Saika Ramen (彩華ラーメン) - Tenri, Nara, Japan

When I first arrived in Tenri I was like "where the f am I?" and then I went to the nearest convenience store and met a cross-eyed clerk who directed me to a ramen shop that was closed. Apparently, ramen-ya's in Tenri do not open before 5pm...except for this Saika Ramen Honten. Tenri Ramen is known for their "stamina" and Saika had plenty of it. This shoyu based ramen is topped with a plentiful amount of napa cabbage and garlic that will blow your mind. Add in a little chili paste and this Saika will have you going Psycho.

From Tenri Station make a right and head South. Once you hit a T-intersection, take a right and just walk and walk and walk and walk some more. Eventually you'll see Saika Ramen on your right. Open everyday from 11am to 3am. Don't bother looking for any ramen shop open earlier than this one. Everything else opens only at night.

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Other sites that mention Saika Ramen:

• Saikaramen dot com
• Ramen Database (Supleks)
• Tabelog
• Gourmet Gyao
• Datsuryoku30
  

Day 23 - The Alchemist must live in Kyoto...

As this journey nears its end, I found the perfect place to reflect upon the past three weeks. It's been amazing! Virtually unbelievable! So with only four full days left, I set out to make up for lost time. Today was crazy. I started out at Kyoto with the intent to see as much as I could in 2 hours. With so many places to choose from, I only had time to visit Kinkakuji. I had been here several years ago, but I really wanted to show all of you its breathtaking visual. I think the pictures say it all. I even met a deaf mute man that gave me a taxi ride I'll never forget. Then it was off to Tenri where everything moved slow and didn't open until night. I must have walked for at least an hour in search of the elusive Tenri Ramen. Seriously, the nearest ramen-ya to the station open for lunch was roughly 2 miles away. After a quick slurp and quick retreat from Tenri, I made the 2-hour train trek back to Wakayama. I wasn't gonna leave until I ate at Ide Shoten and man was it worth it! Finally, it was back to Osaka for the night where I decided to enjoy a 280 yen Yoshinoya Gyu-don. Don't ask me why. It just felt like the perfect ending.


Clockwise from top left: Tenka Ippin, Saika Ramen, Yoshinoya, and Ide Shoten. This is what I ate for the day. It's probably not a diet recommended by mom or your doctor, but damn was it good! Haha. And please...eat at your own risk. :)


So without further ado, I give you the daily slide show. Next up Nagoya and the hot springs of Atami...oooh yeah.