Your significant other not big on sweets? Then these udon noodles filled with a lot of “heart” may be the perfect treat this Valentine’s Day!
Noodles (Page 29)
Food manufacturer Myojo recently released a special version of their popular Ippei-chan instant yakisoba noodles that includes a chocolate sauce topping. We tried it… so you don’t have to.
A soba restaurant tucked away in the mountains of Saga Prefecture is known for every one of its menu items making use of the soba (buckwheat) plant.
Fans of manga artist Rumiko Takahashi will be happy to know that a slightly unexpected new product featuring her work will soon be hitting stores—instant ramen!
While there is nothing “American diner” about Denny’s in Japan, the well-known family restaurant chain is going all-out Japanese with its new location in Tochigi Prefecture.
Yaki udon, a Japanese stir-fried noodle dish made with thick, flat wheat noodles, is a popular and much-loved staple of Japanese cuisine. Both yaki udon and yakisoba—a similar dish which uses a thinner buckwheat noodle instead—are cheap, tasty, and readily available from many street food stalls and Japanese-style pubs). So when one of our RocketNews24 Japan reporters read that not only had a yaki udon restaurant opened up in Kenya, but that it was that it was a huge hit with the locals, he just had to check it out for himself.
Read on for our Japanese reporter’s restaurant review as he travels halfway across the world for a bowl of noodles.
For many Japanese, somen is the go to food of choice for keeping the summer heat exhaustion blues away. These thin, white Japanese noodles that resemble vermicelli are traditionally made from wheat flour and served chilled.
But what do you do if a somen craving hits and you don’t have a full serving of mentsuyu, or noodle dipping sauce, on hand to eat them with? What if you’re tired or eating somen the traditional way? Or what if you’re in need of a little caffeine kick with your meal?
If you answered mix your noodle sauce with Starbucks coffee, congratulations! We’re stumped as to how our Japanese staff arrived at this weird food combination, but apparently it tastes much better than it sounds.
Happy Saturday, everyone! We hope you got through the week with all your bits and pieces still connected and without getting fired. But before you go off and start being nice to people now that you have a day off, let’s argue about food.
This week we’re talking about soy sauce-based ramen and miso-based ramen – two firm favourites in the world of delicious, soupy noodles and each with legions of fans. But of course, as Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert told us in the 1986 film Highlander, there can be only one, so pick a side and make your click count.
For decades, the international perception of ramen was that it was something for lazy college students to buy in bulk for when they wanted a quick, hot meal, with only minimal thought given to flavor or presentation. And while ramen does sometimes take that form, assuming it’s all like that is sort of like basing your whole image of pizza on microwavable frozen varieties.
Thankfully, there’s a ramen renaissance going on, as the rest of the world is getting onboard with just how delicious Japan’s favorite noodle dish can be. In response, some restaurants in Japan are adapting to make their food more accessible to foreign visitors, such as this restaurant in Tokyo that serves halal ramen.
Japan is filled with excellent food, but one of our absolute favorites is ramen. There’s just something (possibly everything) about it that’s absolutely delicious. That said, it does present a problem for vegetarians and vegans, since even the broth uses a fairly copious amount of animal products. Now, you may not care about that, but maybe you have a few friend who do. Or maybe you’re just looking for new takes on traditional food. If so, T’s Tantan, a vegetarian ramen restaurant, is just what you’ve been looking for.
We recently sent one of our Japanese writers to check it out, and now you can read his report below and then go try it out for yourself! Or at least tell all your vegetarian friends about it. We promise they’ll love you if you do!
Upon coming to Japan, a lot of people are surprised to discover just how difficult finding vegetarian food can be. Many people imagine Japan as a country that eats very little meat, and while that’s definitely true in comparison to North America and western Europe, the flipside is that you’ll find at least a little bit of meat in just about all dishes, including salads and vegetable stews with surprising frequency.
Things get trickier still if you’re trying to stick to a vegan diet. Even something as simple as noodles are generally out, since almost all broths are made with meat or fish stock. But if you’ve got an aversion to meat coupled with a craving for soba or udon, you’re in luck, with two new types of vegan instant noodles produced by a Zen Buddhist temple.
There’s a popular Japanese TV show whose protagonist, a wandering gourmet with a healthy appetite, often finds himself looking over a restaurant menu while trying to make an agonizing decision about which of two tempting entrees to order. Often, he resolves the crisis by following the advice encapsulated by his catchphrase, “When you can’t decide which to eat, have both.”
That also seems to be the philosophy behind Nissin Foods’ newest product: instant ramen with fried chicken.
Readers who saw our story about the chocolate ramen we tried last month were probably able to tell that we were quite impressed with the unusual noodle creation. So when we heard that the very same ramen shop Menya Musashi had come out with yet another singular ramen dish, you can bet our interest was piqued. This time, the ramen involved fruit — yes, we were ready to make another visit to their shop in Shinjuku to try their … strawberry ramen!
But do berries and ramen mix well? We were about to find out!
