 (!!!).

Dotemachi Shopping Street (土手町商店街)

This shopping arcade has been around since the early 1960s and is so large that each region has it’s own promotion association and is split up into its own information, even though they are all kind of the same.

• Kamidotemachi shotengai (上土手町商店街)
• Nakadotemachi shotengai (中土手町商店街）
• Shitadotemachi shotengai (下土手町商店街）

Notice the similarities? The first words are kami, naka, and shita. Which translates to upper, middle, and lower and 商店街 is “Shotengai” and means shopping street.

Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま) is located within Kamidotemachi shotengai. So it’s in the “upper” embankment town shopping street.

Shopping streets are great little windows into history and where you’ll find the lively areas of town much of the time. Something to check out!

It’s common to have street art in areas of shopping districts (and towns in general, think of all the apples!) but this one is what I was jokingly called “little kid feet” street.

Why are there tiles with children’s footprints on the street in Hirosaki?

This is the question that I kept repeating as I was walking through the shopping arcade. It seemed like an interesting choice of art work. Was it a memorial? Something else?

As part of the Nakadote Town Street Improvement Project back in 2010, along with replacing the arcade (the “umbrella” to the walkway), they installed a snow melting system into the sidewalk. With such, they wanted to have not only somewhere that was safe but something that represented the area. They ran a lottery in which almost 600 children from ages 0 to 6 entered. The qualification is that your family came from the region.

As such, 100 of them were chosen and now you have “little kid feet” (子供の足型, kodomo no ashigata, children’s footprint) street on your way to have some great Japanese curry in Hirosaki. It’s a cute meaning of “let’s walk into the future together with our new sidewalk!”.

Wooden signs along Shopping Street

Make sure you also look up at all of the wooden signs along the street. They represent the businesses and are a nice touch of different art in the land of apple artwork (and children’s footprints).

Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま)

I bet you never thought I would get to talking about the curry! It’s well worth the wait and I think the little bits of history are fascinating. Keep your eyes open while you’re out around, even in your own town! You never know what you’ll newly discover.

Takeshi Takahashi opened Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま) when he was 25 back in 1973. Now a family affair with his wife and son, they cook the curry 15 hours each and every day, heating up the order when placed.  And though some of the suppliers have changed over the years, they’ve kept to the original recipe as much as possible (source). 

All are served with pickled condiments (漬物, tsukemono in Japanese) that are usual to have with Japanese curry.  Ginger, pearl onions, and radish which they also make themselves. Pickling is a big thing in Japan – I’ve love to learn how to make some homemade!

Curry and Coffee Kawashima: The menu

The quintessential Japanese curry is slightly on the sweeter side (unless you go to Coco Ichibanya where you can up the anty spice wise).

At Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま) you have a choice of three levels for the Japanese curry which comes with a piece of pork.

• カレーライス, curry rice, this is the normal level
• ホットカレー（辛い), Hot curry (yes, ホット, hotto is “hot”) and 辛い is pronounced “karai” for spicy, just in case you missed the intent of the “hot” I suppose
• Ｗホットカレー（超辛). Japan uses several singular letter abbreviations and “w” is one of them. As we pronounce it “double u”… yes, it means “double”. So this is double hot curry or 超辛 (cho-kara, super spicy) as they also state on the menu.

It doesn’t stop there though for toppings. You can also have cheese, katsu (fried pork), ebi-fry (think one giant shrimp) or just normal small shrimp, fried scallops, potato, egg (fried egg on top or they also have omelet style), hamburger and others. Get the set meal for a side salad and coffee or juice to be included.

The name is Curry and Coffee Kawashima so you can bet there is also coffee! The blend coffee has been the same since the day they opened. More on Japan’s cafe’s later! Get the coffee if for no other reason to see them make it from a very cool siphon apparatus.

Curry and Coffee Kawashima (カレーとコーヒーかわしま): The price

The set which comes with a basic salad and coffee or juice was 1100 yen at the time of my partaking. For lunches and even dinner, look for the word “定食” or “teishoku” (set meal) and you normally can’t go wrong! 

Figuring as the price started nearly 50 years ago at 100 yen, that hasn’t changed much over the years either! The other menu options range in price from about 700 to 1200 yen so this isn’t going to break the bank and the portions are HUGE. 

I felt like I didn’t need to eat for two days afterward.  If for some reason, the normal size isn’t large enough, you can have them add extra rice.

How to find カレーとコーヒーかわしま

A mere 10 minutes on foot from JR Hirosaki Station, but don’t forget to check out the rest of the shopping street. You can also find some of the apple pie stores around here. Curry and Coffee Kawashima is on the second floor and the sign is in Japanese so look out for “カレーとコーヒーかわしま”. 

Other Japanese Curry in Hirosaki

There are plenty of local Hirosaki specialties to try while you are visiting Hirosaki Castle or any of the number of other local area attractions like the apple park or Neputa village, among others. However, this is apple country after all and if you haven’t yet gotten your fill with apple pie, and cider, there’s another type of Japanese curry in Hirosaki you should try – the apple curry!

There are several locations in town that have it, just look for “りんご” (Japanese for apple) and “カレー” (curry) on the menu together.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Apple Curry (りんごカレー) to-go

If you didn’t get to try apple curry while in town, they come in packets from a local store called Iwakiya! Hirosaki puts apples in everything, not just apple pie and your delicious hard ciders but also in Japanese curry in Hirosaki!

Retort packets (I just learned they were called that recently) are available in all different styles of curry across Japan. And very much like ramen, you can find local varieties or special edition “just like the store” versions.

For Iwakiya apple curry, you get the roux in which you can use to cook with. There are instructions on the packet for what ingredients to add.

What’s your best mom & pop find?

Let me know in the comments :).

Rice is so integral to Japanese cooking that the words for “cooked rice”, gohan (ご飯) or meshi (飯), can mean simply, “meal”. Onigiri, or rice ball as is the more common English, makes a great snack or even lunch. Want to learn how to make onigiri? You’ll be surprised how simple it is!

Think of them like Japanese sandwiches, ready to pick up and eat on the go. Onigiri along with nikuman are popular snack or lunch options for when you are out hiking!

Normally, onigiri is slightly triangular in shape, wrapped in nori (海苔, seaweed) with a yummy filling tucked inside.  No, though its main ingredient is rice, onigiri is not sushi. Best yet? This delectable meal is super easy to make.

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July of 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

The Rice

There are two types of japonica rice used in Japan. In Japanese, the rice used for onigiri is called 粳米 (うるちまい, uruchimai) or “normal rice”. What makes it normal? It’s NOT used for mochi. Mochi (餅 or 糯) is glutinous rice and has even greater stickiness when cooked. They are both short grain but uruchimai is translucent whereas mochigome (もち米, mochi rice) is more opaque.

