Ramen in Japan: what a bowl costs, the regional styles, where to find the best ramen, how to order and ramen without pork

Why is ramen so popular in Japan?

"If you ask people what their favourite Japanese food is, a common answer that you will get is ramen." That is how the UK office of JNTO, Japan's national tourism organisation, begins its guide to Japanese noodles, and the government's survey of departing visitors agrees. In the Japan Tourism Agency's 2025 results, 19.7% of the 55,634 visitors who answered picked ramen as the food they were most satisfied with in Japan, second only to meat dishes. The share was higher still among visitors from the UK (25.0%), Australia (22.3%), the US (22.2%) and Canada (21.2%).

Part of the appeal is that ramen is cheap, quick and filling. JNTO's noodle guide puts it this way: "A quintessential meal, these noodles can warm you up on a cold day, or keep you going if you are looking for a quick pit stop." The government's average price for a bowl in Tokyo is 620 yen (more on prices below).

The other reason is that it is everywhere, and every region has its own version. JNTO's guide to ramen notes that "You can find ramen shops in every neighborhood in Japan." A bowl of miso ramen in Sapporo and a bowl of pork-bone ramen in Fukuoka have little in common beyond being noodles in soup. The same guide traces how far the dish has come: "Japanese ramen has gone from humble Chinese immigrant food to international phenomenon, with chefs now making artisan bowls with top-quality ingredients." And its verdict: "Ramen is one of Japan's most important comfort foods and belongs on any Japanese food bucket list."

How much is a bowl of ramen in Japan?

The most reliable figure comes from the Retail Price Survey run by the Statistics Bureau of Japan. Every month it records the prices that shoppers actually pay for about 500 goods and services at about 28,000 shops and businesses in 167 municipalities, going back to the same shops each month as a rule. Ramen is one of the items, defined as a bowl of soy-sauce ramen eaten in the shop (pork-bone soy-sauce soups count; takeaway does not). The survey's name for the item is chuka soba, literally Chinese noodles, another word for ramen that you will also see on menus.

In September 2026, the average price of that bowl in Tokyo's 23 wards was 620 yen, including tax. It has crept up over the past year:

That is a rise of 16 yen, or 2.6%, in a year.

Ramen prices by city

The survey also publishes averages for 81 cities: the prefectural capitals and the other main cities with 150,000 people or more. This table shows 25 of them that visitors often pass through, from north to south. The figures are for August 2026, the latest month published for every city when this guide was written.

Across all 81 cities, the cheapest averages were in Saitama city (465 yen), Sendai (530 yen), Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture (590 yen) and Tachikawa in western Tokyo (591 yen). The most expensive were Kumamoto (993 yen), Itami in Hyogo Prefecture (900 yen), Hachioji in western Tokyo (890 yen), Yamagata (888 yen) and Sapporo (883 yen). Tokyo's 23 wards, at 620 yen, were the eighth cheapest of the 81. So the capital is one of the cheaper places in Japan for a bowl of ramen, while two cities known for their own styles, Sapporo and Kumamoto, are among the dearest.

What the chains and famous shops charge

Averages hide a wide spread. Here is what some well-known places charge, taken from their own websites (and, for the festival, GO TOKYO's event listing) in October 2026. All prices include tax.

Ichiran, a chain from Fukuoka that specialises in tonkotsu ramen, prices its extras separately, and the prices differ from shop to shop:

So a bowl of ramen with an egg, a kaedama and rice comes to 1,850 yen in Shibuya but 1,580 yen in Ageo. At the other end of the scale, Hidakaya's half-size ramen costs 240 yen, its chuka soba with a seasoned egg 540 yen and its miso ramen 610 yen.

Is ramen cheap in Japan?

For a meal out, yes. The same government survey also prices other everyday dishes, and in Tokyo a basic bowl of ramen costs less than a plate of curry rice, a bowl of udon or a plate of soba.

This site chose the dishes from the survey's figures for Tokyo. All prices include tax, and apart from the Cup Noodle they are for eating in. A bowl of ramen costs 20 yen less than a coffee at a café, about 200 yen less than a bowl of udon and a little over two-thirds of the price of a plate of curry rice. Of the restaurant dishes, only a beef bowl, a plate of gyoza and a plate of conveyor-belt sushi cost less, and a plate of sushi is only two pieces. Cheapest of all is instant ramen: a Cup Noodle cost 191 yen on average in Tokyo, and our guide to convenience stores in Japan has a section on cup noodles.

