Umami Mart

Will it be shoyu? Miso? Tonkotsu? 大もり= Oomori = Super Size Me? Side of fried rice? Gyoza? An extra egg? Extra slices of roast pork? Choose button carefully– there’s no turning back! Drop your yen into the machine and the ticket will print with your order. Take ticket to the dude behind the counter, who […]

If there is anything in this world I have authority on, it’s ramen. I know ramen- it’s in my bones. I’ve been eating the instant stuff once a week since I was five (should I be bragging about that?), and my fondest life memories somehow include ramen. Ramen while camping, ramen after a night of […]

Eating while walking, talking, driving, computing and making love. Most Americans have done many or all of these things. Hopefully not simultaneously. Eating while standing in one place, however, is something that Americans don’t do on a regular basis… yet. Enter Tokyo, and the prevalence of stand-up dining, or tachigui. Step off most any train […]

photo Yomiuri OnlineThe global economic crisis has brought on haken-giri, an onslaught of job cuts for haken workers in Japanese companies. Haken workers are part-timers and day-laborers who work on a contractual basis, rather than as an salaried employee. This means that a huge percentage of the young Japanese workforce who used to commute to […]

Here’s a little late-night NYC noodle secret: Tsukushi, a tiny, retro-era izakaya-type Japanese joint in Midtown East serves up ramen starting around 10pm. Tsukushi is extremely unique- it’s sort of an omakase izakaya, where you don’t get to choose what to order, it’s just whatever the chef decided to prepare for the evening. You don’t […]

Missed this in yesterday’s post, from Tokyo- miso ramen with scallions marinated in spicy-as-hell chilly sauce. So intense.

My goal in Japan was to eat ramen everyday. With everything else that there was to eat, I sadly couldn’t fulfill the goal, but I did have my fair share. Here is my top 3: A place near my aunt’s house in Yokohama, called Tora. Lots of chain ramen joints everywhere now, which was a […]

After an exhausting couple of days, I’m finally overcoming my jetlag and trying to get back into blogging life. Umami Mart, how I have missed you! Up first from my Japan files: noodles on the train station platform. Pretty common sight all over Tokyo. Basically for businessmen trying to get something in their stomach, or […]

Remember BONJIN Diner, the cute little eatery that set up shop in Greenpoint every Thursday night? Well, since closing, BONJIN proprietress Momo and hubby Yuji have been hiding out in their atelier perfecting the bowl of ramen. The time has come to reveal the fruits of their labor- BONJIN Ramen is coming, for all nighthawking […]

The best ramen in the city (in my humble opinion) is only available on Wednesdays, and the restaurant only serves 30 bowls of it. This means you must get there right as the place opens at noon, and without any hesitation or shame, order as you’re still walking to the table. You will find that […]