There are many, many different types of rice in Japan, the supermarket can be overwhelming. Some popular varieties are 越光 (koshihikari) and ササニシキ (sasanishiki). The later is known for good use in sushi and is sometimes advertised at restaurants. They tend to be quite expensive but will be some of the best rice you’ve ever tried.

Outside Japan? Look for sushi rice, the usual marketing name of uruchimai. (Do NOT get “sticky rice”, completely different!!!). Remember, this isn’t sushi! Vinegar is what makes sushi rice, among other things, like dashi. The only seasoning you will need for rice used for onigiri is salt.

Proper Rice Making technique

First things first – you want to rinse Japanese rice really well until the water runs clean and then soak. I highly suggest a rice cooker or 炊飯器 (すいはんき, suihanki).

Japanese rice cookers are some of the best in the world. Two of the most popular brands are Zojirushi (my favorite) and Tiger. They do amazing things with their fuzzy logic controls. Fuzzy logic allows the machine to “think” and adjust time and temperature settings so that the rice turns out perfect – every time. I suggest getting one around 5 cups, which is more than enough for a family. My first was 10 cups and WAY to big. Don’t worry, they make models ready for overseas!

Rice cookers are great to set up the night before. Not only does that give the rice a good soak, but you can also put them on a timer! Set it to go off before you wake so you can make fresh onigiri or a nice bento before work.

Alton Brown would hate me for saying to buy a “uni-tasker” appliance but you can also use them for other things, like bread, believe it or not.

Rice cookers will keep rice warm and moist so it will keep that way for several hours. Or if you want to be fancy you can use a お櫃 (おひつ, ohitsu), which is a wooden container to hold rice (that one literally only serves that purpose, you will see this done often at a ryokan).

Rice cooker or ohitsu – mix in some good sea salt to the cooked rice! A rice paddle is great for this.

How to make onigiri by hand – and not get all messy!

After you have your yummy salted rice all ready to go, the easiest way is to start with some saran wrap and a bowl. Place the saran wrap over the bowl and spoon the rice mixture in. You can then use the paddle to give yourself a bit of room for the filling. However, if you want just rice – go ahead! Filling not required! What else is not required? Triangular shaped onigiri. They can be square, balls, cute little characters, anything your heart dreams up.

Next, pick up the mixture and with your hands on the outside, move the rice around any filling you may have and then cover fully with saran wrap and form into a shape. Remove saran wrap and voila! You’ve got some onigiri. You can cover with some nori if you’d like but also, not required!

What to use for fillings?

The sky is really the limit when it comes to onigiri fillings. Some of the more typically seen at the supermarket or convenience store are:

• 梅干し, umeboshi, pickled plums
• サーモン, salmon
• えび or 海老, ebi, shrimp
• 納豆, natto, fermented soybeans
• 唐揚げ, からあげ, karaage, fried chicken

Salmon and tuna you can sometimes find by themselves but normally they have mayonnaise mixed in. Ever heard of “sea chicken”? Nope, not just an American joke! You will see “Tuna Mayo” is often called “Sea Chicken Mayo”. Look for: シー チケン (sea chicken) マヨネーズ (mayonnaise) sometimes you’ll see just マヨ (mayo). I even like to add some miso to mine which works super yummy when you grill them a little bit. This is called “焼きおにぎり” or “yaki onigiri”.

How to make onigiri with a mold

Another option for making onigiri is to use a cute mold. I personally like all of the fun animal shaped ones, like this kitten onigiri mold. They normally come with stencil cutters to make the nori add to the cuteness.

How to eat store bought Onigiri

If you are lucky enough to be in Japan (or I have seen them elsewhere in Asia), I highly suggest you try some store-bought onigiri for the experience. One, they are tasty, and two, you save time! Find them in the refrigerator section. Yes, serve them cold, no matter the filling.

With homemade onigiri, the nori will generally be more soft by the time you eat it because of it soaking in some of the moisture from the rice.  At convenience stores (or konbini, コンビニ) intricately folded plastic will separate the nori from the rice. Each package will have 1, 2, 3 labelled on it so you know how to disassemble your yummy snack. Split the packaging in half and carefully pull out the sides without damaging the nori.  Grab the pieces and dig in!

Not up to speed on your Japanese yet? Look for the English when you buy your onigiri at the store. The packaging isn’t always Japanese.

In case you need a visual, there’s one on the bottom! Why’s this next image right-to-left? Welcome to the Japanese language. So sometimes you see pictographs follow suit.

What’s your favorite onigiri?

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If you are delving into the culinary world of Japan, there are certain ingredients that you cannot do without. Sake, mirin, soy sauce, and dashi are imperative. Don’t forget one found in every traditional Japanese breakfast! Fish, rice, and miso soup. But it isn’t just for soup! Dreaming of a trip to Japan? Tide yourself over with this fermented condiment waiting to be utilized!

1) Fermentation and Food

For eons fermentation was used as a preservation method in the days before refrigeration. In Japan, you can’t find a traditional meal without at least one fermented product.

Japan is a land of delicious food, and there are plenty of traditional dishes you must try. But what of the ingredients that go into them? Glossed over at times are some of the key pieces of what makes Japanese diets so healthy.

2) What is Miso?

The simplest definition: mashed up fermented soybeans, turned into a paste. Koji mold is essential for the fermenting. However, soy is not the only ingredient. Slight variations in ingredients and fermentation processes can vastly change the flavoring, resulting in regional specialties around the country.  The National Miso Industry Cooperative Association (http://miso.or.jp/) consists of nearly 900 companies – that’s a lot of miso!

3) Where miso came from

Like many things (looking at you, kanji) that made it over to Japan, it is thought to have been brought over from China around the 7^th century. Yup, that puts the lovely seasoning with over 1000 years of history and development that has left us with what we have today. 

Startlingly (not really), it was a food for the nobility and samurai. Eventually making its way to the commoner’s plates, today, there is a large export market for true Japanese miso.

Keeping the heritage alive

Did you know that UNESCO named 和食 (washoku, Japanese Cuisine) as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage” in 2013? Guess what? Miso would be counted as part of that! So by enjoy the amazing taste and health benefits, you’re supporting the culture!

Another cultural aspect: Shojin ryori, the vegetarian cuisine of Zen Buddhism, wouldn’t be the same without miso, one soup, one side dish (ichiju issai) as they say makes a “complete dish” and so many other Japanese cuisines rely on the use as well.

4) Types of Miso

This is very dependent on the regions of Japan.  There are three main types of miso: kome, mugi, and mame. Kome has rice added to the soybeans whereas mugi is barley. Mame is actually soybeans and soybeans (can we call it soy squared?) and results in a very rich, dark brown version. Mame only comes from a small region of Japan. Kome is the most commonly found and mugi is mostly made in the southern parts of Japan.