What pushes the bill up is everything around the bowl. Extras such as an egg, a second serving of noodles and rice can be charged separately: at Ichiran in Shibuya they turn a 1,180-yen bowl into an 1,850-yen meal (see the tables above). Some shops add a late-night charge, and at Tokyo Ramen Festa every bowl costs a 1,100-yen ticket. At the other end, chains such as Hidakaya and Kourakuen sell a basic bowl for less than 500 yen.

To see how a bowl or two a day fits into the cost of a whole trip, read our guide to what a trip to Japan costs or plan it with the budget calculator.

What are the main types of ramen?

JNTO's guide to ramen puts it simply: "Broadly speaking, there are four main ramen types." "Three of the types refer to seasonings—miso ramen, shio ramen (salt) and shoyu ramen (soy sauce)—while the fourth is tonkotsu, or pork bone stock."

JNTO's UK office says where the first two are popular: "Shio ramen is popular in Hakodate, Hokkaido, while shoyu is quite popular in Tokyo." Miso and tonkotsu are the trademarks of Sapporo and of Kyushu, as the guide to regional styles below explains.

The four names only tell part of the story, because the seasoning and the stock are separate. As Kit Kriewaldt, an Australian journalist based in Tokyo, told JNTO's Sydney office: "Ramen soup is comprised of 3 basic elements: soup stock (chintan or paitan), sauce (soy sauce, salt, miso, etc.) and oil." The two stocks are quite different: "Paitan is a cloudy stock made by boiling ingredients such as pork or chicken bones over high heat, while chintan is a clear stock made by boiling ingredients over a low heat, which leaves a cleaner aftertaste." JNTO's guide adds that "Seasonings and stock bases, such as chicken, fish and seafood, are mixed and matched from area to area and shop to shop." So two bowls of shoyu ramen can taste very different.

The noodles matter as much as the soup. "Kansui, an alkaline solution, gives ramen noodles their characteristic bouncy texture", says JNTO's guide, and the shape changes from region to region: thin in Hakata, medium-thick and wavy in Sapporo, flat and curly in Kitakata, straight in Hakodate. As the same guide puts it, "The joy of ramen is appreciating the subtle details, from the firmness of the noodles to the angle at which the onions are sliced."

Common ramen toppings

Most bowls come with a few standard toppings. Kourakuen's chuka soba, for example, is topped with chashu, menma, naruto, green onion and nori. Here is what those words mean, along with other toppings you will see on menus and ticket machines:

Tsukemen and mazesoba

Two close relatives use the same noodles. JNTO's guide names them as "tsukemen, with a more concentrated soup served separately for dipping, and mazesoba, a soupless version with a strong, sauce-like seasoning." According to JNTO's UK office, tsukemen was "Invented in the 1950s in Tokyo" and is eaten "with cold noodles being dipped into warmer broth". Rokurinsha at Tokyo Ramen Street, described below, is famous for it. Soupless bowls turn up even at the cheap chains: Hidakaya's shiru-nashi ramen (ramen without soup) costs 640 yen.

What are the famous regional ramen styles in Japan?

"Within these four main flavors, there are an endless number of regional varieties", says JNTO's guide. Three are especially famous: JNTO's US office calls Kitakata ramen one of Japan's "three major ramen noodle dynasties", alongside Sapporo and Hakata ramen. The table sums up the styles described in JNTO's guides, region by region from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south, and the sections after it give more detail.

Sapporo: miso ramen

In Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, the bowl to order is miso ramen. In JNTO's words, "Sapporo ramen is famous for combining a tonkotsu base with miso." The style is fairly young: JNTO's US office notes that "this particular style of miso ramen was only introduced in the 1950s", yet "it has become very much synonymous with the city". It is also made differently: "Unlike many other ramen styles, the ingredients are stir-fried and cooked with the broth before being topped with noodles." Expect what JNTO's Philippine office calls "medium thick and wavy noodles", with toppings such as sweet corn, butter, bean sprouts, minced pork and garlic. Miso is not the only choice: "Though Sapporo ramen is best known for its miso soup, there are also restaurants that use salt and soy sauce-based broths." The Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho alley, described below, is a good place to start.