Ramen, understandably, is one of the Japanese foods that foreign visitors (and locals too, for that matter) find hugely appealing, and there’s certainly no shortage of ramen shops or unique ramen flavors to be tried in Japan. Now, you may recall that back in November last year, we brought you news of the very interesting matcha green tea ramen from Menya Musashi. Well, this month, it looked like it was time to make a repeat visit to Menya Musashi, to have some… chocolate ramen!
Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day week and everything is chocolate themed in Japan at the moment, so why not ramen too, right? We definitely weren’t about to miss this dish that combined two of our favorite foods!
In an effort to make facilities foreigner-friendly or simply to enhance the style of an advertisement Asian governments and businesses will often add English translations. However, many don’t feel it’s worth the effort to do a proper translation and simply rely on automatic ones. The results are often sure to put a smile on the face of English speakers in the rest of the world.
Now, Xi’an North Station has put another feather in the cap of gloriously wrong translations…and this time they called it macaroni.
On the application for a lot of jobs in the service sector, they’ll ask if you’re willing to work nights and weekends. Oftentimes, it’s hard to see this as anything other than a trick question. On the one hand, candidates obviously want to put their best, most eager face forward, and if you say you’d rather not take shifts then, you’re opening yourself up to the very real possibility of losing the job to someone who’s, at least on paper, more industrious.
Honestly though, no one really wants to be working at those times, since nights and weekends are some of the best times to enjoy spending the money you earn as part of raising your overall quality of life. Thankfully, one udon chain seems to understand this, and as part of their recruiting advertising, points out that working at its restaurants won’t get in the way of the more important things in life, life spending your weekends at an anime convention.
Compared to ramen, udon has a decidedly low-key image. Ramen is actually a comparative newcomer to the Japanese dining scene, and so it’s generally the more likely candidate for crazy experimentation. Udon, on the other hand, is simpler, and in its most basic form, the thick white flour noodles, floating in a basic salty broth, can seem almost austere by comparison.
At least, that’s the impression eating udon only in train station noodle joints and school cafeterias would leave you with. The truth is, in the several centuries Japan has been eating udon, it’s come up with dozens of different takes on the dish, and later this year, you’ll be able to sample dozens all in the same place, with the opening of two Udon Museums in Tokyo and Osaka.
Nissin Cup Noodles are outrageously popular in Japan and have a firm following worldwide. Now, to keep the love flowing throughout the hot summer months, they’ve released a new special version designed to be eaten icy cold. For the first time, the company will be releasing somen, the thinnest of traditional Japanese noodles, for a meal so light and tasty you’ll be wanting to eat them all year!
MOST POPULAR
Today
Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
Anime fans can now wear a Seiko watch inspired by Japan’s One Piece Shinkansen
Foreign hiker on Mt. Fuji loses consciousness and dies, becoming climbing season’s second fatality
Wait, some Shinkansen trains already have private booths that only cost 1,500 yen for an hour?
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
German woman rescued from Mt. Fuji after suffering altitude sickness symptoms, hiking to peak anyway
Studio Ghibli unveils new interactive stationery dioramas that bring anime movies to life on your desk
Hiker needs to be rescued from Mt. Fuji two times in two days, but system is working as intended
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Masturbatory aid maker Tenga releases officially licensed anime versions in Japan and U.S.
Weekly
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama- 7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
- Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
- Studio Ghibli unveils new interactive stationery dioramas that bring anime movies to life on your desk
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
Japan’s Rabbit Island in danger of becoming Boar Island, tourists asked to follow feeding rules
Japanese gacha machine in Shibuya now sells tiny capsule terrariums
7-Eleven Japan brings back best-selling flat croissant that became a hit on social media
Stay at a hotel with a bed for your plushie in Japan- Anime fans can now wear a Seiko watch inspired by Japan’s One Piece Shinkansen
Monthly
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards- 12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat- 7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier- 99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]- Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
RECOMMENDED STORIES
German woman rescued from Mt. Fuji after suffering altitude sickness symptoms, hiking to peak anyway
Studio Ghibli unveils new interactive stationery dioramas that bring anime movies to life on your desk
Hiker needs to be rescued from Mt. Fuji two times in two days, but system is working as intended
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
Masturbatory aid maker Tenga releases officially licensed anime versions in Japan and U.S.
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
The Japanese government is ending its Cool Japan Fund program
Two Americans decide to hike Mt. Fuji before trails open, both need rescues on back-to-back days
Ninja theme park suddenly closes in Japan, shadow warriors undone by shady real estate deals
KFC Japan unveils new Tsukimi collection that takes moon-viewing to extreme levels
Universal Studios Japan partners with manga horror master Junji Ito’s Tomie
Pokémon and Polaroid reveal collaboration with adorable Pikachu and Eeveelution camera and film
Why do foreign tourists queue up to eat at Tokyo Little House?
Hiker needs to be rescued from Mt. Fuji twice in five days for very dumb reason
-