There are all sorts of miso though, I’ve seen some with added fish or fish flakes, different vegetables, etc. Jikkoku gives miso and cucumber and cabbage for their otoshi and it’s some of the best, in my opinion.

5) What’s it taste like

Umami is the name of the game in this one. Umami is the elusive “fifth taste” of your four taste tongue. It’s a mouthfeel, and miso has a lot of it.  Kome miso can be sweet to savory and varies in color from white to yellow to red. Mugi you’ll never get a good “white” color from the grain so you know its kome if it’s white, Mugi is yellow or red and from the ones I’ve tried, definitely airing on the sweet side but it can be richer as well. Mame is very rich, back to its soy-squared flavoring.

6) How it’s made

It’s a pretty basic process of soaking, cooking and combining the very simple ingredients. Adding koji to start the fermentation process, everything is mixed together with the soybeans, water, and salt.

Anyone else like fancy salt? Small miso makers definitely have me as they tend to get fancier with the types of salt. Plus, they are using higher grade materials overall.

This isn’t a quick process! Kome and Mugi fermentation takes 6 months to 1 year! This that’s long? Mume has a full 2- 3 years to mature. There are large scale factory operations but also smaller, niche production.

Factory Made

Marukome is probably one of the most known miso makers. They and other large scale factories came into existence after the wars, when Japan was struggling to feed it’s people.  Ramen wasn’t the only thing that got a boost in those times. Miso had protein to help sustain the people. 

Factories are responsible for over 100,000 tons a year, which are quick fermented and generally milder in taste. However, they do make a variety so try a few to see which you prefer!

Small Production

Small producers are going to follow the traditional method of making miso, which really hasn’t changed in the 1000+ years it’s been produced. Interesting how it flows with the natural ebbs of nature because it is fermented at ambient temperature, meaning Japan’s nice, hot, muggy summers are perfect for production after the mash has been left to sit after it has been made in the spring.

7) Health Benefits

As far as “super foods” go, fermented foods are definitely up there on the list. All fermented products promote good gut-bacteria. Miso is also a great source of a variety of vitamins (calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and zinc).

Miso is also a complete protein (I love how we have to specify that, yes, it has ALL the amino acids, not just some) and has a fair amount of fiber.

Cancer Prevention?

Something I learned from researching more about this post is that miso even protects against radiation injury and some cancers. One thing to note with that is it was found that having miso in your blood already gave you the greatest protection.

Japan has the longest overall life expectancy of any country in the world according to the World Health Organization (pretty standard in recent history) and the daily miso habit surely has something to do with it.

8) How to cook with Miso

Whereas the majority of miso is used in soup, that’s not the only way to take advantage of this umami flavor bomb.

Soup

I learned this with BentoYa cooking, you don’t want to add all of the miso at once to the dashi broth as it won’t mix out very well. It’s easiest to use a strainer and dipping the miso into the broth while stirring to better dissolve it.

What is Dashi?

Think of Dashi as the Japanese bouillon. Generally it’s made with kelp and shaved fish flakes (those little dancing parts you can add to okonomiyaki or monjayaki!). If you are vegetarian, you can substitute some good mushroom for the fish.

Ramen

I know I said it’s not just in soup but you can’t talk about miso without at least mentioning it’s used in ramen! The best part is that with so many different flavor profiles, no two are ever going to be exactly alike.

Veg dip

Probably my favorite, having a couple of different types of miso and using it as a dip. Great snack but with all the protein in miso, you can even make a meal out of it. Just watch out for the heavy salt and drink lots of water!

The secret sauce

Honestly? It makes a great salt substitute and gives your food a great umami taste, in Japanese, this is called 隠し味 (kakushi aji, secret ingredient). It’s also a great rub to add before cooking meat but high heat will get rid of some of the helpful bacteria.

White miso is sweeter (generally) and can be used to add sweetness to baked goods even!

9) How to store miso

Remember, as it was created well before refrigeration, and if you go to a proper miso store in Japan, you will find it stored in large wooden barrels. However, it’s not a bad idea to keep it in a sealed container.  If it is “young”, it might still ferment and will need to be off-gassed though.

My general rule of thumb, if it came in a sealed container, keep it in the fridge after opening. You can freeze it as an option as well, and for whatever reason, it doesn’t harden so it can be used right away.

10) Where to get Miso

 If you are lucky enough to be in Japan, hop over to any supermarket and there are shelves upon shelves of different varieties to try (one of my favorite pro-tips, I love going to supermarkets in other countries).

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

There is, of course, the Amazon option as well. Japan is great for delivery!

Go to a specialist!

However, if you are in Tokyo, definitely go to 佐野みそ (Sano miso) where you can sample the miso! It comes from all over the country so it’s a great way to get a feel for the different types and take advantage of the sanchi chokusou (産地直送). Something that is direct from where it was produced.  They tend to be a bit more on the expensive side but well worth the effort.

What’s your favorite?

I’m curious to see how you’ve used miso in the past. Have you found a good option in your home country? Do you order it? Let me know in the comments!

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It’s a sad day, one of the best Yokahama Style Ramen shops in downtown Yokosuka has closed. But like I gave away a secret announcing its existence when this post was originally published a year ago, I’m giving away another secret.  Zushiya has not one but two other location!

While there’s this general idea that most restaurants don’t make it past the first year (not true), in this case though, as best I can tell, the main building is being ripped down. There is always massive turnover on buildings in Japan, and whereas this article is specifically about housing, it applies to commercial properties that I’ve witnessed for my six–plus years living in Japan as well.

They are constantly getting rid of the older buildings. In which, Zushiya was residing in. So that begs the question? What happens when you lose your favorite place?

This post has been update as of August 2019.

Always look for a new location

One thing for certain, there are a lot of franchises or at least multi-location entities in Japan that as a foreigner, you might not be aware that is the case. People I know rave about a certain izakaya and I have to remind the masses, “guys, it’s a chain, you can find them elsewhere too!”.

And sometimes? They just move! Like what happened with one of my favorites just recently. I hadn’t gotten the memo that Pink Pony Café had moved on to bigger and brighter things. And I couldn’t be happier for them! But I digress.

In this case, Zushiya has always had a second location (at least since my arrival) in Kitakurihama, a quick 10 minute train ride away.

Have more than one favorite!

As I mention in my Ultimate Ramen Guide and Spicy Ramen in Tokyo posts, it is always acceptable to have more than one favorite. As such, here are some others I truly enjoy in Yokosuka that one day will get written up as well!

• 本牧家 横須賀店 Honmokuya Yokosuka Store
• ラーメン神豚 横須賀中央店 Ramen Kamibuta Yokosuka-chuo Store
• きたくり家 横須賀中央店 Kitakuriya Yokosuka-chuo Store

Notice those all say “Yokosuka Store”? Because there is more than one of them!

What is Yokohama Style Ramen?

