Chillin' at the minefield...

Day 63:

After a fairly productive day of going to the immigration office in Shinagawa to pick up my multiple re-entry permit, I ended up hitting up my favorite landmine Jiraigen. This is a true soul food noodle joint. If you've been a longtime follower, you might remember me saying that this was the best shoyu ramen that I've ever had. Best? Possibly. Legit? Fo sho!


I would definitely pay to step on this landmine. (Fyi, Jiraigen=landmine)


And this is how we chill from 2010 until infinity...


Back to work tomorrow...

Craziness...

Day 62:

After waking up from a crazy night filled with Nigerian club bosses, 60-year-old breakdancers, and dark basement staircases (don't ask), I had a crazy craving for some old-school shoyu ramen. That's when Nate and I were flipping through George Takahashi's recent ramen book and Shinasoba Katsumaru caught our eye. Katsumaru has been around in yatai-form since 1971 and this exact shop was opened in 1984. This was definitely the old-school shoyu I was searching for.


I didn't realize it until once I sat down, but I've tried Katsumaru before. Not the actual shop per say, but the instant nama ramen back in 2008. At that time, I had written "I live for this kind of soup." And holy crap, this shoyu ramen did not disappoint!


Seriously, this is my kind of ramen. From the broth to the noodles, this is the type of ramen that sparked my obsession as a child.


The deeply marinated hanjuku egg was beyond amazing and even the cardboard-like chashu made me smile.


Much like last night, this is one bowl I will never forget. I will definitely be back!!


Btw, where did that photographer go?

My first ramen of 2010...

Day 61:

After being coop'd up all day, I was feeling much better and was in desperate need for some ramen! There are still several places closed for the new year, but my ruddy (ramen+buddy=ruddy. yes I am a dork!) Nate had mentioned that a new ramen alley had recently opened in Koenji. A quick bike ride later and I was ready for my first bowl of 2010.


There are four shops that make up this new alley: Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto; Tsukemen Tetsu; Torisoba Daiki-an; Tanegashima Shouten Kunigamiya. I chose Daiki-an because I needed something refreshing. (The original Daiki is located in Yushima near Okachimachi Station.)


It was tough to decide between their Ume-Shio Torisoba or their Shoyu Torisoba, but I was in the mood for some shoyu.


So I ordered the "Special" Shoyu Torisoba. What? You want a closer look?


Closer?


This was exactly what my ramen-deprived stomach was craving. A nice, clean shoyu to bring back memories of my childhood.


The chicken was tender and possibly the best I've ever tasted in a ramen.


The noodles were firm and easy to slurp, but that hanjuku egg just left me speechless.


The chicken wontons were amazingly good as well.


So there you have it, my first bowl of ramen for 2010.


Now I'm off to go find my second...

The resolutions...

Day 60:

I was supposed to meet my friends in Kanagawa today, but I must have caught the flu bug and didn't have the energy to get my butt out of bed. I think my body was rejecting all the recent activity as I slept for most of the day only to wake up and eat this cheese bread.


You don't understand how good this tasted. It's not easy finding good cheddar cheese in Japan. haha.

Anyway, as I began to write this post, I started to think of what my New Year's Resolutions would be. There's definitely the obvious, to continue doing what I am doing by living my dream and expanding the world's knowledge of ramen. But what else? I suppose it would be nice to find a girl who likes ramen more than I do. Okay, now I'm getting too personal. Let's just keep it simple. Eat more ramen and drink less beer!

Ow. Head hurts. Going back to sleep now. Goodnight!

Welcome to 2010...the year of ramen.

Day 59:

Happy New Year!! It's been years since I've been able to enjoy a traditional Japanese meal on New Year's day and it's been even longer since I've been able to enjoy it with my favorite Aunt and Uncle and cousins in Tokyo.


This may be the one day of the year where I don't have to eat ramen. Only because this Osechi-ryori cooked by my Aunt and cousin was so darn good. It finally feels like I'm at home in Japan.


I wish I could've shared some with you, but I'm sure you also had some good New Year's food wherever you are.


My Aunt's o-zoni also will let me start the year off right. Delicious!


That was my New Year's dinner with family. I hope yours was great too. I probably would have eaten ramen afterwards but I didn't want to kill all those lovely flavors in my mouth. Plus, nothing good is ever open on the first. Once again, Happy New Year from Go Ramen!