Asahikawa: a double soup

Asahikawa, in central Hokkaido, is known for a soy-sauce style. JNTO's Malaysian office describes it as "characterised by its double broth: a combination of a seafood-based soup and a rich blend of pork, chicken and vegetable soup, which is then flavoured with a soy sauce tare (concentrated sauce)." Its other trademark: "A layer of lard on top keeps the soup hot and coats the springy, frizzy noodles beautifully." The Asahikawa Ramen Village, described below, gathers eight shops in one place.

Hakodate: salt ramen

In the port city of Hakodate, in southern Hokkaido, the classic bowl is shio. JNTO's Malaysian office explains: "Said to be influenced by Cantonese cuisine, Hakodate ramen consists of a clear soup made from kelp, vegetables, and pork or chicken bones, flavoured with salt tare." The noodles are "straight and tender".

Kitakata: flat, curly noodles

Kitakata is a city in western Fukushima Prefecture, and its ramen is the third of the big three. The soup is usually soy sauce, and the noodles are the star: JNTO's Philippine office describes "four-millimeter-wide noodles that are flattened and curled". Kitakata takes its ramen seriously. JNTO's US office notes that "ramen is a typical breakfast staple in Kitakata", and the Philippine office says you will find more than a hundred restaurants serving it in Kitakata City. In Tokyo, Shokudo Hasegawa, a well-known shop from Kitakata, is serving its ramen at Tokyo Ramen Street for a limited time, until 23 November 2026.

Tokyo: soy sauce and dashi

Tokyo's classic bowl is shoyu. JNTO's US office says "Tokyo specializes in shoyu (soy sauce) based ramen which heavily uses dashi for that rich umami flavor as well as chicken, pork, or vegetable stock." Dashi is Japanese soup stock, often made from kelp and dried fish. The capital is also where tsukemen was invented, and you can try many styles in one place at Tokyo Ramen Street, described below.

Toyama: black ramen

Visit Toyama City, on the Sea of Japan coast, and in the words of JNTO's Philippine office "you will surely notice the ramen with jet-black soup being served in restaurants in the area." That is Toyama black ramen. "The color of this ramen’s soup is achieved by combining black soy sauce with chicken and fish stock." Roast pork, green onion and black pepper finish the bowl. Kyoto Ramen Koji, described below, has a Toyama black ramen shop.

Western Japan: Onomichi, Kasaoka and Tottori

Onomichi, a port town in Hiroshima Prefecture, has what JNTO's US office calls "a delicate and refreshing ramen loaded with flavor". "Made with a shoyu base using chicken bones and small fish from the Seto Inland Sea", it is known for two things: "floating seabura which are silky chunks of back fat" and "springy flat noodles made from wheat". JNTO's guide mentions two more styles from western Japan: "Tottori is famous for its beef bone broth, while Kasaoka ramen uses soy sauce with chicken stock topped with roasted chicken and bamboo shoots." Kasaoka is a city in Okayama Prefecture.

Tokushima: sweet and salty

Tokushima ramen, from the island of Shikoku, has a brown soup and is "usually topped with sliced pork, bean sprouts, green onions, and raw egg", according to JNTO's Philippine office. There are yellow and white versions too, but "All variants of Tokushima ramen taste both salty and sweet."

Hakata: thin noodles and kaedama

Tonkotsu ramen is the food of Kyushu, and its best-known form comes from Hakata in Fukuoka city. JNTO's guide says "Hakata-style ramen is popular, recognizable by its cloudy pork bone broth, simple toppings and kaedama—the act of refilling your noodles while your soup is still hot." According to JNTO's US office, "The broth is paired with thin noodles which can be served in five different levels of firmness for a bit more bite or a softer noodle style, if you choose." And "It’s also perfectly acceptable to order a second helping of noodles to go with your broth, something which is generally not encouraged in other ramen towns." Ichiran, the chain in the price tables above, comes from Fukuoka, and the city's open-air food stalls, described below, are another classic place for a bowl.