When you see 横浜家系 (Yokohama ie-kei), you know it’s Yokohama Style. The 家系 actually means family line. The soup is thick, soy flavored pork broth. Similar to tonkotsu (pork bone broth) but NOT the same thing. (Need a guide to all things Ramen? Head over to my Ramen guide here).

Noodles are thick and straight and there are standard toppings:

• チャーシュー (cha-shu-, roasted pork)
• sheets of nori (and stores are very specific on the number of sheets I’ve noticed)
• boiled spinach
• some welsh onion

Some stores will come automatically with a soft boiled or “onsen” egg. Or if you are Zushiya, QUAIL eggs.

Ordering at a Ramen Shop

Two things with ordering ramen, first, you order at a vending machine and then hand the ticket to the employee.

Shops are slowly getting more and more English menus but as a general rule, go with the most expensive option and you can’t go wrong. The ramen will be at the top of the machine with add-on options and side menu items further down. I suggest もやし (moyashi, bean sprouts).  They are delicious.

Second thing, how it’s made. This 100% is a Yokohama style ramen thing but you can also use these terms for any ramen. When in doubt, say “普通” (fu-tsu, normal).

Japanese Lesson Time

There are three things you are worried about with ramen.  How your noodles are cooked, how thick the broth is, and how much oil you want (more fat = more umami of the dish). 

In the case of Zushiya, you have to know that instinctively as it’s the ranges, nothing about the topic (pretty typical in Japanese, context is everything). I’ve seen other places where it spells it out (albeit in Japanese) “Noodle, Soup, Oil”.  If you just say “普通” (fu-tsu, normal), you’ll get by just fine.

硬め – katame, aldente (just to throw another language in there)

柔らかめ – Yawarakame, soft

濃 い – koi, heavy

薄い – usui, light

多め  – o-me, more (this is talking to the oil/clarified fat they add)

少め – shoume, a little

When asked how you would like your ramen, you just rattle off in order. “硬め , 薄い, 少め” is my go-to.

How do I find Zushiya?

Now that you have to go to the original, it’s a train ride but it is still just a quick walk from the train station.  It’s like everywhere in Japan.  “Hang a left at the pachinko parlor and it’s around the corner from the convenience store”.  I kid, I kid.  Straight shot out, here’s a map to the two locations. Kitakurihama is obviously slightly closer than Kurihama.

I challenge you to find somewhere better

Regional specialties of food abound in Japan. However, even though Tokyo has the most Michelin starred restaurants (including ramen restaurants!) of any city in the world, they really only have one specialty. Enter Monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き) or Monja (もんじゃ). Said to originate in the Tsukishima (月島) area of Tokyo, this batter-fried dish similar to okonomiyaki (but more crepe than pancake!) can be intimidating to the uninitiated. You make it yourself, after all! Don’t let that scare you away from this must try Japanese food when you are visiting the Kanto Region of Japan.

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The History

What potentially started as a confectionery (more on that later), a manga from the early 1800s alludes to a shop that made something similar to what we now know as monjayaki. The modern-day creation is said to be created after the war in 昭和 20年 (Showa 20 or 1945 to us Westerners). Lack of supplies leads to creativity! Monja is, in essence, water downed flour.

Tsukishima (月島) Monja Street

Tsukushima Monja Street is a nickname for Nishinakadori (西仲通り). You must head to this awning-covered Showa-era arcade. There is no shortage of monjayaki restaurants full of self-cook griddles.

The Tsukishima Monja Promotion Association (月島もんじゃ振興会) has 60 member shops. Yes, there is a promotion association! The oldest monjayaki restaurant here, opened in 昭和25年 (Showa 25 or 1950).

How do you find this monja heaven? Head out from Tsukishima Station, Exit 7.

Making Monjayaki or Monja

Monjayaki is a participation event in the world of cooking. In Japan, it is common to go to restaurants and cook your own food on a grill or teppanyaki (hot iron plate — Americans: think Japanese steakhouses). Monja and okonomiyaki fall to the latter.

You can cook it yourself, or ask the restaurant staff to assist you if necessary. You’re on a page for making this yourself though! Throw yourself into the culture and follow these steps!

Remember making volcanos with your mashed potatoes growing up? No? Just me? Well, think of this process as you start to make your monjayaki.

Step 1:

You will be provided with a bowl of ingredients from the shop. First things first though, make sure to well oil your working surface. There will be several tools on the table at your disposal. Generally, a metal dish contains a brush is used for oiling the iron.

Step 2:

Once hot, add your solid ingredients to the skillet. This, however, is not okonomiyaki. Don’t mix the ingredients and don’t pour out the batter just yet. This can be tricky at first but give it a go!

Step 3:

This is the fun part. Use your spatulas (the larger ones, more on the small ones in a few) to chop up your cabbage and other ingredients. This I swear has to be where the gusto of chefs at Benihana comes from. Chop to your hearts content!

Step 4:

Is the cabbage soft? Good, shape the ingredients like a round donut or volcano. I’ll leave which term you use up to you. It is Japan though. As much as Mr. Donuts is delicious, I’d vote they are more known for volcanos.

Step 5:

Now is the time for your batter. Pour the mixture of dashi and flour into your donut or volcano. Try to keep the banks from exploding though. Best not to pour all of the batter at once. Repeat until all the batter is in.

Step 6:

Wait till the batter starts to boil then start mixing in the surrounding ingredients. You will then spread it thinly across the entire surface.

Step 7

Let it cook some more and then start eating! Keep the burner on! You want it slightly burnt and crispy.

The Ingredients

It isn’t monja without wheat flour and dashi (a magical Japanese broth found in many dishes). Monja shops distinguish themselves with this ke component.

Cabbage comes in next with being a near mandatory ingredient. Past that? The world is your oyster. Oh, and oyster and other seafood are great additions!

Mentaiko (salted walleye pollack roe with red pepper) and mochi are a popular combination. Add cheese to that and Magnifique!

Looking out for the shops specialties are a good way to go with what you choose!

How to eat Monjayaki

You’ll use the small, spatula-like utensil called a 箆 (へら, hera) for this. Literally? “A spatula”. Often times referred to as もんじゃへら (Monja hera) to distinguish it’s use.

Watch out though — it is metal. It will burn your mouth if you aren’t careful.

Don’t forget dessert

Monjayaki restaurants often offer あんこ巻き (あんこまき, anko-maki) for desserts. Crepe-like and filled with azuki or red bean paste, this confectionary has been around a long time and also may be a contributing factor to the creation of monja. It’s delicious, don’t forget to order some! It’s not always on the menu but the shop may still have it. Topped with yummy black honey, the store clerk will help you with this one.

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Japan is not known for liking spicy things. Sure, there are Thai and Indian restaurants all around but unless you’re amping it up at Coco’s, you’re not going to find many things with a kick to it. Enter spicy ramen or tan-tan men (担々麺). If you’re looking to ramp up your noodle game, I present to you some of the best spicy ramen options in Tokyo.

