Tokyo Ramen Show 2012 Yeah, I ended up going. I didn’t want to, especially since last year’s event was only slightly better than the lame experience two years ago; where I waited in line for three hours and then had to leave empty stomached because I had somewhere to be. But a recent stamp card…

Along with eight other ramen nuts, I was named one of Yahoo Japan’s 2012 Ramen Ambassadors.  We all helped to create content, and you can check it out at: http://ramen.yahoo.co.jp/ The best part, goofy videos! I talk about the easy process of ordering ramen using a fancy ticket machine. Ramen 101, anyone? Ben (http://www.friendsinramen.com/) lays…

岩手の盛岡 Welcome to Morioka, far north in Iwate prefecture. Morioka, a rather uncommon tourist destination, is known for not one, but three different noodle dishes. わんこそば – Wanko soba 盛岡冷麺 – Morioka Reimen 盛岡じゃじゃ麺 – Morioka Jyajyamen Reimen is a Korean noodle dish, served cold, that usually follows a hearty meal of Korean barbecue.  The…

大つけめん博 I had the opportunity to work at the 2012 Tsukemen Festival in Daimon this year. A big THANK YOU to everyone who came out to visit me.  Even if everyone only ended up being two people!  Weather took my working time from about 20 hours down to only a few. I announced that I…

喜多方 A few hundred kilometers north of Tokyo, on the west side of Fukushima, is Kitakata. A rather sleepy place, it is nonetheless one of the most famous spots for ramen in Japan. The location, a fertile valley fed by countless natural springs, is a haven for rice production. And what better food for a…

秋限定 Get them soon, because the ever-popular Aki Gentei – Autumn limited offerings – will only be here for a month or two. Along with staff from Playboy, we checked out a handful for an upcoming magazine feature.  I would say the theme this year is creativity.  These are all top shops in town, and…

Noodle World 2012   The Inter-Food Noodle World is an annual industry food event, with a focus on noodles. I managed to snag a pass, let’s see what this is all about!   Anything noodle related, you can be sure it is represented here. There were half a dozen noodle manufacturers on site. Most ramen…

大つけ麺博 It’s time again for the annual Tsukemen Festival! Every year, famous shops from around the greater Tokyo area get together to serve up some tasty limited edition tsukemen dishes in a festival atmosphere.  Each week, for three weeks, eight of them show up and battle it out for the top spot.  I went and…

    It’s not often I venture back stateside. There are so many new and interesting things to see in Japan, and other Asian destinations are only a few hours away. But three years is a long time. Three years since I set foot anywhere near my hometown of San Francisco, California. Spring break is…