In Japan, ramen is a national dish, with completely different styles existing in each region. Knowing ramen means understanding the food culture and history of that area. When traveling around Japan, be sure to taste the unique ramen of each region.
❄️ Hokkaido
Hokkaido/Sapporo ramen is characterized by its miso-based soup. By stir-frying vegetables and then adding miso, a deep richness and sweetness emerge. Medium-thick curly noodles cling well to the soup, and topping with butter and corn is the Sapporo style. In “Ramen Yokocho” in central Sapporo, about 20 shops gather, from long-established restaurants to up-and-coming newcomers.
🏙️ Fukuoka
Fukuoka/Hakata ramen is all about pork bone broth. The cloudy, rich soup is created by boiling pork bones over high heat for a long time. The ultra-thin straight noodles can be ordered with firmness ranging from “barikata” (extra hard) to “yawa” (soft), a characteristic of the Hakata style.
The system of ordering kaedama (extra noodles) originated in Hakata, a clever way to enjoy a bowl of ramen piping hot until the very end. At “Tokyo Ramen Street” in Tokyo Station, popular ramen shops from across the country gather, allowing you to sample several types of regional ramen at once. The basics of eating ramen: first enjoy the aroma of the soup, take a slurp of noodles, and finally drink up the soup. Slurping loudly is considered good manners.