Tokyo Dining

Whether you only know about ramen in its instant, cup-o-noodles variety or are a true fan who can tell the difference between shoyu and tonkotsu-based ramen by smell alone, perhaps you’ll agree: Ramen is so good, it should be in a museum. Well, you’re in luck — there is a ramen museum! At the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum (not a typo; that’s how it is spelled), not only is the steamy, hearty goodness that is ramen soup memorialized but the entire culture that created it is shown off as well. Ramen (Rau-men in the museum’s case) is considered to be a Chinese dish, hence the name “chuuka soba,” but like most things in Japan, it’s actually a take on an old idea that has become essentially Japanese. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat or (occasionally) fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork, dried seaweed, ginger, green onions, and so on. You can find a ramen shop in almost every nook and cranny of Japan, but the ingredients will change based on locality; for example, Kyushu’s tonkotsu (pork-bone broth), Tohoku’s shio (salt-based broth), Hokkaido’s miso blend base and even Yokohama’s…