3 Contenders for Best Spicy Ramen in Tokyo

Everyone’s tastes are different so here are three excellent choices for spicy ramen in Tokyo. Plus the bases and spices are different and if you’ve read my ramen guide, you know that multiple “best” and “favorite” ramen’s is completely on the table!

鬼金棒　カラシビ味噌らー麺　Kikanbo’s Karashibi Miso Ramen

Kikanbo’s originally opened the shop in Kanda in November 2009 and quickly took off in popularity. Since they they’ve added a tsukemen version next door (well, it’s actually now in the original shops location), another ramen shop in Ikebukuro and have two overseas outlets in Taiwan.

Tsukemen (つけ麵) is “dipping” ramen, in other words, a dish in which the noodles are separated from the rest.

It’s not ramen without noodles

Because one noodle type isn’t enough, this shop mixes THREE. 中太麺、中細麺、細麺. Medium thick, medium thin, and thin. Different types of noodles work with different types of broths, so we’re covering all the bases here.

Flavoring

The miso is a original formulation with cheese, spices, fish sauce and peanuts for taste fermented in a wooden barrel.

Making it on of the Best Spicy Ramen in Tokyo

The Kara (カラ) and Shibi (シビ) in the name refers to the two different of spice flavor profiles they utilize. Kara is a combination of 6 different peppers that gives it heat. Shibi comes from Japanese Grape Peppers (ぶどう山椒) from Wakayama Prefecture and Sichuan Peppers that they make into an oil by cooking them at very low temperature. This gives you a moth numbness feel. Both you can add to your soup in varying “stages”, 1 thru 5!

A “Double” Soup

Don’t come here if you’re vegetarian. The soup is pig bones (tonkotsu), pig backs, chicken, and lots of vegetables. They simmer it every day for at least 10 hours and you end with a bowl of milky, rich goodness. It’s considered a “double” soup as they take a savory fish stock and add it at the end with your spice, miso and noodles.

Price and Toppings

The prices ranges from 880 yen to 1500 yen. The base is always the same but the price increases based off what you add to it. A few of your choices:

• Soft Boiled Eggs
• Bean Sprouts
• Cilantro (My favorite and a rarity as it tends not to mix well with the Japanese pallet)
• Wasabi (in case the original spice mixes weren’t enough for you)
• More chashu!

Getting here

Hop of the JR Yamanote Line and ride to Kanda Station. It’s a quick 5 minute walk from the station.

護摩龍 地獄の担担麺 Gomaryu Hell’s Tantanmen

If the name doesn’t give it away, I don’t know what does. “地獄の担担麺” or “Jigoku no tantanmen”. Hell’s tantanmen. Tantanmen is Japan’s version of the Sichuan specialty, dan-dan noodles. It’s hot to begin with. Gomaryu kicks it up a notch, as Emeril Lagasse would say.

What makes it Tantanmen?

Automatic toppings, ala tantanmen, will be ground meat and some vegetables, in this case, spinach. The broth is some of the richest you will ever have. Something to make the flavour profile more substantial is the peanut or sesame miso paste that is added.

The Stages

There are five “stages” to this one as well. Elementary stage (初級ステージ ), second stage (セカンドステージ ), middle stage (ミドルステージ), hard stage (ハードステージ ) and MAX stage.

Those are just translations though to the “fun” names they have.

• 護摩龍, the “non-spicy” (it’s still spicy, as all tantanmen have some spice to them) is just the shop name, Gomaryu
• 飢餓, Kiga, or Hunger
• 阿修羅, Asura, which I’m pretty sure harkens to the Hindu mythology of demigod’s that fight gods.
• 血の池, Chi-no-ike, Blood Pond
• 無限, Mugen, Infinity. I.e. as much spice as they could put.

Making it the best spicy ramen in Tokyo

As you go up in levels, there are different spice additives. You start with from just chili powder, to chili oil, to dried chilis… you get the idea. I’m a huge fan of middle stage.

Toppings

You can get the typical toppings egg, butter (ok, that’s “normal” for tantan, no usual ramen!), add more spinach, quail eggs or you can get more meat and miso.

If you go at lunch at the Gotanda location, they’ll give you rice for free. Rice, you ask? Yes, that was new for me too! You can add it after you are done eating, after, or you can transfer some of the toppings to the rice bowl.

Insider tip

Ok, not really an insider tip but it is if you can’t read Japanese or don’t notice someone else getting it. Save a bit of your broth at the end. Why? Because you WANT the cheese risotto. It’s close enough in Japanese that you can just say it like that and you’ll be fine. They will take your bowl, dump some rice in it and a pile of parmesan and torch it with a blow torch. Delicious addition to the best spicy ramen in Tokyo.

Getting here

There are three locations, two in Tokyo and one in Fujisawa. Each of them close for a few hours between lunch and dinner so be on the look out for that.

Nakiryu 鳴龍

Around the corner from the first-ever Michelin Star Ramen restaurant, Tsuta, is Nakiryu.  Their specialty? 担担麺, tantanmen, the Japanese take on spicy, Szechuan dandanmen. The first announcement of their 2017 star was in December of 2016, the second ramen shop to receive it, and they’ve again received one star in 2019.

The Queue

It’s a Michelin starred restaurant, there is going to be a line! The queue starts at the door. There are two chairs that never go cold, the line wraps the building, hops over the street by the stop sign and continue a u-shape back towards the park.

One plus? It IS a queue system. Some of the more popular ramen shops have a ticket system in which you basically must come twice in one day. The queue, though tedious and long isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Business hours are lunch from 11:30-15:00 and dinner from 18:00-21:00. Monday is open only at lunch and their regular holiday (seen in Japanese as定休日) is Tuesday. Expect to wait: I was there at 1030 on a Sunday and there were already 15 people in line in front of me.

The seating capacity is 10 and while ramen is fast, it still takes time. By opening time there were another 30 people behind me and it took me until after 12 to get in.  

The Spice

The spice comes in a couple of levels in case you don’t want it TOO spicy, and they also have different style: ramen, tsukemen and sanramen. Want some added spice? Sansho—a powdered Szechuan pepper, is available at the counter.

Spicy not your thing? There are also shoyu and shio options, but the star was for the spicy version.

Where as Gomaryu’s tantanmen broth is very thick, the broth at Nakiryu is much lighter, still a good sesame taste but more Tokyo Style to me.

The cost

At 850円, the 担担麺 is one of the cheapest Michelin star meals you can have in the world. I highly recommend you add the “specialty” ingredients which are an option if you go at lunchtime.

As far as the ramen, it’s one bowl per person so as many people as possible can have some but there are kaedama for the tantanmen and oomori for the ramen and tsukemen. What do those words mean? After you are done with your noodles, you ask for more noodles!

