The Dream Ramen Journey of 2009 - Recap

28 days, 21 cities, 55 bowls of ramen. Wow! Even I'm shocked. A part of me can't believe I survived. I guess a diet of REAL ramen won't kill you after all. Anyway, I've already said how amazing this trip was, so let me leave you with some thoughts about the cities I visited. The most relaxed city was Kushiro mostly because nothing was going on. The weirdest city was Tenri because everyone was wearing the same thing. The most tourist friendly city was Hakodate. The most foreigners I saw in one city (aside from Tokyo) was Hiroshima. The least tourist friendly city was Tenri. The best ramen-themed town was Kitakata. The city that everyone should visit at least once for their ramen would be Hakata. The most inspiring city was a tie between Onomichi and Wakayama (although it would have been nice to see Kagoshima without all the ash). The city I can see myself living in the most (aside from Tokyo) would be Asahikawa (Hiroshima a close second). And last but not least, the best ramen in Japan comes from...everywhere!

• Introduction
(Los Angeles)
• Day 1 - Planes, Buses, and Bassanova!
(Tokyo)
• Day 2 - Raumen Museum, Sakura, and Ie-Kei Ramen
  
(Yokohama)
• Day 3 - Saturday Stroll, Instant Ippudo, and Takadanobaba's Paichee Men
(Tokyo)
• Day 4 - Making new ramen friends and reconnecting with old ones...
(Tokyo)
• Day 5 - Lost in Ikebukuro, Cherry Blossom Rain, and a Gyoza Stadium
(Tokyo)
• Day 6 - Welcome to Kushiro!
(Kushiro)
• Day 7 - The cold clamor of Asahikawa...Lovely!
(Asahikawa)
• Day 8 - Asahikawa by day, Sapporo by night
(Asahikawa, Sapporo)
• Day 9 - Sapporo Ramen, Sapporo Beer, Sapporo Keizo?
(Sapporo)
• Day 10 - Hakodate...The City of Lights!
(Hakodate)
• Day 11 - Last call for crab. Bring on the beef!
(Hakodate, Yonezawa)
• Day 12 - Kitakata, Shirakawa, and the snoring salary man
(Kitakata, Shirakawa)
• Day 13 - Sano...another small town, another long walk
(Sano, Tokyo)
• Day 14 - Hangin' out with Uncle Tan Tan...
(Tokyo)
• Day 15 - Surfing Shibuya and Okinawa Seimen
(Tokyo)
• Day 16 - The volcanic gloom of Kagoshima
(Kagoshima)
• Day 17 - Miyazaki Ramen and the Ogre's Washboard
(Miyazaki)
• Day 18 - Driving through Kumamoto then Kurume
(Kumamoto, Kurume)
• Day 19 - Hakata Ramen...need I say more?
(Hakata)
• Day 20 - Experiencing Peace in Hiroshima
(Hiroshima)
• Day 21 - Swaying in the Cool Onomichi Breeze...
  
(Onomichi)
• Day 22 - Wakayama's Castle in the sky...
(Wakayama)
• Day 23 - The Alchemist must live in Kyoto...
(Kyoto, Tenri, Wakayama)
• Day 24 - The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
(Osaka, Nagoya)
• Day 25 - Back to Tokyo I go...
(Atami, Shizuoka, Tokyo)
• Day 26 - Ramen Round Table...in Japan!
(Yokohama, Tokyo)
• Day 27 - Eating ramen at the Tsukiji Fish Market...
(Tokyo)
• Day 28 - Going home...
  
(Tokyo, LA)

Whether it be ramen-related or not, feel free to contact me if you would like more information on these cities. I've saved all my maps and the routes I took to get to them and I'd be more than happy to share them with you. One word of advice: Wear a good pair of shoes! And if you really do decide to go, good luck and have fun! Soak and slurp it all in!!

To be continued...(someday)...

Day 28 - Going home...

I'm back in LA without incident. Overall, I'd say it was a very successful trip. I'm extremely thankful for everyone who helped me out...you know who you are. I definitely couldn't have done it without you! And thanks to everyone I met along the way for making this a special experience I'll never forget. Lastly, I'd like to thank all my readers for actually showing you care about some geeky nerd traveling around slurping ramen noodles. You helped me push through those hard days when I just felt like giving up. Being able to share my stories daily really helped to cope with the issues of traveling alone in a foreign country where I can barely speak the language. (No really, my Japanese skills are pretty weak.) As this dream is officially coming to an end, it has opened the door for a new one to follow. Stay tuned and you will soon see what I mean...Thanks again!

THE END...

Day 27 - Eating ramen at the Tsukiji Fish Market...

With this being my last full day, you might have thought that I would go on some crazy last minute ramen eating tour of Tokyo. Well...I thought about it and decided not to. I'll be back someday so no need to rush things. Plus, I think I've had a pretty successful trip. So instead, it was just one bowl and the last chance for great sushi. Then it was off to celebrate my niece turning two...

I'm now at a loss for words. I don't want to leave but know that I must. Next stop...Narita airport. See you in LA!

Day 26 - Ramen Round Table...in Japan!

After spending way too much money on instant ramen at the Raumen Museum earlier in the day, it was time to meet up with two prominent Tokyo ramen bloggers for dinner: Nate from Waseda Ramen and Brian from Ramen Adventures. It was a good night of slurping ramen, having a few drinks, sharing our own ramen stories, and dancing like Kusanagi in the park. Wait, maybe I did that last part by myself...haha.


I have one more full day left in Tokyo, but I've already realized my trip has come to an end. I'm not sure how I'm gonna go back to work on Friday. It's gonna be tough...

Day 25 - Back to Tokyo I go...

I can't believe I just traveled to 21 of the 28 or so ramen cities in Japan. I only wish I had another month to do it all over again. Now, it's time to unwind in Tokyo for the next few days. One thing is for sure, I'm gonna sleep in as long as I can tomorrow. I spent the day meeting old family friends in Shizuoka that I haven't seen for years and it was great to see them again. One of them asked me how many bowls of ramen I've eaten already and I couldn't give them an exact answer. I really haven't been keeping count. Have you? It's gotta be over 30 right? I don't know. I'll do the count later. Anyway, Fujisan was cloudy all day so I couldn't really get a good shot. But if you want to see some amazing pics, check out Gaijin Bash's post last weekend. Lates. I'm out!