Understanding Ramen

Back in September of 2004, my good friend Yoshi took me to down to Shin-Yokohama to visit the Ramen Museum there.  Yoshi knows I am a very big fan of ramen, and therefore thought this would be a great place to visit the day I arrived in from the States.  It was also a memorable excursion for me because the day happened to be my birthday.

There are many things to know about Ramen.  I couldn't possibly begin to fully understand all of the subtle differences and regional twists.  What does stick out, is the Chinese origin, and the fact that Instant Ramen, developed in 1958 by  Momofuku Ando of Nissin Foods was chosen as the invention of the century in a poll of Japanese.

The museum itself is quite an impressive design, and in fact it is just as much a work of art as it is a museum.  It is themed after Japan in the 40's or 50's, and the ambiance of the inside structures (as seen in the pictures) along with the audio background they play over and over gives one a sense of going back in time for sure.

Scattered throughout the entire design are various Ramen shops from all over Japan.  They are changing all of the time so there is typically always something new.  It is quite difficult to try them all, or even some of them, so I would suggest buying the half portion bowls that are available.  In another life, wouldn't it be fun to own your own Raman cart, and to have a dashi that is sought out all over Japan?  What a nice dream that would be!  Thank you Yoshi for taking all of the great pictures!!!