Getting there

The easiest is the Otsuka station on the JR Yamanote line. Alternatively, especially if you are coming from Yokohama, is the Shin-Otsuka Station on the Marunouchi Metro Line.

How to eat at a Ramen shop

Most ramen shops start with a trip to the ticket machine at the front, pick your noodle option, any toppings, and drinks and hand your tickets to the cook. Some, like Nakiryu, will hand you a menu while you are in line to help speed up the ordering process.

Can’t make it?

Nakiryu and Gomaryu both have their tantanmen in an instant version! Look for them at your local convenience store!

Yokohama Options

There is a fair chance that if you are visiting Tokyo, you might also be visiting Yokohama. If you are a ramen lover, does Yokohama have you covered! Not only is there the Cup Noodle Museum where you can make you own and find out the history of instant ramen, there is also the Epcot-like Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum.

Looking for a spicy option? A quick trek from the Minato Mirai area where the Cup Noodle Museum is Noge. Filled with great nightlife, they also have a full–on Sichuan option that I like to call “Color Ramen”.

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If you grew up in the states when I did (80s kid right here!), you knew ramen as the cheapest meal you could have.  You know, the brick kind, where you could eat for two months on $10. I remember making it with my mom and “doctoring it up” with eggs (essentially making it egg drop soup).  If we were getting really fancy, we’d add some meat but that was still foreign (ha).  If you had Cup Noodle, you were living large! Damn that Styrofoam costing another 80 cents.

One of the first things I could “cook” myself and be proud of not making a sandwich for a snack.  Fast forward and we all know college kids live off the stuff.  Now in the states, and I can’t take claim to knowing much of the movement as it’s mostly happened while I’ve been over seas, there are ramen shops popping up all over the place.

There’s so much to know.

Is there a “Best” Ramen?

Ramen in Japan is on every corner, streets full of them, you could never hit them all in multiple lifetimes, but you can sure try.  And try I do, but you have to watch it if you want to keep your waistline.  Tabelog, a popular Japanese restaurant search app, as of writing this post showed 30,000+ locations for you to indulge in. THIRTY THOUSAND. As soon as I find “the BEST”, it doesn’t take long before I find a contender to take its place. 

There are some exceptions to that, Zushiya in Yokosuka is definitely the hometown winner.  And Gomaryu in Tokyo is by far the best spicy ramen I’ve had.  Then Color Ramen is just amazing and in it’s own category (and technically Chinese so it doesn’t necessarily count).  Catch that? Yeah, the best part is that you can have MULTIPLE bests because there are so many types to have.

Keep reading for all the options at your disposal!

History of Ramen

Ah, you thought I’d let you get away without a bit of history. If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I like giving you back ground! If you are familiar with Japan’s not so distant past, you know that her borders were closed to the outside world for nearly 200 years. Oh yeah, by penalty of DEATH if you were found. There was some slight exceptions to that but not much. The US went knocking in 1854, thank you Commodore Perry, and brought her back to the rest of the world. With that, a massive influx of different cultures, including Chinese noodles came to be. Exciting as they were different than the udon and soba of Japan!

Really, this was a reintroduction, as there are records back to 1488 for Chinese noodles. The first ramen in Japan is considered to be eaten by Mitsukuni Tokugawa in 1697 but, of course, who’s to say if it is close to what we have now. From the opening of the borders to the early 1900s there is plenty of mention of “Chinese noodle” shops but the same thing applies.

On that note, why was this new craze different? When they opened the borders, it also stopped a 1200 year ban on meat.

First shop in Japan

Rairaiken, opened in 1910 in Asakusa is considered Japan’s first ramen shop. The shop owner is sad to have stole a bunch of chefs from Chinatown in Yokohama to help him out. Sadly, they closed in 1976. There are plenty of options in Asakusa to get a taste of “the original” though.

What’s different between the Chinese and Japanese versions?

The soup. Japan added dashi. What’s Dashi? It’s a soup base that is used in nearly all Japanese cooking, it’s where umami comes from.

How is ramen different from other Japanese noodle dishes such as soba and udon?

Soba is completely off the table because it’s made from buckwheat flour. Udon though, here we are tricky. They are both basically made of the same wheat flour. The difference is the use of 鹹水, かんすい, kansui. Which directly translates as “salt water” but is actually lye water or alkaline salt. A product you can find in Asian markets. Take away the kansui and you get udon noodles (udon is also generally much thicker).

Types of Ramen

This is where it gets confusing.  Most people will say, “oh, I like miso ramen” or “Tonkotsu is my favorite!”. See… about that. Those are two completely different things.  One is a flavoring.  One is a base type for the broth. A broth base that very often has a choice to add the three major flavor bases: 塩 shio (salt), 醬油 shoyu (soy sauce) or 味噌 miso. Then you can get in the particulars of regional fare. So. Much. Ramen. You know why I started writing this article?  Because I was tired of not knowing how Yokohama style differed from the rest of them.  Research ensued and here you are, I’ve done the work for you.  My goal is to make you a master so you can wow your friends. 

Thick or Light?

Very often at Yokohama style, you have a choice to request your broth thick or light, which coincides with how thick you want your soup. They somehow add a concentrated base to it — which I always thought was oil but it makes more sense that its just added fat as Yokohama is a pork-bone based soup. 

However, that’s not what we are talking about here. One defining factor to ALL ramen is the consistency. Thick or light.  You often see the
Onomatopoeia words こってりor あっさり, kotteri or assari, thick or light to describe ramen. Also, look out for “濃厚” when describing ramen. “のうこう” or “noukou” means thick as well.  You’ll sometimes see it in the name of ramen shops.

I’m “こってり派” or Team Kotteri, as I’m now going to call it, so I don’t know if there is another way to say “light”. 

Broth Bases 

The broth is what makes ramen. Generally speaking they will be animal bone based: pork, chicken, beef. You’ll see variety of seafood as well: shrimp, clams, fish. Vegetables are sometimes the base (looking at the Vegan/Vegetarian movement) but generally they are added as flavoring.  Potato is still on my list to try but I’ve only seen that in Hokkaido. Leek, mushroom, onion, garlic, etc. are more aromatics and removed before serving.

The Other Styles

Not all ramen is broth and noodles in a bowl.

• つけ麵　Dipping Ramen, sort of self explanatory. The broth is on the side and you dip the other ingredients in it. Can be either warm or cold. You could make this your carb friendly version of ramen and just not eat the noodles!
• まぜ麺　Mazemen, a broth-less ramen. Broth too much? Just have the goodies.
• 冷やし中華　Hiyashi chuuka Chilled Chinese Noodles or summer ramen. Normal ramen but served cold.
• 担々麵, タンタンめん, tantan men, spicy ramen. Japan’s rendition of Sichuan dandan noodles.