Kurume, Kumamoto and Kagoshima: tonkotsu across Kyushu

JNTO's Singapore office notes that "Throughout Kyushu, ramen typically features tonkotsu broth which is made by slow-boiling pork bones." Kurume, also in Fukuoka Prefecture, "is said to be the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen, and its popularity spread across all of Kyushu with regional varieties." JNTO's UK office dates its beginnings to the 1930s. Further south, "Kumamoto ramen also has a rich tonkotsu broth, and heavily features fried garlic chips and oil to deliver its distinctive flavour." And at the southern end of Kyushu, "Kagoshima ramen’s cloudy broth of tonkotsu is mixed with chicken stock to give it a richer flavour."

Where can you find the best ramen in Japan?

There is no official list of the best ramen shops in Japan, and this guide does not rank them. As JNTO's guide to ramen says, "It is casual, quick food, but some of the most popular shops can have lines out the door." The easiest way to try several well-known bowls on one trip is to go where many famous shops sit side by side: a food street in a station, a museum, an old alley or one floor of a shopping centre. If one queue is too long, you can walk a few metres to the next shop.

The details are from each place's own website, Sapporo's official tourism site and JNTO, checked in October 2026. Shops change often, and some keep shorter hours than the building they are in.

Tokyo Ramen Street: ten shops at Tokyo Station

Tokyo Ramen Street is on B1 of First Avenue Tokyo Station, a shopping area on the Yaesu side of the station. First Avenue's English guide explains: "First Avenue Tokyo Station is located in JR Tokyo Station (outside the ticket gates)." So you do not need a train ticket to eat there, and it is easy to fit in before or after a shinkansen ride. The guide's directions are short: "Exit any Yaesu gate from the shinkansen lines or traditional lines and you're there."

In October 2026 there were ten shops, one of them only until 23 November 2026. The idea, in the street's own words: "The concept behind Tokyo Ramen Street is to bring together so many different types of ramen that you could wander it for a week and never run out of options." The street is open 10:30–23:00 (last orders 22:30), but that is not the whole story. As First Avenue's guide puts it, "Operating hours differ between stores." Rokurinsha opens at 7:30 and two more shops at 8:00, so you can have ramen for breakfast before an early train.

Last orders are 30 minutes before closing at every shop, and Rokurinsha's morning last orders are at 9:30. The hours are from the street's own guide in October 2026. The guide lists no prices, so this guide does not quote them.

The street's guide has something to say about each shop. Rokurinsha is the shop that "put dipping ramen on the map", and the guide explains: "It owes its wild popularity and success to its original, super-thick broth recipes, which are fast becoming the standard in the world of dipping ramen." Tonkotsu ramen Oreshiki Jun's entry promises: "The rich and smooth tonkotsu soup is cooked in-store so that you can enjoy its best flavor." Hanamichian, a miso ramen shop, was "selected for two consecutive years by Michelin Guide Tokyo", and Shio Ramen Senmon Hirugao is described as a "famous shio ramen store in Tokyo with an endless queue". Soranoiro Nippon's entry explains: "The soup features Japan's largest local breed of chicken, Amakusa Daio, and uses whole chicken, kelp, shiitake mushroom and apple." And Tokyoeki Ikaruga's entry reads: "A ramen dish where the soup has the perfect balance of meat and seafood."

Tsugaruniboshi Hirakoya comes from much further north. Tsugaru is an area of Aomori Prefecture, at the northern tip of Honshu, and niboshi are dried sardines. The guide says: "Much-loved in its hometown of Aomori, this famous Tsugaruniboshi restaurant has opened its first restaurant outside of the prefecture." It adds: "The signature soup, consisting of four types of dried sardines meticulously cooked in three stages, has an addictive taste." The shop's own page (in Japanese) describes it as the shop's first permanent branch outside Aomori.

If you are on your way to or from a train with luggage, First Avenue has a baggage counter on 1F, at street level. Its guide says: "Check your baggage here so you can enjoy sightseeing without being weighted down!" It adds: "Bags can also be shipped to various airports in Japan!" There are coin lockers too. For your phone, the guide lists Charge SPOT, with a stand at Tokyo Ramen Street on B1, as "A portable smartphone-charging service." For more on lockers and sending bags ahead, see luggage in Japan.

Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum: ramen from around Japan in a 1958 street

The museum is in Yokohama, a short shinkansen ride from Tokyo. In its own words, "Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum was founded on March 6th, 1994 as the world's first Ramen-themed amusement park." The idea behind it is simple: "Our concept has been to be the one-stop place to enjoy the flavors of this national dish from renowned shops across Japan without stepping on a plane." The ramen shops stand in a recreated Japanese street of 1958, the year the world's first instant ramen was invented.

