I had my family in tow in October, and it proved difficult in December (visiting the in-laws and locating reasonably priced tabi & other kimono-mono before New Year kicked in). But your recommendation is firmly embedded in my notes. On my next visit I fully intend to ditch MrLapLap - who is a die hard Ramen fan (mysteriously so as he can't handle scalding hot broth which means he only enjoys the stuff once it has begun to congeal... yuck!) and pursue my own appetites.

I keep hearing rumours that it is possible to get fish based ramen (that isn't laden with inches of pork lard and chicken fat - pour it into a glass bowl and watch it go cold if you want to see how healthy this sarariman staple really is ) but no-one has ever been able to point me in the direction of a restaurant that actually serves it. I'm starting to think it's an urban myth made up on my behalf.

I watched Tampopo in the late 80's which made me hunt out Noto - a Ramen bar in Bread Street, London. This in turn ignited my love affair with Japanese food (even though/ or perhaps especially because I ditched meat in the early 90's), a passion which ultimately led me to visit Japan in the first place. And the food there is something I've never been disappointed by - and I'm long resigned to the fact that I'll never be able to try all the food I want to in Japan. There are just too many specialities and regional delicacies for one short life-time.

Itadakimasu!