Ichiban Ramen

Our first rainy afternoon in Tokyo we decided that a big steaming bowl of ramen would be just the thing to keep us on our feet. We were right. Just look at this. Yum, right?

The ramen, while delicious, is not actually the point of this post. Rather, I am here to tell you about the restaurant, a popular Japanese chain with a few quirks. The eating space itself consists of long counters divided into little cubbies just large enough to comfortably sit one person. Here is David, demonstrating. As you can see, there is a panel between him and the next person. You can also see the serve-yourself water spigot each eating spot came equipped with.

When you enter this restaurant, you feed your money into a ticket machine and push buttons for what you want. Ramen noodles! Mushrooms! Extra garlic! Then, when you go sit in your little cubby, you pass the tickets through a small window. An order sheet slides back to you, and you specify how well done you want your noodles, how spicy you want your broth, whether you like lots of pork fat, etc. A few minutes later, the little window is raised again and your steaming bowl of soup appears. At no time do you ever talk to another person or see their face. The little cubbies have walls that can be partially taken down so David and I could sit next to each other and talk, but if you wanted a solitary meal with no social interaction whatsoever, you could have it.

I was thoroughly amused to receive eating instructions with my soft-boiled egg — amused enough that I tried to follow them, with tragic results.