Tokyo Ramen Show 2012

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Yeah, I ended up going.

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I didn’t want to, especially since last year’s event was only slightly better than the lame experience two years ago; where I waited in line for three hours and then had to leave empty stomached because I had somewhere to be.

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But a recent stamp card rally requires a visit.  Isn’t that reason enough to go?  By the way, all recent ramen reviews from Setagaya-ku are due to this stamp card.  I’m a sucker for these promotions!

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How about the idols?  Maybe that is your thing?

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Or the . . . pro wrestlers?

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This is Yoshihiro Takayama, and by the sheer number of fans posing for photos, he must be quite well known.

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His ramen, from the aptly named Stomach Hold, was downright miserable.  Tasted like beansprout water, if that is a thing.

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Also on hand was Ryukishin, straight from England!  But wait, the shop is a chain in Osaka that opened a shop in London.  Do they get to flaunt that at the show?

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Apparently they do.  Osaka-based blogger Friend’s in Ramen describes it best; “a solid and refreshing if not-very-exciting chicken shio bowl.”

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Then I watched an “air ramen” competition and decided to go home.

My two less than stellar bowls might have something to do with the line length.  I was all by myself, so I passed on the two hour lines for gyutan tantanmen from Sendai and Osaka Black, opting for medium sized lines instead.  These events are slightly bearable if you go with a group of ramen nuts.  Otherwise, skip them.

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