Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Grand Tsukemen Fest preliminary voting. The winners are from all over the country, so I haven’t been to most of their shops. Stay tuned for a lot more info, but for now . . . Are you hungry? These are the 24 that you can sample at this…
大つけ麺博 It’s almost that time of year again. Time for all of Tokyo to revel in tsukemen! But what exactly is a Tsukemen Fest? Here’s a quick Q and A to whet your appetite. Q: Tsukemen? What is tsukemen? A: Tsukemen is just like the ramen you know and love, but the noodles are separate…
京都 Shops along the Kamogawa river set up decks during the summer, serving up moderately priced set menus in the hot evenings. The ancient capital of Japan boasts its fair share of wonderful things. The World Heritage temples and shrines. The famous festivals. And the food. The food in Kyoto is part of the experience.…
News Every It looks like I have on lip gloss! And my subtitles make me sound girly. Not to self, stop saying めっちゃ and ヤバイ. That’s girly talk in Japan! News Every is a daily news program. For this show, you guessed it, I took the talent around to some ramen shops. The subtitles say…
高山市 Up in the far reaches of Gifu prefecture, nestled in the Northern Alps, is Hida-Takayama, more commonly just called Takayama. It means tall mountain (高山), which applies to a few places here and there in Japan. Luckily, this Takayama is #1 in terms of tourism, and it is a must-hit for people with a…
今、この顔がすごい I received some requests to talk about my TV appearances in Japan. Since starting this blog I’ve done a handful of these spots. It is fun, as long as you have the time. Shooting for a five minute clip seems to take an entire day! The NY Times article I helped with a few…
長崎 Nagasaki City is just about the westernmost big city in Japan. The location is prime for trade, historically at least, and the area developed with a huge Chinese and Dutch influence. During the sakoku period (鎖国) a small part of Nagasaki was open to foreign trade. Stepping foot on Japanese soil anywhere else meant a swift…
あけましておめでとうございます 2012 wasn’t just a great year for Ramen Adventures, but a great year for ramen in general. Tokyo continues to be the epicenter for amazing shops, with a handful of young chefs doing everything right. There is a balance in ramen – a balance between tradition and new thinking and variety – that keeps…
北海道のラーメンお土産 I usually avoid ramen gift packs. Though the noodles are semi-fresh (alcohol is added to preserve them), it is usually a waste of money in my opinion. But Hokkaido puts five shops, each distinct of a different region, into one box. Very cool. They were all decent. That is as far of a compliment…
Tokyo Ramen Show 2012 Yeah, I ended up going. 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. But a recent stamp card…