A Japanese Specialty Turns into a Cultural Icon through the Ramen Stadium

 If you've ever been exposed to any type of Asian culture, or been a poor college student, you are probably familiar with the beloved Japanese ramen noodles. These noodles have been loved throughout all of Japan since they were first introduced by the Chinese over a century ago.

 This dish has proved so popular that four different categories and countless toppings have been created to please the eager customers' unwavering appetite for the noodles. Microwavable "Instant Noodles" were even created in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, which swept not only the nation, but the world, and became a Japanese cultural icon by the 1980s. Restaurants cover the nation where people can go and watch a Japanese chef whip up his regional noodle speciality. There is even a museum dedicated to ramen noodles, and I recently learned, a stadium as well. 

If you are a sports fan, than the word stadium might conjure up certain images in your head. While the Ramen Stadium in Japan isn't exactly the typical stadium a sports fanatic may picture- it is pretty epic in its own right. 

Eight popular ramen restaurants gather in one location in Fukuoka, Japan to provide the ultimate ramen experience. Your initial reaction might be that eight places serving the same dish seems repetitive, but each restaurant offers a different style of broth and noodles, so you could easily visit each and never eat the same food! 

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A souvenir shop has also been added, so when you're done trying the noodles you can go and purchase it from the selection of specialty ramens the store offers! The little shop also offers a Ramen gift pack that you'll only be able to find at this location.

If you ever visit Japan, your cultural experience is not complete without a visit to Ramen Stadium, so be sure to add that to the list of places to go! 


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Happy ramen eating! 

Ramen Noodles: Knowing Your Noodle [Series Part 2 of 4]

Ramen noodles have been a popular dish for centuries, allowing the development of  endless variations throughout regions of Japan, and even other parts of Asia. Most of the noodles are made from the same four basic ingredients: wheat, flour, water, salt, and kansui (an alkaline mineral water). 

Adding the kansui to the ingredients gives the noodles their yellowish tint and firm texture. Different recipes substitute eggs for the kansui. Despite the similarities in ingredients, the noodles can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes - some may be fat or thin, straight or wrinkled, or even ribbon-like. The broth generally calls for ingredients such as niboshi (dried baby sardines), onions, beef bones, kelp, also called kombu, and katsuobushi (tuna flakes). The flavors that are then added to the soup are what creates the different variations. There are four main variations to ramen noodles. 

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The first, and most likely oldest, is Shio, salt flavored ramen. It consists of a pale, clear broth made with chicken, vegetables, fish, seaweed and then flavored with salt. Pickled plums, chicken meatballs, and kamaboko are also popular toppings for this kind of ramen. Occasionally pork bones are used, but they are never boiled to ensure the soup keeps its pale color. 

The second variation is tonkotsu, or pork bone ramen. This soup has a cloudy, white colored broth. The broth is thicker than other types of ramen. Its thick broth, due to boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen for hours over high heat, rivals milk or gravy. This ramen is served with pickled ginger (been shoga), crushed garlic, and sesame seeds. Often times, small amounts of chicken and vegetable stock are blended into the pork broth. 

Shoyu, the third variation of ramen, is soy sauce ramen. The broth of this soup is typically a clear brown. Chicken and vegetables are added, sometimes beef or fish as well. Bamboo shoots, green onions, boiled eggs, bean sprouts, and sometimes Chinese spices make up Shoyu ramen- and of course soy sauce. Plenty of soy sauce is added to give the soup its tangy, salty taste. 

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The fourth type of ramen, Miso, is a relatively new recipe. This Miso is unique because it is the only type of ramen out of the four that is strictly Japanese. This soup features a broth that combines chicken broth with miso. The addition of lard to the list of ingredients makes the soup very hearty and thick. Spicy bean paste, bean sprouts, onions, ground pork, cabbage, sesame seeds, white pepper, and chopped garlic are all added to give Miso its tangy flavor. The noodles are most often thick and chewy. 

Ramen Soup: Tasty Variations by Region [SERIES Part 1 of 4]

Standard variations of ramen have been perfected over its centuries of popularity, but since the Taisho era regional variations have been popping up throughout Japan. Five of these regional variations have established national prominence.

The first of the five is Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, has become very famous for ramen. They are most well known for the variation of Miso ramen, which was also where it was invented. Sapporo miso ramen differs from other miso ramen with its additions of local seafood such as squid and scallop, as well as sweetcorn, butter, finely chopped pork, garlic, and bean sprouts. Other cities in Hokkaido are known for ramen as well, such as Hakodate - famous for their salt ramen- and Asahikawa, who prefers soy sauce flavored ramen dishes. 

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Kitakata of northern Honshu is known more for their unique noodles rather than their flavors. In Kitakata, you'll most likely be served ramen with thick, flat noodles in a pork-niboshi broth. Ramen is so prominent in this area that it has become the highest per-capita in ramen establishments. They even refer to ramen as soba, rather than actual soba- which they refer to as "Japanese soba". 

Tokyo's ramen differs in choice of noodle as well as broth. If you were to eat ramen "Tokyo style" you would be served a dish with thin, curly noodles in a chicken broth with a hint of soy. Their broth is unique due to the addition of a splash of dashi. Toppings can include chopped scallion, sliced pork, egg, nori, spinach, and menma. The three main areas of Tokyo famous for their ramen are Ogikubo, Ebisu, and Ikebukuro. 

In Yokohama, it is tradition for customers to call the shots. During preparation customers are given the choice of the softness of the noodles, the amount of oil they want to have put in, and the richness of the broth. Their ramen specialty is referred to as le-kei. Similar to tonkotsu, le-kei consists of thick, straight noodles in soy flavored pork broth. Toppings include pork, spinach, shredded onion, and a soft or hard boiled egg. 

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Rich, milky, pork-bone broth and thin, straight noodles make up Hakata ramen of the Hakata district of Fukuoka City located in Kyushu. A unique feature of Hakata ramen is that the toppings are often left on the table for the customers to pick and choose. Customers are left a variety of toppings to choose from such as pickled ginger, crushed garlic, sesame seeds, and pickled mustard greens.