柳明館

Route 17 stretches north, from Tokyo all the way up to Niigata.

Historically an important route, it is now a traffic-packed 8-lane road that lets you know loud and clear that you probably should have spent the extra yen for the expressway.

But the slew of 2-ton trucks need places to stop, and hearty ramen is a popular option. The crowds here aren’t drawn bu subtle kodawari taste, but by variety and calories.

Ryumeikan serves a dozen or so different bowls. The most popular?

Stamina ramen. I prefer the Ibaraki-style of stamina ramen, with liver and pumpkin being the stamina ingredients of choice. Here, in more of a Saitama-fashion, that extra boost of energy is coming from garlic, nira (garlic chives), more garlic, and some sliced chicken.

A piping hot bowl that will leave you reeking afterwords.