Ramen in Japan
Aug 15, 23, 12:41 pm
#121
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Besides, amongst the 8 Ramen shops (at time when I was there), they represent ramens from different regions (or styles) of Japan. On one trip, when I stayed at the nearby Courtyard, I dined over there more than twice!
BTW, the other train station that has lots of Ramen shops is Kyoto Station. Ramen Alley was inside the station building (where you will find a department store, a hotel and what not...)
Aug 15, 23, 2:16 pm
#122
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Yes, I do concur.
Besides, amongst the 8 Ramen shops (at time when I was there), they represent ramens from different regions (or styles) of Japan. On one trip, when I stayed at the nearby Courtyard, I dined over there more than twice!
BTW, the other train station that has lots of Ramen shops is Kyoto Station. Ramen Alley was inside the station building (where you will find a department store, a hotel and what not...)
Besides, amongst the 8 Ramen shops (at time when I was there), they represent ramens from different regions (or styles) of Japan. On one trip, when I stayed at the nearby Courtyard, I dined over there more than twice!
BTW, the other train station that has lots of Ramen shops is Kyoto Station. Ramen Alley was inside the station building (where you will find a department store, a hotel and what not...)
Aug 15, 23, 10:49 pm
#125
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Aug 16, 23, 4:26 pm
#126
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Aug 16, 23, 5:54 pm
#127
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We checked out the new Yaechika subterranean complex starting at the Eastern end walking through towards Tokyo Station and the Ramen Street area.
It was Obon time, not a usual weekday, and this may have contributed to my own impression.
Walking through the artificial alleys was uncomfortable for me, felt voyeuristic, but that’s something I’d certainly feel differently about if I went to eat and stayed there rather than passing through and being nosey (MrLapLap had been keen to check it out). Each of the Ramen concessions generates its own smell, some were pleasant to me, some were tolerable, and there were also some deeply unpleasant funks which would spread out and insist upon themselves past their origin Ramen Ya. Perhaps there are folks for whom imbibing the scent of a neighbouring assertive soup stock whilst slurping the contents of a differently flavoured bowl is an enhancement to the experience. Aroma is important but to each of us in a way that non est disputandum.
The other part of the discomfort was the unavoidability of market realities. On one side of an alley the counter would be ripe with a full row of bottoms below the curved backs of engaged patrons, quickly replenished from bulging queues of others waiting to take their places. On the other side of the aisle just the emptiness of naked stools, the plight of the underused employees behind the counter creating a melancholy that hung in the air along with the spurned funk.
We’d already eaten by the time we saw the Tokyo Ramen Street area. We gave our daughter the decision of where to have dinner and she chose the Yaechika Sushiro. There’s a ticket system at the door so you don’t have to physically queue and we waited about 15 minutes for a table. For the price it was excellent.
CORRECTION - This is about Tokyo Ramen Yokocho in the Yaechika complex just across from Tokyo Ramen Street in the connected main Tokyo Station basement area.
It was Obon time, not a usual weekday, and this may have contributed to my own impression.
Walking through the artificial alleys was uncomfortable for me, felt voyeuristic, but that’s something I’d certainly feel differently about if I went to eat and stayed there rather than passing through and being nosey (MrLapLap had been keen to check it out). Each of the Ramen concessions generates its own smell, some were pleasant to me, some were tolerable, and there were also some deeply unpleasant funks which would spread out and insist upon themselves past their origin Ramen Ya. Perhaps there are folks for whom imbibing the scent of a neighbouring assertive soup stock whilst slurping the contents of a differently flavoured bowl is an enhancement to the experience. Aroma is important but to each of us in a way that non est disputandum.
The other part of the discomfort was the unavoidability of market realities. On one side of an alley the counter would be ripe with a full row of bottoms below the curved backs of engaged patrons, quickly replenished from bulging queues of others waiting to take their places. On the other side of the aisle just the emptiness of naked stools, the plight of the underused employees behind the counter creating a melancholy that hung in the air along with the spurned funk.
We’d already eaten by the time we saw the Tokyo Ramen Street area. We gave our daughter the decision of where to have dinner and she chose the Yaechika Sushiro. There’s a ticket system at the door so you don’t have to physically queue and we waited about 15 minutes for a table. For the price it was excellent.
CORRECTION - This is about Tokyo Ramen Yokocho in the Yaechika complex just across from Tokyo Ramen Street in the connected main Tokyo Station basement area.
Last edited by LapLap; Aug 16, 23 at 9:31 pm
Aug 17, 23, 12:40 pm
#128
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Sep 19, 23, 12:33 am
#129
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Are there any websites that list which ramen restaurants will accept Suica or credit cards? It seems like all the ramen restaurants in Tokyo Station accept Suica, which is good.
Sep 19, 23, 2:15 am
#130
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ETA
I also suggest slecting “no reservations” when searching Tabelog for Ramen.
Last edited by LapLap; Sep 19, 23 at 2:25 am