There is more to it than eating. "An exhibition area where visitors can learn about the history and culture of ramen is also located on the first floor." JNTO's page on the museum recommends it: "Visit the gallery to learn the history of how ramen noodles first came from China and later evolved into the distinctive dish that Japanese people love today."

The museum's English page sets a few rules. "The ramen shops do not accept seating reservations." It also asks: "Kindly wait in line when the ramen shops are crowded." And there is a minimum order: "Adult visitors who are junior high school students and older are expected to order at least one bowl of ramen when they visit a ramen restaurant." You cannot bring in your own food or drinks, and pets are not allowed, except guide dogs. If you want to go out and come back on the same day, ask at the information desk on 1F, where the staff stamp the back of your hand.

Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho: miso ramen in Susukino

Sapporo's official tourism site sums it up: "The Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho is a tourism hot spot in Susukino featuring 17 popular miso ramen shops of Sapporo." Yokocho means a side street or alley, and ganso means the original or the founder. "The 42-meter long narrow alley is always crowded with visitors from morning until night." The alley's own website (in Japanese) calls it a sightseeing spot that people have loved for more than 70 years, and in March 2026 it announced that the alley turns 75 this year.

You do not need to know which shop to choose. "The alleyway offers up many different flavors of miso ramen, from a simple traditional take on the Sapporo staple to ones with particular choices of ingredients—you may not be able to pick just one to try." The tourism site also has a tip: "Spicy miso and miso char siu are two popular choices among overseas visitors, some of whom are regular customers that always stop by on their visit to Sapporo."

Because the shops stand so close together, the alley's website explains that a queue for one particular shop can block the doors of the shops next to it; it says every shop in the alley is good and asks visitors to try one with free seats. Do not confuse the alley with Shin Ramen Yokocho (New Ramen Alley): the website says that is a separate place with no connection to it. One day a year, every shop in the alley is half price; see the section on ramen festivals, below.

The alley is on 1F of the N Grande Building, Minami 5-jo Nishi 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo. Hours and closing days vary by shop, and there is no car park.

Asahikawa Ramen Village: eight shops in one building

Asahikawa Ramen Village opened in August 1996, when people in the city wanted Asahikawa's ramen culture to be better known, and it sits in a corner of the Powers shopping centre. Its website (in Japanese) describes its eight shops spurring each other on as they take the city's taste to the rest of Japan and the world. In October 2026 its shop list named seven regular shops plus Ramen Caravan, a space where well-known shops from around Japan serve for a limited time.

The village has 220 seats in all and is open 11:00–20:00, though some shops are keeping shorter hours for now. Entry and parking are free, with space for large buses. The website lists a universal toilet, menus in other languages, and PayPay and Alipay; it does not mention credit cards, so bring some cash.

Look at the outside wall before you go in. University students painted its mural on the theme of Asahikawa, ramen and the bonds between people: popular animals from Asahiyama Zoo happily eat from a river of ramen, with the Daisetsu mountains and the streets of Asahikawa behind them. There is even a shrine. Its theme is men-musubi, a pun on en-musubi, the Japanese phrase for bringing people together; men means noodles.

The address is 11-jo 4-chome 119-48, Nagayama, Asahikawa. By car, the village is about 20 minutes from JR Asahikawa Station and from the Asahikawa-Takasu interchange, 15 minutes from Asahiyama Zoo and 30 minutes from Asahikawa Airport. For driving, see car rental in Japan.

Kyoto Ramen Koji: ten shops at Kyoto Station

Kyoto Ramen Koji is on 10F of the Kyoto Station Building, on the south side by the department store and the Grand Stairway. Its website is in Japanese only. It is open 11:00–22:00 (last orders 21:30), and each shop has its own seats. In October 2026 there were ten shops from eight prefectures, three of them from Kyoto. The website gives two ways in from the JR ticket gates:

1. From the JR central gate (中央口). Take the escalator on your left up to 2F. At the top, go straight on, turn left in front of the Isetan department store and go inside. Take Isetan's south lift up to 10F.
2. From the JR west gate (西口). Turn right and go straight along the free north–south passage. Go into Isetan on your left and take its south lift up to 10F.

