What I love about Japan is a restaurant does not need a Michelin star to be amazing. There are hundreds on hundreds of amazing mom and pop ramen shops that blow these Michelin star spots off the map. I challenge anyone who travels to Japan to leave these Michelin star places alone and go to the little hole in the wall spots . You won't be disappointed.
Thats pretty much in any tourist town. Theyre amazing local owned places that are not a chain restaurant to be incredible without being a Michelin Star restaurant. I live in a tourist town, and the BEST places are the not so tourist oriented, and us locals love them
@@galdionite123 I'll agree to disagree with you. It seems as though you do not understand the term of what "Or how" one obtains a Michelin Star rating. Not every proper Japanese restaurant uses MSG either.
Michelin stars are not just for the food but the service and ambiance. Many of those mom and pop stores could probably compete on food but don’t get the stars because of the ambiance or service.
I discovered Nakiryu when I saw your video while preparing for my trip back in 2019. Their ramen is from another world, I've never tasted such flavors, I'm still amazed by their food. I'm planning to return to Japan in 2024, and definitely Nakiryu will be one of the first places that I'll go 🍜
The spicy ramen is so beautiful I can almost feel its scent and taste 🤤😋 The one in Shinjuku is amazing good - I which I could go there and eat it! A pity I live literally on the other side of the world 😭
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As someone who visits Japan for fun, there’s also nothing as ‘hidden gem’ in places like Tokyo as the best restaurants will always have long queues waiting outside (esp locals) or you need advanced reservations these days as the best ones usually have limited seats and are picky with their quality of foods so portions available each day is limited
You are right about a very rich ramen broth not being for everyone. We have a great ramen place near my house and their signature tonkatsu broth is gorgeous but so rich I can only handle a few bites. I get the shoyu which is a lot lighter.
Hi. Shoyu has always been the most popular type of ramen in Japan and Tokyo is no exception. Tonkotsu (not tonkatsu, which is pork cutlet) is originally from Fukuoka but has gained so much attention during the past twenty years and we’ve started to see many restaurants that specialize in this dish popping up everywhere. Having said that, as a local, I can honestly vouch that shoyu is still king in Tokyo.
@@sonny9054 The difference between tonkotsu in Tokyo and actual hakata ramen in Fukuoka is insane. I never understood why all the RU-vidrs liked tonkotsu so much because ever since I started living in Japan, it just felt too rich and if not prepared right, the smell is disgusting. But when I went to Fukuoka and had hakata ramen there...my god is it good.
@@VanillaCoke1956 san Thanks for pointing this fact out. To be more precise, I believe you can describe that there is a wide variety of tonkotsu ramen in Fukuoka. Depending on the restaurant, the richness of the broth can be different (I’m sure you would have heard the term kotteri=rich/thick and assari=mild/light) as well as the strength of the pork bone aroma. And yes, at restaurants where they serve rich broth tonkotsu, the aroma tends to be stronger (probably traditional Fukuoka style). But I came to realize that this is not always the case and that there are restaurants that have rich but less smelly broth such as Ramen Mamushi and Ramen Benge. On the other hand, there are a handful of ramen joints that serve light but strong aroma broth like Nanking Senryo. I guess this wide variety is the beauty of Japanese ramen and therefore everyone can try to seek out what suits them best.
I remember going to the chicken ramen place when I was in Tokyo and thinking it was insanely good. Such an incredible rich broth. The ultimate chicken soup
In the US there is a company called ling ling that makes a delicious frozen ramen . The package comes with 4 bowls and has pork broth and chunks of meat with corn, carrots, and peppers. Microwave four minutes and it's ready.
As I chow on my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while I watch this, I am reminded once again that perhaps I can change my American diet and still have great food to eat. This video, Mike, certainly is making the case for it. Thanks again for all you do.
It's funny he mentions to be careful not to fall down the stairs at Ramen Nagi in Golden Gai. We were there three weeks ago and my wife did fall down the stairs going down. She was fine but man they are steep.
Hi!! I love your videos and I was wondering if you could give me some of the best Yakisoba places to eat at in South Texas. My dad was stationed in Okinawa when he was in the Marines and has struggled to find anything that has tasted anything close to what he had there. Thank you so much for the wonderful videos, they give me so many ideas for dinner and lunch recipes and bucket list items.
The niboshi ramen at Nagi is sooooooo good. Kudos to Ms. Koizumi loves Ramen Noodles for inspiring me to visit it. I actually ate there three times during the five nights I spent in an Airbnb three blocks away. The extra spicy version was... An experience. That amazing bowl of noodles at 5 am is unforgettable.
I wonder if I'm in the minority since I didn't love their ramen. It was great quality and all but it was my first niboshi ramen and was too fishy for me.
Nagi is definitely the most Asian-oriented-ramen place out of every place you covered in this video; I would stick to Nakiryu if you are from the West and don't like anything fishy in flavor. With that said, Nagi has to be one of the best ramen places in Shinjuku area next to Musashi.
I ate at Ichiran every single day I was in Japan, it was so damn good. I bought their instant ramen to bring back home, and it does the trick when I'm craving it!
