All About Japan

11 Instant Ramen Hacks You Have To Try

The list gets a little abstract toward the end, but the first three concepts—grilled cheese, pizza and gnocchi—look like legitimate fun.

A Serious Guide to Ramen Styles

We're not going to even pretend that a comprehensive style guide of all the ramen out there is possible, but we'll do our best to give you something to noodle over.

Umami: The 5th Dimension of Taste

Salty, sweet, sour and bitter are familiar terms to describe taste. Yet a fifth, umami, is less well-known but just as prevalent.

Ramen Rules from Conan O’Brien & Ken Watanabe

What's the right way to eat ramen? Find out from Conan, Ken and a few other people who actually know what they're doing!

Ramen Alchemist Forms Over 600 Flavors

Tokyo-based “Ramen Magician” Kenji Tsukada crisscrosses Japan to source top-notch ingredients.

Instant Ramen Power Ranking

There are countless brands of instant noodles made and distributed around the world. One brave connoisseur decided to rank as many as he could get his chopsticks on.

Buddhism Through the Stomach

A Buddhist monk shares his religion through cooking and cookbooks.

Innovating Organic Recipes on the Farm

Nancy Singleton Hachisu's first book, Japanese Farm Food, sold over 30,000 copies, leading to a regular spot on a national variety show.

The King of Japanese Chili Peppers

With its thick, soft, sweet flesh, the beauty of the manganji pepper is it can be successfully cooked in a number of ways.

Halal Ramen Comes to Tokyo

In response to the global ramen renaissance, some restaurants in Japan are adapting to make their food more accessible to foreign visitors—like this restaurant in Asakusa, which serves halal ramen.

This Magazine Will Mail You Seaweed

Tohoku food producers are communicating with consumers through a magazine accompanied by agricultural produce—and the concept is spreading throughout the country.

Two-Star French Chef Uses Japanese Ingredients

At Cuisine[s] Michel Troisgros in Shinjuku, executive chef Guillaume Bracaval is passionate about the quality of everything in his kitchen.

7 Fishy Things About Japanese Fish

Why would a fish's name change? What dish is made of sea urchin gonads? And how many herring eggs would you want to eat at New Year's?

The 3 Great Ramens of Japan

Since its arrival from China, ramen has been reshaped and reimagined into countless regional variations across Japan.

Umami in New York

Still not sure what umami is? Well, it's coming your way whether you like it or not.

The Edible World of Okonomiyaki Art

Start with floral designs and work your way up to JoJo, Totoro or Levi Ackerman.

The Town Where Cucumbers are Forbidden

There’s a town in Japan where it's strictly forbidden to grow or eat cucumbers. Why do they hate the vegetable? And is the rule valid or are they all in a pickle over nothing?

5 Ramen Festivals Around the World

Much like the elasticity of its noodles, ramen’s notoriety has stretched to the corners of the Earth.

Japan’s Top 5 Ramen Streets

Ramen streets have become hotbeds for talented chefs and aspiring cooks looking to perfect their recipes.

57% Name Instant Ramen Japan's Top Invention

More than ECG machines, electric rice cookers and the Playstation 4, a majority of Japanese pick instant ramen as the nation's top invention.

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