The table lists the shops by home prefecture, from north to south, with two bowls from each menu.

The shops' own descriptions (in Japanese) are worth a look. Wantanmen no Mangetsu, founded in 1960, says it was named the best in Japan in a 2023 nationwide vote on local ramen, and it likens eating its very thin wontons to swallowing clouds. Toyama Black Menya Iroha says it has won first place five times at the Tokyo Ramen Show, which it calls one of the largest ramen festivals in Japan, and that its black soup is surprisingly light. At Mensho Takamatsu, you add onion, sudachi citrus and black shichimi spice partway through, then finish by thinning the leftover dip with seafood stock and aosa seaweed. Ramen Toudai notes that in Tokushima, people usually eat ramen with a bowl of white rice. Ganso Hakata Daruma, founded in 1963, makes its pork-bone soup in the traditional yobimodoshi way, and Ramen Koganeya builds its soup on the yobimodoshi tradition of Kurume in Fukuoka Prefecture, adding extra bones.

Fukuoka: yatai stalls and Canal City Ramen Stadium

Fukuoka is the home of Hakata tonkotsu ramen (see Hakata: thin noodles and kaedama, above), and one classic place to eat it is a yatai, an open-air food stall. JNTO's page on the stalls calls them "an integral and irresistible part of the Fukuoka food scene." It explains: "These temporary food stalls are set up every evening across the city and draw crowds of locals and visitors." The page adds: "From around 6 p.m. until the early hours of the morning, locals and tourists alike queue up to sample Fukuoka's best street fare."

Space is tight. "Each yatai seats around ten people, and you'll be packed shoulder to shoulder with your neighbors." That is part of the fun: "It's not just about the food, though; the close-knit atmosphere is part of their appeal." According to JNTO, yatai are "excellent places to experience Fukuoka culture and meet locals over a bowl of ramen, freshly grilled yakitori, or even a plate of snails in garlic butter."

In JNTO's words, "Yatai are found across the city but are concentrated in two main areas": Tenjin and Nakasu, "both of which are well connected by bus or subway." Other cities have restricted their street stalls, but in Fukuoka, JNTO notes, "they thrive, and are a charm of the city." A stall's queue is the easiest guide, since "the popularity of each is easily judged by the queue". And once you have a seat: "Particularly at busy yatai, you should only stay as long as you're eating, and give up your seats to the next customers." JNTO's page gives no prices or payment details, so this guide does not quote them.

If you would rather eat indoors, Canal City Ramen Stadium is on 5F of Center Walk in the Canal City Hakata shopping centre. Its website (in Japanese) says that eight shops from around Japan are gathered there, including shops opening in Kyushu for the first time and brands that have been revived, and that more than 100 shops have taken part since it opened in 2001. It is open 11:00–23:00, with last orders 30 minutes before closing. The address is 1-2 Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka.

How do you order ramen in Japan?

Ordering is easier than it looks, because the choice is small. JNTO's guide to ramen explains: "Most ramen shops will feature short menus with only a few variations on their specialty bowls and some toppings priced separately." It adds: "Sides often include gyoza or fried rice, but in some cases, side dishes won't be available at all." Kit Kriewaldt, the Tokyo-based journalist quoted above, suggests choosing before you reach the door: "If you're waiting in a queue, that's the perfect time to look up the menu and choose what you want." If you still cannot decide, the advice is to "go with the store's recommendation", since most shops have one.

A typical visit goes like this:

1. Queue together. When there is a line, Kriewaldt's main advice is simple: "if you're with a group of people stay together, don't send your friend off to get snacks". Asking for five seats at a busy shop when only one of you has been waiting is rude to the people queuing behind you.
2. Say how many of you there are. Kriewaldt again: "When you get in, you'll be asked how many people are in your group; you can just hold up your fingers." The usual question is in the phrases below.
3. Buy a ticket if there is a machine. JNTO's guide notes: "To streamline the ordering process, many ramen restaurants do not have servers." Instead, a machine has a button for each item on the menu: "Simply insert money, select your ramen, toppings, sides and drinks to dispense tickets." Buy your ticket before you sit down. At shops without a machine, you order from the staff. What a machine accepts varies from shop to shop (see Paying: cash, cards and IC cards, below), and the word list further down helps with the buttons.
4. Hand over the ticket. JNTO's guide again: "Pass the tickets to the chef and wait a few minutes as your order is prepared."
5. Ask for a kaedama if you want more. At tonkotsu shops in the Hakata style you can order a second serving of noodles for the soup left in your bowl, and choose how firm you want them (see Hakata: thin noodles and kaedama, above). Keep some soup for it. At Ichiran a kaedama costs 210 yen at all three shops in this guide.

