Japan issue · 22 cities · 215 places
Eat Japan,
one bowl at a time.
A traveler’s field guide to regional ramen, remarkable counters and the culture waiting between bowls.
The Japan index
22 cities.
215 essential bowls.
Start with the cities that shaped ramen, then follow the noodles into quieter neighborhoods and regional traditions. Big capitals deserve room to explore; smaller cities appear only when the bowls are worth the detour.
Tokyo
Shoyu · Tsukemen · New-wave
Osaka
Tori paitan · Shoyu · Late-night
Kyoto
Dashi · Chicken · Kyoto shoyu
Fukuoka
Hakata tonkotsu · Kaedama
Naha
Chicken broth · Tantanmen · Mazemen
Sapporo
Miso · Butter corn · Curry
Yokohama
Iekei · Tonkotsu shoyu
Nagoya
Taiwan ramen · Maze-soba
Hiroshima
Hiroshima tsukemen · Onomichi influence
Kobe
Chicken paitan · Kobe beef experiments
Sendai
Spicy miso · Gyutan ramen
Kanazawa
Seafood dashi · Black ramen
Nagasaki
Champon · Seafood
Kumamoto
Garlic tonkotsu · Mayu
Kagoshima
Mild tonkotsu · Local pork
Hakodate
Shio ramen
Niigata
Five local ramen styles
Yamagata
Cold ramen · Spicy miso
Kitakata
Wide noodles · Morning ramen
Wakayama
Chuka soba · Tonkotsu shoyu
Onomichi
Niboshi shoyu · Pork back fat
Takayama
Takayama chuka soba
Art between bowls
A guide you can feel.
Original ink, watercolor and anime-inflected illustrations turn each city into a visual chapter—without borrowing protected characters or copying a living artist’s signature style.
Cook the classics