Those of you who came to Japan, thinking “I want to have the authentic ramen in Japan!,” did you know that there are various kinds of ramen depending where the dish was created?
Japanese ramen is the dish that combines Chinese noodles and soup, and it used to be Chinese food; however, it was arranged in Japan, and became one of unique Japanese foods. The major flavors are: Soy sauce, salt, miso, tonkotsu, tonkotsu and soy sauce, and fish-flavored ramen.
Soy sauce ramen is made of mainly chicken broth and added veggies, dried fish, and soy sauce. This is the original Japanese ramen that was born in Tokyo, and thus it is the basic flavor.
Salt ramen is made of chicken broth and pork bones and added salt flavored sauce. Most of the time, the soup is clear and the taste is not thick. A very thick trend may have been gone; now, this kind of thin soup is popular.
Tonkotsu ramen is made of pork bones. The soup is white because the bones are simmered so long and the collagen of the melted marrow diffuses in the soup. It was born in Hakata, and the noodles used to be thin, however, some also offers thick noodles.
Tonkotsu soy sauce ramen is the one that added soy sauce to the tonkotsu ramen, so the color of the soup is brown. It was born in Yokohama, and iekei ramen is famous. The ramen is served with thick noodles, so the soup is even thicker. Therefore, the taste and texture are different from Hakata ramen.
Fish-flavored ramen is mainly made of dried fish, shrimps, squids, red snappers, scallops, and dried squids. This soup is especially famous as a tsukemen (the one you dip the noodles to the soup every time you eat.)
In order to eat ramen, you need cash. Please exchange at Sakura Currency Service that offers the best rate. We will tell you the delicious local ramen shops if you ask.