Paying: cash, cards and IC cards

How you can pay depends on the shop, and at many shops on the ticket machine. This is what the places in this guide say on their own websites, checked in October 2026:

Ichiran adds that some of its payment methods may not work while the machines are being serviced (in Japanese). Because cash-only shops and cashless shops both exist, carry some cash as well as a card and a transport IC card. For how to get an IC card and top it up, see our Suica guide.

Ordering at Ichiran

Ichiran, the Fukuoka tonkotsu chain in the price table above, has its own way of doing things. Its page on the five things it says it was first to do describes them (in Japanese):

• Booths. You eat at a counter divided into single booths, which Ichiran calls its aji shuchu counter, a counter for concentrating on the flavour. It grew out of a curtain hung between the seats and the kitchen at the first shop, in Nanokawa, and the dividers between the seats were added when the Hakata shop opened. Some shops also have private rooms or tables.
• The order sheet. Once you are seated, you fill in a sheet with how you like seven things: the noodles, the dashi (stock), how rich the soup is, the chashu, the green onion, the secret red sauce and the garlic. Sheets come in English, Korean and Chinese as well as Japanese.
• The red sauce. Each bowl comes with a chilli-based red sauce in the middle. It is blended from dozens of ingredients, aged for several days and nights and made at Ichiran no Mori, the chain's site in Itoshima, Fukuoka Prefecture, which sends it to every shop in Japan and abroad. Only four people in the company know the recipe.
• Kaedama without a word. For more noodles, put the kaedama plate on the button at the back of your table. A charumera tune (the melody once played by street ramen sellers) sounds, and a member of staff comes for the plate, so you never have to call out. Ichiran says this way of ordering began with it, and it suggests picking a different firmness for the second serving to taste the difference.
• The soup. It is made from 100% pork bones, so it is not for anyone who avoids pork. For Ichiran's pork-free shop in Osaka, see the section on ramen without pork, below.

What is ramen etiquette in Japan?

Kriewaldt's first point is reassuring: "If you’re an international traveller people will understand that you might not know all the Japanese etiquette." The second: "That's not to say you can purposely act rude, but you don't have to stress out." A few customs are still worth knowing.

Slurping is normal, but optional

JNTO's guide to ramen tells you what to expect: "You may notice your dining neighbors loudly slurping their noodles." It goes on: "Slurping is not impolite and is, in fact, the standard way to eat ramen." And it encourages you to have a go: "Don't worry if you can't do it perfectly, but try to slurp your noodles for the full Japanese ramen experience." JNTO's second ramen guide has a tip on technique: "Focus on sucking the noodles into your mouth rather than simply making noise for the sake of it."

Nobody expects it of you, though. Kriewaldt's view: "it's not polite and not rude, it's just something you can do." If slurping feels wrong to you, eat quietly.

You do not have to finish the soup

JNTO's second guide says you are welcome to drink all the soup, and even to lift the bowl to your mouth, then adds: "However, don't feel like you have to!" Leaving some soup after eating all the noodles and toppings still counts as a finished meal. If you think you may want a kaedama, you will need that soup: Ichiran's page describes the kaedama as a Hakata custom of leaving the soup and ordering only more noodles (in Japanese).

Leave soon after you finish

Ramen shops are made for quick meals. JNTO's guide to ramen explains why: "Since most shops are small, it is not polite to linger over your bowl." Its advice: "It is best to leave shortly after finishing your meal so the next person waiting in line can sit down."

You can still talk: JNTO's second guide says chatting is fine, as long as you do not stay long once you have finished, especially when there is a queue outside. Kriewaldt sums it up: "You don't have to be completely silent but eat, focus on the food, and once you're done, head off." As you leave, the staff may call out arigato gozaimashita (thank you); a gochisosama deshita (thank you for the meal) in return is a nice way to say goodbye.

