Ramen Is Life in Japan!

Ramen: Japan's beautiful dish (or is it bowl) best enjoyed with others!

I think it's safe to say that my favorite Japanese food is ramen.  And I'm not talking about the instant hot water stovetop stuff, but the kind you'll find at ramen places just about anywhere and everywhere in Japan.  From the business districts, restaurant areas, the Japan Ministry of Defense (!), and the shopping mall food courts, you can find ramen... and each place, each bowl, has a warm lovable a delicious charm to it.

Actually, rewinding the tape of the story of my life a bit, I thought I knew all about ramen, but until I tried it here in Japan, I didn't know what I was missing out on.  And for anyone who hasn't tried ramen in Japan, well, I'll say you haven't really had ramen in its true, fine form.

I won't go into the different types of ramen, or specifically into the ramen shops, but there's several reasons I love this dish, "easily":

- Easy on the wallet; unless you're getting a huge bowl with a huge amount of toppings, it won't cost you much more than, say, 600 yen.  That's cheaper than the typical fast food combo meal nowadays.  And while it might not completely "fill you up", it will keep you satisfied for a while.

- Easy on the palate; there's a definite taste to ramen but it doesn't come to you as "too strong", there are a few exceptions depending on the place and type of ramen, but usually it comes with just enough to satisfy your taste buds.

- Easy to find; as previously mentioned and as you'd discover here, ramen is everywhere in Japan!

- Easy to get into;  even at peak lunch/dinner hours if you're on the outside looking in, ramen tends to be relatively quick to prepare and consume, so unless it is a very popular place with a very long queue, the wait should not be too long.

- (Relatively) easy to enjoy with others.  I say relatively because since pork tends to be a staple of most ramen varieties, it does prevent some from enjoying this with you.  But otherwise, who doesn't look a good bowl of noodles with tasty broth?

And speaking of enjoying with others... I am not ashamed to admit that I love ramen and love all that I've ever shared a ramen meal/experience with.  The photographer in me never fails to capture my "ramen with friends" memories.  So I share those with you as well as some recommendations from the guy one of my friends calls "ramen boy"!

Recommendations:

- If you haven't quite mastered the skill required to eat with chopsticks, try to brush up on this!  If not, be prepared to either ask for a fork or bring one with you every time, which is not as uncommon here as you might think.

- Ramen is more enjoyable in the colder times of the year than the hottest ones, but I wouldn't recommend shying away from ramen in the summer, it's still good!

Ramen Slurping; customary but not mandatory!

- Regarding the "slurping" that is known/perceived to be a Japanese thing, even among Japanese not everyone slurps loudly.  Among everyone I go to ramen with I'd say about 60% are loud slurpers and 40% are not, and contrary to stereotypes not all women are quiet either.  So feel free to slurp in public (or not), either way you'll enjoy this heart and stomach-warming Japanese dish!