Ramen, Toyko Station, Akihabara & Yokohama

Pick a queue almost anywhere on the famous Ramen Street at Tokyo Station and you pretty much can't go wrong. 

We chose this one. Tokyo Station Ikaruga specialises in soy sauce ramen. I like ramen. I'll eat it anywhere. But when people say that you haven't had ramen until you eat it in Tokyo they aren't joking. This simple bowl of noodles, priced around $10, is frankly one of the best dishes I've had anywhere. 

The efficiency of the place is mechanical. You buy a ticket for the ramen you want, join a queue, and enjoy the anticipation of top quality noodles. As you approach the door they check on you to see what you ordered and how many in your group. We were four and they seated us together (ish). The noodles are chewy and taste thicker than they look. The charshu pork is truly special and pretty much melts in the mouth. The tonkotsu soup is not too strong and you can easily eat until you're full. Nori is served in a square on the side. Not sure what it adds other than tradition. 

If the only ramen I'd eaten in Tokyo was at Ikaruga I'd have been happy enough but our Japanese speaking compatriot Alex lured us to another noodle den in Yokohama. Ippudo was even better than Ikaruga!

Again there was a wait. Frankly though I love waiting for ramen! The longer the queue the more I believe I'm in for a treat so I'm happy to wait and wait. 

Go for the Tonkotsu topped with pork loin and the special Umami Dama" miso paste (you'll want to buy some to take away afterwards). Food so good it will make you want to swear.

Finally we hit up Daruma no Me in Akihabara for one last tonkotsu ramen bowl. How was it? If I hadn't been to the other two places it would have been brilliant! One of the weirdest things about eating ramen in Tokyo is that no matter the quality the price range is pretty much the same. 800-1000 yen will get you great noodles (or indeed just adequate ones).