Ramen Empire

Question: What noodle dish has spawned mascots, museums, and an amusement park in its country of origin—and even traveled to space?

Answer: Japanese Ramen

From its humble origins as a street food for Japan’s working poor, ramen has emerged as a culinary juggernaut and icon of Japanese culture. Today, the frenzied slurping of noodles from piping-hot broth can be heard emanating from more than 30,000 ramen shops throughout Japan—including more than 2,000 in Tokyo alone, where people sometimes wait in line for hours to get their fix at the most famous spots.

The roots of ramen in Japan
While the precise history of Japanese ramen can be as murky as its savory broth, ramen’s modern origins can be traced to Chinese noodles. When Japan opened its doors to foreigners in 1858 after being shut off to the outside world for 200 years, wheat noodle dishes brought by Chinese immigrants became increasingly popular with workers in Japanese port towns. The Chinese noodle soup was then tailored to Japanese tastes by changing the broth and adding toppings. When the first "ramen shop," which was a fusion of Chinese lamian (lo-mein) noodles and Japanese cuisine, opened in Tokyo in 1910, it was a huge success, serving up to 3,000 bowls a day.

The story of ramen branched off in another direction in 1958, when instant ramen was introduced in Japan by Nissin, a company founded by Momofuku Ando. Seeing how people in post-war Japan continued to struggle to afford a hot meal, Ando wanted to come up with a convenient and affordable option—and hoped to share his creation with the outside world. As most people know, instant ramen is tasty but is very different than traditional ramen. Authentic ramen—typically made from scratch—uses high-quality, fresh ingredients, including noodles that are hand-made from wheat flour and a variety of meats and fresh vegetables for the broth and toppings. Instant ramen is pre-cooked and dehydrated and uses lower-quality ingredients and preservatives to extend its shelf life. In spite of these differences, instant ramen was an instant hit. It became massively popular around the world, spawned dozens of imitators, and continues to attract consumers as a convenient and inexpensive meal option.

The roots of ramen in the U.S.
There are reasons why America’s ramen boom took so long to ignite. When Nissin Foods’ Cup Noodle was introduced to the U.S. market in 1973, it became wildly popular—maybe too popular. While some Japanese-style ramen restaurants existed at the time in the U.S., they were primarily Japanese-owned and catered to Japanese ex-pats living and working in the area. To most Americans, ramen quickly became associated with the ubiquitous instant noodles introduced by Momofuku Ando—and the image of ramen as an inexpensive fast food would take a long time to overcome.

Perceptions slowly began to change with the spread of Japanese pop culture, especially with the 1985 release of the Japanese film Tampopo, which revealed the dedication and passion that goes into the creation of authentic ramen dishes. Other influences included manga and anime like Naruto, whose characters could be seen devouring steaming bowls of noodles in restaurants—which looked nothing like the instant ramen we were familiar with.

What really put an end to America’s image of ramen as a "cheap fast food," however, was the 2004 opening of Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York’s East Village. Inspired by the innovative ramen chefs he witnessed during his time in Tokyo, chef and founder David Chang purposely chose the name as a nod to Momofuku Ando, who was responsible for creating instant ramen to expand sales into the American market. Momofuku Noodle Bar is often given sole credit for igniting a ramen boom in the U.S. that continues to this day.

Things you may not know about Japanese ramen.

• You’ve heard of Roman baths, but how about Ramen baths?: It’s true, ramen bathhouses are a thing in Japan. You can enjoy a relaxing spa day soaking in a tub of ramen broth and synthetic noodles. The hot broth is said to have skin benefits.


• Burger King may not have them—but Burger Emperor might: Just say "hold the sesame seed bun" and dig into a tasty ramen burger, which swaps out traditional burger buns for bun-shaped fried ramen noodles.


• Ramen that’s out of this world—literally: In 2005, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi slurped down a bowl of special vacuum-sealed ramen aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Wait, can you really slurp in zero gravity?


• When it comes to ramen, it’s rude not to slurp: While we might look aghast at someone who slurps their soup at the next table, slurping is de rigueur when it comes to Japanese ramen—the louder the better. The slurping cools the hot noodles and enhances the flavor. So, slurp away but keep the chit-chat to a minimum—it’s considered disrespectful to talk while enjoying ramen.


• The writers of Seinfeld may have been inspired by one popular Ramen chain: You better follow the rules if you plan on dining at Ramen Jiro or its 41 branches, which are known for their inexpensive, enormous portions and cult-like following. The rules are: "eat as fast as possible," "no talking," "return your bowl," "wipe your table," and "thank the chef." Oh, and one more. While leaving noodles uneaten is generally frowned upon in Japan, leaving them at Ramen Jiro could lead to a lifetime ban. In spite of the strict rules—or perhaps because of them—there are always long lines at Ramen Jiro. Probably not the best place to bring a date, though.


• Japan doesn’t have one museum dedicated to Ramen—it has three: When the Japanese were asked to name their best invention of the twentieth century, it wasn’t high-speed trains, the laptop, or even karaoke—it was instant noodles. Which explains why there are three museums entirely dedicated to ramen: The Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum covers traditional ramen, and instant ramen fans can visit two CupNoodles Museums, one in Yokohama and another in Osaka.


• Ramen is the top-selling food item in New York’s Rikers Island prison: Forget about cigarettes, a more valuable form of prison currency at Riker’s Island is Nissin CupNoodles. The best-selling instant ramen are always kept in stock at the notorious prison complex and inmates enjoy them as a quick and easy meal—although it’s reported that some just use the seasoning packets to flavor their bland prison food.


• A Tokyo ramen shop becomes a star in 2015: In December 2015, Tsuta shook up the culinary world by becoming the first-ever ramen shop to earn a coveted Michelin star. Two other Tokyo ramen shops later received a similar honor. All three shops no longer have their stars, as Michelin decided to list ramen restaurants in a separate category. Most think it’s because Michelin doesn’t want to hand out stars to places that charge less than $10 per meal.

Slurp down a bowl of authentic, piping-hot ramen during our Japan’s Cultural Treasures adventure.