The Seasonings

The aforementioned salt, soy sauce, and miso. I want you to get these out of your head as the ‘type’ of ramen, right now. These are additives, not the broth.  Though Tokyo style can be considered ‘just’ soy, but I digress. Can you imagine just adding them to water? Ick. Granted, there are some places that go light on everything else so the seasoning IS most of the taste. These fall under “Team Assari”. 

Generally speaking, unless the shop is very specific, they might have the option to have their base broth include one of these. Shio or salt is your closest to the original and seen with lighter broths. Miso will definitely make it thicker yet and shoyu or soy sauce is in-between. Miso is also the most pungent. 

So 豚骨, とんこつ, tonkotsu (not to be confused with tonkatsu which is deep fried breaded pork) is pork bone broth. If I had to pick my favorite I’d probably say shoyu tonkotsu (and guess what Yokohama style is?). I’d never just say shoyu as your base flavoring could be any number of types! 

The Noodles

Different regions of Japan tend towards different types of noodles.  Straight or curly. Thin or thick. Wide or narrow. I tend to prefer thick and curly as they seem to soak up the flavor better. 

Hungry? Have a 替え玉, Kaedama. This is where you have extra broth and want more noodles.

Can you make Ramen noodles from pasta?

Back to that 鹹水, kansui thing. It’s the same as why Japanese noodles are different from the Chinese noodles. The same goes for pasta. Pasta your only option at home and your Asian market doesn’t carry kansui (枧水, jian shui, in Chinese)? You can get similar results by adding baking soda (1 tsp per liter) of your water.

Yokohama Style

Fun fact: this post all started because I wanted to know what Yokohama style (横浜家系) was. So, back to the Yokohama thing.  A shop was opened in Yokohama in 1974 by Yoshimura (吉村家). He was a truck driver and ate ramen all over the country. He got the idea to combine Tokyo style soy-sauce ramen with Kyushu Tonkotsu ramen. Voila, a new style is born! The “ya” in his name is one word for family. His recipe is considered a shoyu tonkotsu but there is also chicken breast in the broth. If you see 家系 (iekei, which can be translated as family tree) with the name of a shop, it’s this style.

There are many shops (upwards of 300 according to this feature) that are “family tree” style ramen.  Six of them are “sanctioned” by Yoshimura but most just love the style and follow suit.

Other Regional Options

Nearly all regions have something different (Potato ramen in Hokkaido anyone?) so if you are travelling around try out some different styles.  

Toppings

Yokohama iekei ramen has nori, spinach, chashu (pork) and green onion. Some shops vary their toppings but these are common as based on the original. To this though, almost all ramen shops allow you to customize! 　

• 玉子, Tamago, egg
• のり, nori, seaweed (ie. add more if the style calls for it!)
• ライス, Rice?!? Isn’t the noodles enough carbs? This is a newer thing for me.
• 野菜, yasai, generically vegetables, usually of the green leafy variety
• ネギ, negi, onion
• キャベツ, kyabetsu, cabbage
• うすら, usura, quail eggs
• Really there could be anything!

Making it your own

In addition to everything you’ve already had the chef cram in your bowl, ramen is completely customizable. Things you will find on the counter or your table could include:

• ガリックパウダー, Garlic Powder
• 塩, shio, salt
• こしょう, koshou, pepper
• 酢, su, vinegar
• しょうゆ, shouyu, soy sauce
• 七味唐辛子, Shichimitōgarashi, Seven spice blend
• 生姜, shouga, ginger
• 味噌, miso
• ニンニク, ninniku, garlic

How to Order

Most ramen shops make it super easy. There’s a machine! This one has English but that’s not always the case.

Pro tip: The upper left corner is 99% of the time the stores specialty.

Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum

Short on time during your visit to Japan and want to try lots of ramen? Ramen museum!! The World’s First food-themed amusement park opened in 1994. That’s one of those things I tend to be skeptical about (first? really?) but that’s what they are claiming so we’ll go with it.

I liken this to a “country” at Epcot World showcase. It is set up to look like Japan of the 1958 once you step inside. Significance of the year? The year instant ramen was invented. Want to learn more about that? Head over to
Cup Noodles Museum. It’s definitely a one stop shop to try A LOT of ramen.

There are eight shops (including one from Germany!) to give you a wide variety on types of ramen to try. They rotate though so always check back to see what new shops they have!

Like spice?

Looking for spicy ramen? I still recommend you head to Tokyo for the best option.

Instant Ramen

You can thank Momofuku Ando for bringing a quick and easy version to the world. For the history, I recommend you head over to the CupNoodle Museum in Yokohama (there is also one in Osaka).

Did you know you can try the Michelin prized ramen in instant form? Good if you can’t make it all the way to Japan! The instant ramen scene is booming with many regional options for every prefecture. So, you can literally go on a tour of Japan with all the different options.

Eating in style at home

Having your own ramen bowls and spoons makes eating ramen at home more luxurious. It might even be nicer than most shops you’ll try! Looking for some of your own? I suggest heading over to Kappabashi, Tokyo’s kitchen district.

Did I miss something?

There is honestly so much to write about on this topic, I’ve been working on this post for a long time. If you know something I missed, let me know and I’ll update it! Have a question? Leave it in the comments, I’ll do my best to answer.

Keep in straight for later. Pin this.

Speaking about food is like speaking about the weather.  It’s a great icebreaker for tourists and those living here alike.  An easy conversation to have when English or Japanese aren’t your forte.  From school children of all ages to retirees working on their English skills, I’d give a 99% chance their survey questions will include asking, “what’s your favorite Japanese food?”.  Usually, this is followed by some counting on the asker’s fingers, “sushi? Sashimi? Ramen?” and conversation ensues.  Want some extra brownie points? Drop an only in Japan food. Don’t have one to drop? Read on for my top 5 must try Japanese foods in Japan.

Common Japanese Food else where

Coming from America, we have Japanese Steak Houses or “hibachi”, which isn’t the same thing as the Japanese word, teppanyaki (鉄板焼き, literally iron board grilling). Sushi places are, of course, popular. Ramen is taking off, though I’ve only had poor representations of the real deal. Besides that, there aren’t really many dishes that have hopped the ocean.

But oh, there are SO many other amazing Japanese foods.  Being able to elaborate some of these “obscure” foods will get you mad props with the locals, at least it has for me.

Top 5 Japanese Foods to Try in Japan

Here are 5 of my favorite “only in Japan foods” (and if you’ve seen these in the states or else where in the world, for the love of god, please comment where you can find them!):

1. Okonomiyaki お好み焼き

There’s actually several distinct styles of this savory pancake goodness. “お好み” (okonomi) means “how you like it” and “yaki” (焼き) means to cook. Generally, of the frying variety on a teppanyaki pan or griddle.

