My Trip To Japan: Yaro Ramen Near Shibuya Crossing

Yaro Ramen is one of thousands of ramen shops spread across Japan. While I didn't eat at this particular restaurant, most of them are similar. These are great places for tourists to grab a quick bite to eat. The meal is great for those on a budget. A bowl of ramen is almost always under $10. One of the best things about these types of restaurants is that you don't need to speak a word of Japanese.

Sometimes, just outside of the restaurant will be a few plastic food examples of what each type of ramen looks like. Then, there will be a sign with photos of the ramen. After you decide on which one that you want, you will go to the ticket machine. Insert your change and then push the button. After you go inside the waitress will motion you over to a seat, you hand her your ticket, and then wait on your steaming hot bowl of noodles. This will take just a few minutes. Other than a greeting in Japanese, no words have to be spoken.

If it is your first time in a ramen shop you can observe the noodles being made. You can also watch some of the other patrons eating their noodles. It took me a little while to get my slurping technique down. But don't worry, no one cares how you eat your noodles. The waitress will pour you a glass of water and leave the pitcher for you to pour your own refills. A ramen shop is not a place to sit around and have a long talk with your friends. Simply eat the meal at your own pace and then get up and leave.

If you don't like ramen, most noodle shops have other things to eat like chicken, dumplings (mandu), and pork. This shop even has beer and ice cream. If you go to Japan you must put eating in a ramen shop on your must do list. I think you will enjoy it a lot. After eating hundreds of ramen packets in college (they were 10 for a dollar back then) I was pleased that they tasted MUCH better.