Rice, Noodle, Fish (22 page)

SAPPORO MISO

The thickest and richest of Japan's regional ramens, designed to get people through Hokkaido's Siberian winters. Red miso and wok-fried
chashu
and vegetables make up the soul of the bowl. Butter and corn, two Hokkaido staples, are optional.

Where to eat: Menya Saimi (Sapporo), Hanamichi (Tokyo)

(Michael Magers, lead photographer)

HAKATA TONKOTSU

The king of regional ramen, made exclusively with pork bones boiled for up to forty-eight hours, creating a milky white broth thick with melted marrow and collagen. Served with straight, thin noodles.

Where to eat: Mengekijo Genei (Fukuoka and Tokyo)

(Matt Goulding)

KAGOSHIMA HYBRID

Kagoshima ramen cooks cut a
tonkotsu
base with chicken and vegetables for a lighter version of Hakata
tonkotsu
. Noodles are flat, broad, and cooked soft, and the
chashu
, made from local
kurobuta
pig, is Japan's best.

Where to eat: Ramen Kokinta, Tontoro

(Matt Goulding)

TOKYO SHOYU

Chicken-based broth spiked with a generous amount of shoyu (soy sauce) and often a current of
nibosh
(dried sardine). Expect curly yellow noodles,
menma
(pickled bamboo), seaweed, and a soy-soaked egg. Along with
tonkotsu
, the most common style of ramen in Japan.

Where to eat: En, Taishoken

(Michael Magers, lead photographer)

TOKYO TSUKEMEN

Thick room-temperature noodles slicked with warm pork fat and served with
chashu
and a concentrated broth for dipping. One of the most popular ramen trends of the past decade, perfect for steamy summer afternoons.

Where to eat: Rokurinsha

(Michael Magers, lead photographer)

ASAHIKAWA SURF-AND-TURF

Blending the best from the two extremes of Japan: pork
tonkotsu
from Kyushu mixed with the best seafood from Asahikawa's northern Hokkaido backyard to create a complex broth of land and sea.

Where to eat: Santouka (throughout Japan)

(Michael Magers, lead photographer)

 

Our favorite picks from Japan's ubiquitous army of vending machines

(Ioanna Morelli)