Different regions of Japan have different base additive but they all have the commonality of a type of pancake batter. I prefer a cabbage base but you can also find a noodle base. The rest is where the “how you like it” comes to play. Add any variety of ingredients of meat and vegetables you like! Legend has it okonomiyaki started as a way to use up leftover foods.

“Deconstructed okonomiyaki” (my term) is a version in which the pancake remains more of a crepe and the ingredients are wrapped inside. This is a lot of the time what you will find as a festival food.

If you go to a restaurant for okonomiyaki, most shops you will cook yourself and the shop merely gives you all of the ingredients in a very small bowl. The goal is to not beat the batter too much, hence the art it takes to mix the ingredients!

I’ll lump もんじゃ焼き (monjayaki) into this category as well. Tokyo’s soupier version that the goal actually is to nearly burn it. At least that’s how all of my local friends eat it! If you are in Tokyo, head to exit 7 of Tsukishima Station (月島駅) where there is an entire street dedicated to this tastiness! The covered walkway of Nishinakadori has over 60 restaurants!

2. Omurice オムライス

This Yoshoku (Japanese-style western food, 洋食) is part fried rice, part omelet. The rice tends to be mixed with ketchup, as is the thin fried egg topped with as well. You find this is maid cafes a lot and the girls draw very cutesy characters on top. The ingredients can vary with the rice as can the sauce on top. Sometimes you will see it with a demi-glace.

Very simple and delicious. Though don’t nearly have the talent of this guy making them in the Red Brick Warehouse at Yokohama Tachibanatei.

3. Curry Rice or Japanese Curry カレーライス

Don’t let the name curry confuse you. This is not Indian or Thai curry but a very Japanese creation. Originally introduced by the British Navy, it quickly was adapted to the Japanese taste buds. Now you can find mom and pop shops all over Japan with this delectable Japanese food.

Or you can go to Coco Ichibanya for a semi-fast food chain. Where as local cuisine won’t generally be spicy, Coco’s you can up the spice level to your hearts content.

4. Onigiri

I’ve spoken of onigiri before, and I’ll bring it up again. This yummy little morsel makes a perfect snack or even a meal (if you have a few of them). Especially great for hiking, they travel well and can be found in any コンビニ (konbini, convenience store) or super market.

5. Sukiyaki すき焼き

The raw eggs in this dish may be unpleasing for some but as far as nomikai (飲み会, literally “drinking meeting”) options go, it’s definitely one of my favorite. Yes, you heard me. Raw. Egg. The dish is a nabemono (鍋物, nabe is ‘hot pot’ and mono is ‘thing’). A party or family affair where the pot of soup or broth is simmered on the table, usually by portable grills. You then dip your thinly cut meat (which if you go to the super market, is the majority of what you will find!) to cook it along with vegetables and other ingredients. What makes Sukiyaki different than other nabe dishes (there’s a lot) is that after cooked, you dip the ingredients in raw egg.

No need to worry about salmonella. The bacteria generally comes from the shells of the eggs and Japan has very stringent requirements on washing the eggs before shipped. I’ve never heard of anyone becoming sick from eating raw eggs in Japan and there are several dishes that utilize them!

Must Try Staples

This post is about getting outside the box but I have to put in a plug for what Japan is known for. You will find no shortage of ramen and sushi restaurants in Japan.

Sushi

You have three options for sushi. One, believe it or not, convenience stores (コンビニ, konbini) have a decent selection (as do grocers). Second, sushi-go-round or conveyor belt sushi restaurants (回転寿司, kaiten–zushi in Japanese). Lastly, you can go to a restaurant which might be the most intimidating (and definitely the most expensive) but well worth the experience! You must try the omakase (leave it up to the chef!).

Ramen

With so many different types of ramen to try, you could eat it every day of the week and never run out of different shops and different bases.

Originating from China, you can still find different Chinese shops with the staple. They will have a different flavor to their Japanese cousin. The style of shoyu-tonkotsu (醬油豚骨) that originated in Yokohama is a must if you are near Tokyo. And my most absolute favorite, tantanmen (担々麵) which originates from Sichuan Dan Dan noodles are in a sesame base and SPICY.

Other Japanese Foods

Have other Japanese foods you’ve heard of and always wondered about? Leave me a comment and I’ll do a feature on it! And if I haven’t tried it, it will give me a good excuse to do so :).

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You’re out exploring Japan.  Hunger hits, what do you do?  My number one suggestion is to pick a door and jump in, it’s the best way to explore. There are so many types of Japanese foods to try! But maybe you’re wanting something specific, and are curious about what the best apps for traveling in Japan are.

Yelp’s what we use in the states, must be here, right?  Yelp is slowly getting bigger in Japan but only having launched in April of 2014, it has a ways to go in my opinion.  If you are looking for Japan’s answer to Yelp, you have a few options available to you for the best restaurant apps and websites in Japan.

Best Apps for Traveling In Japan To Check Restaurants Out

If you look up a specific restaurant or a random search on Google, you’ll see a variety of these websites pop up, here’s how to find them without pecking around the internet. All of them allow you to search by area or station, category, etc. All have pluses and minuses.  Give them a try and see which you prefer. This is a lay the cards on the table for you to see what’s out there!

Luckily, you don’t need to add too many to your probably already really full phone! Choose whether you’d like Japanese or the ease of English only and pick one of these two.

Hotpepper

App is only in Japanese. Hot pepper is like Yelp in that it has rankings for other businesses in it as well.

Gurunavi

Gurunavi is probably the best option for foreigners, its available in English, Chinese and Korean.  There’s a Japanese and English version of the Gurunabi App, so watch out for which version you download.  From the few tests I’ve done, they get you the same results but I tend to stick to Japanese only just incase.  Sometimes it doesn’t get translated over right away (but that may just be a fear I have). You can search by location, category, hours, prices and options like “English Menu” and “all-you-can-drink” if you’re looking for a good place to have a nomikai.

Best Restaurant Websites in Japan

While these options don’t have mobile apps but are still places to check!  You’re on your phone anyway, right? They have a huge amount of options to check out as well.

Tabelog

Tabelog is maybe my favorite.  They don’t have an app but that’s ok as it’s all in Japanese and though I love working on my reading skills, sometimes it just easier to let Chrome do it’s thing.

One thing Tabelog does different is they have the top 100 customer rankings per category.  Bring on the food quests!  They are all over the country so a nice thing to check if you’re in a different area.  Not quite a “let’s go to all the Michelin X stars”, but still fun.

Bento.com

For a site that’s already in English, there is bento.com but it’s not as extensive as the others.

For Vegans and Vegetarians – Happy Cow

Happy Cow is still going to be your best option for finding vegan/vegetarian specific options though you can filter down in the apps and websites by vegetable dishes. The list is far from complete though. If you need some in Yokosuka, check out my recommendations.

What’s the best apps to use in other countries?