Tonkotsu Ramen at Kyushu Jangara Ramen

Tonkotsu ramen is arguably the most popular style of ramen in Japan. From mass market chains like Ippudo and Ichiran, to smaller and more local ones like Ikaruga, there are countless shops competing to feed the nation-wide addiction to thin noodles in creamy pork bone broth.

One well-known chain of tonkotsu ramen shops in Tokyo is Kyushu Jangara Ramen (九州じゃんがら). Perhaps the most popular branch of Jangara in Tokyo is in Harajuku, just down the street from Meiji Shrine. There always seems to be a line coming out of the place on weekends.

Beyond Top Ramen: Hidden Treasure at Tsumugi in Akihabara

Akihabara is one of those neighborhoods that is synonymous with Tokyo. Its electronics shops and more recent stores dedicated to the obsession with Japanese comic books (manga) and animation (anime) represent many of the modern images that people around the world have of Japan. It’s also home to maid cafés and the wildly popular all-girl musical ensemble AKB48. If you visit Tokyo, Akihabara may be one of the places you will go to. And while you are there, you will probably at some point look for something to eat… perhaps ramen, at a place called Tsumugi (らーめん紬麦).

Deep Fried Goodness on a Stick: Kushiage/ Kushikatsu

Shrimp with shizo leaf

There are two things that seem to capture the primordial imagination of human taste buds everywhere: meat on a stick and deep fried food.  The Japanese have brilliantly merged these two concepts to create kushiage, also known as kushikatsu.