Japan Through a Lens of Ramen
I grew up watching Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, Totoro, Ponyo, and Howl’s Moving Castle, falling in love with the plotlines and the incredible detail within these animated films. Throughout these movies, Miyazaki presents Japanese cuisine in all its beauty, expertly showcasing its stunning presentation and making my mouth water at every abundant feast or delectable snack. Spirited Away especially captures the allure of these extravagant meals and simple delicacies unique to Japanese cuisine, cultivating my deep desire to visit Japan and experience this type of food firsthand.
Over the summer of my senior year in High School, I spent my weeknights working at Bosso Ramen Tavern. This best-of-Boston-awarded restaurant welcomed me as a sushi chef, where I spent countless hours preparing, sculpting, and creating sushi rolls, ultimately taking on the role of head sushi chef. As the summer unfolded, the owner rewarded the cooking staff with a complimentary bowl of ramen at the end of each shift.
This bowl became what I looked forward to each night, always eyeing the ramen station and the magnitude of differently curated ramen options. The beautiful broth, made fresh at 4:15 a.m. every morning, was the canvas for multiple variations, including my favorites—the spicy Norosake and Umami. Even in the midsummer heat and the stifling kitchen, the first sip of ramen and the perfectly cooked egg made the whole shift worthwhile. This job deepened my love for ramen and my excitement about visiting its place of origin.
Fulfilling this bucket-list dream, I ventured with my family to Japan, eager to experience its beautiful scenery, unique culture, and, most importantly, its incredible variety of ramen.
Stepping into a wall of humidity, sleep-deprived and jetlagged, we found ourselves at our first stop: a small train station with a ramen shop that seated just 15. Over the following days, we traveled through Tokyo, exploring Tokyo Tower, Skytree, and Shibuya. We made it our goal to try and rate local ramen shops, comparing those experiences to higher-rated establishments. We sampled Shio, Tonkotsu, Shoyu, and even vegan ramen, each with its own unique accompaniments. However, the one that stood out to us was the Spicy Demon Ramen Shop in Tokyo, renowned for its dangerously spicy yet flavorful ramen.
Walking into the restaurant, the aromas of Szechuan peppercorns, freshly cut noodles, simmering broth, and bubbling fry vats filled the air. Although we questioned the hour-long line, as we sat down and waited for our order, we quickly realized this experience would be far more valuable than the lost time.
Minutes passed as we eagerly awaited. We stared into the open kitchen, observing the controlled chaos so typical of professional kitchens. Timers ticked, fries sizzled, and steam rose from the boiling noodles and broth. Flames leaped across the cooking surfaces as each chef worked at a frantic but measured pace, steadily moving through the snake-like queue of order slips, even as new ones piled up. Red light bathed the tavern, with devilish masks lining the walls, adding to an ambiance that complemented their notorious Devil-Level Ramen. This dish featured an incredibly spicy mix of peppers, umami-rich broth, and a miso-Szechuan base.
When my steaming bowl of ramen finally arrived, it was accompanied by a side of pork belly and fluffy white rice. The pork belly was sautéed in a thick umami sauce that soaked into the gleaming white rice, all topped with fresh spring onions. The thick homemade noodles glistened in the hot broth, absorbing its umami, spicy, salty, and unctuous flavors. The miso-tinted broth enveloped the noodles, supporting the thick-cut fatty pork belly perched atop the dish.
As I took my first sip of the ramen, I knew immediately that this was the most flavorful, unctuous, and umami-packed ramen I had ever tasted. The bone broth had been simmering for days, creating its rich, deeply umami flavor. The egg was cooked to perfection, and the soy flavor infused every bite. The thickly cut pork belly melted in my mouth, while the springy noodles provided a perfect counterbalance to the dish's richness. Diced spring onions, Japanese Hulless corn, and bean sprouts added a refreshing brightness to the meal while enhancing its beautiful presentation.
At the halfway point, I paused to appreciate the uniqueness of this ramen, comparing it to the bowls I had tried in the U.S. and across other regions of Japan. Each previous restaurant had offered incredible elements—whether their broth, proteins, or noodles—but none combined these aspects as seamlessly as this one. Oftentimes, rich dishes like this can become overwhelming as the meal progresses, but I never tired of the flavor, eagerly anticipating each bite. This ramen brought together the best elements of every dish I had tried, creating the perfect bowl.
As we left Japan, I reflected on the incredible traditional cuisine I had experienced: Michelin-starred meals at Kikunoi Honten, bento boxes on the bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo, and fresh omakase at the famous Tsukiji tuna auction. Yet the experience I value most remains was that unforgettable bowl of ramen.