The first time I tried “real” Japanese ramen, I had no idea what I was doing. I walked into a tiny shop in Tokyo, stared at a ticket machine for five minutes, and finally just pressed a random button. A bowl showed up. I ate it. It was good. But honestly? I had no clue …
The first time I saw a donburi bowl in Japan, I thought it was just rice with stuff on top. Which, technically, it is. But that’s like saying pizza is just bread with cheese. I was at a train station in Tokyo, hungry and confused by the ticket machine. I pressed a button. A bowl …
After rice bowls, I moved on to noodles. Ramen, udon, soba — hot, cold, in soup, dipped. Then grilled things. Yakitori. Yakiniku. The stuff you cook yourself at the table. Here’s what I ate and how much it cost. No fancy intros. Just the food. 1. Ramen You probably know what ramen is. But here’s …
The first time I walked into a Japanese convenience store — a “konbini” — I was not prepared. I was in Tokyo, jet-lagged at 11 PM, and starving. Everything else was closed. So I wandered into a brightly lit 7-Eleven. I thought I’d grab a sad sandwich and leave. I walked out twenty minutes later …
The first time I saw tonkotsu ramen, I thought the bowl was broken. The broth was white. Like milk. Not the brown, clear ramen broth I was used to. I asked my friend if something was wrong with it. She laughed. “It’s tonkotsu,” she said. “Pork bone. They boil it for hours. Just try it.” …