A Beginner's Guide to Ramen

If there's one thing in Tokyo that keeps you spoiled for choice, it's ramen. While in the west ramen is basically college survival food, in Japan it's a cultural delicacy and nearly every shop serves its own variation. So to help you along the way, here is Tokyo Cheapo's guide to ramen. Classifying ramen can actually get a little confusing. Some people like to do it based on the broth being used. Broth bases are kotori or asari, which is heavy and light in English. With that in mind, we're going to do what most Japanese do and break ramen down by flavor. Shio is salt flavor ramen. Broths are usually light. Miso ramen is heavy, often loaded with a lot of toppings. Shoyu is soy sauce and is usually somewhere between a light and heavy based broth. There is also tonkotsu, arguably the most popular kind of ramen. Tonkotsu is actually referring to the broth, but most people mix it into a flavor category. It's made from pork bones and is the heaviest ramen. So now you're probably realizing that there is a ton of ramen out there. Some neighborhoods, like Ogikubo, are famous for their ramen. Tokyo Station also has the tourist-friendly Ramen Street, home to eight different variations of ramen to try. T's Tan Tan, one of Tokyo's few vegan ramen shops, is also located inside Tokyo Station. There's also Mutekiya in Ikebukuro, so popular that you're almost guaranteed to have to wait in line. In the end, the best ramen will always be a matter of debate. But if you're new to Tokyo, the standard of competition is so high, pretty much any ramen shop you stumble across will be good. Ordering ramen is pretty easy, but some places will let you customize your order. For example, you can choose Futomen, or Hosomen, thick or thin noodles. Katamen, Futsu, or Yawarakame, hard, medium, or soft noodles. Some shops also let you order Kaidama, which is another round of noodles. And if you have absolutely no idea what to do or say, just ask Osusume-wa for their own recommendation. Hey, if you like what you just watched, check out our channel and subscribe for more videos like them. And for even more ramen in Tokyo, visit our website at tokyocheapo.com and enter ramen in the search bar.