For manners elsewhere, including tipping, see Japan's rules for tourists.

How do you say ramen in Japanese?

In Japanese, ramen is written ラーメン in katakana, the script used for words that came from other languages, and it is pronounced with a long first a (rāmen). The r is a light tap of the tongue, somewhere between an English r, l and d. Shops also write the word らーめん in hiragana, the rounder script, and JNTO's German-language ramen guide advises looking for the word in a shop's name, where it is usually written in one of the two (in German). Some signs use the kanji 拉麺, as in 京都拉麺小路, the Japanese name of Kyoto Ramen Koji. And many menus, like the price survey above, call it 中華そば, chuka soba.

Ramen words on menus and ticket machines

Not every ticket machine or menu has English. These words come up often; for the four main types and the toppings, see What are the main types of ramen?, above.

Phrases for the ramen shop

At a ticket-machine shop you may hardly need to speak, but the staff will greet you and may ask a question or two. For more phrases with audio, see Japanese travel phrases.

Can you eat ramen without pork in Japan?

Yes, but you have to look for it. JNTO's article on vegan, vegetarian and halal food explains why: "Japanese ramen is a global phenomenon, but many of the varieties have been off the table for vegetarian and vegan diners due to the pork, chicken and fish stock in the base of the soup." Kit Kriewaldt, the Tokyo-based journalist quoted above, adds a warning for anyone who avoids meat or fish: "Ramen can be tricky for meat-free people because even with non-meat based soups, there's usually some dashi in there or some kind of seafood."

A light-looking bowl can still contain pork. Kourakuen's 490-yen chuka soba, the light, old-style bowl in the price table above, is a good example: the chain's page says its soup is made from pork bones and chicken bones together with shiitake mushrooms, kelp, bonito flakes and dried sardines, and that the naruto on top contains egg (in Japanese). So a light soup is no sign that a bowl is pork-free, a chicken soup may also contain fish, and the chashu on most bowls is pork (see Common ramen toppings, above).

Things are changing, though. Kriewaldt again: "That said, there are more and more veggie options becoming available." JNTO's article agrees that "in recent decades the country has made strides in offering vegetarian and vegan takes on popular Japanese food, with ramen and curry as popular choices". It says ramen shops "have stepped up to the plate with innovative and exciting ways to create vegetable-based ramen that everyone can enjoy, using secret veggie broth recipes and both lotus root and konjac (a starchy tuber) for the noodles".

Pork-free, vegetarian and vegan ramen to look for

These are the pork-free, vegetarian, vegan and halal options that the places in this guide describe on their own websites, checked in October 2026. Menus change, and not every branch of a chain serves the same dishes, so check before you go.

T's TanTan. For a menu with no animal products at all, Kriewaldt's pick is inside Tokyo Station: "T's Tan Tan in Tokyo Station is a classic." As Kriewaldt puts it, "The base of their ramen is sesame". The chain, which started in Jiyugaoka in Tokyo, says it cooks with plenty of vegetables and soy milk and uses no meat, fish, eggs, dairy or other animal ingredients, so that vegetarians, people with allergies, people on restricted diets and meat lovers can all eat at the same table (in Japanese). Its shop in GRANSTA Tokyo, a shopping and dining area in Tokyo Station, is outside the ticket gates, so you do not need a train ticket to reach it. It is open 10:00–22:00 every day, though hours may change during long holidays, and it takes cash, credit cards, e-money including Suica and barcode payments; there are 16 table seats and 7 counter seats. The GRANSTA page features a 3,300-yen set: the shop's most popular dish, gold sesame tantanmen with wheat noodles, topped with seared vegetable chashu and a soy-milk cheese, with 12 vegetable gyoza (in Japanese). The chain's menu page also lists shops at ecute Akihabara, Ikebukuro, ecute Ueno and Narita Airport Terminal 2.

AFURI. AFURI's English menu describes its Rainbow Vegan Ramen as "100% vegetable-based broth, fresh seasonal vegetables, wheat noodle blended with lotus root (no egg)". The Japanese menu adds that vegans can eat it, that everything from the soup to the toppings is 100% plant-based, that the vegetables change with the season, and that it is not served at the Yokohama Joinus shop or ZUND-BAR (in Japanese). AFURI's menu gives no price for it, so this site does not quote one. Most of AFURI's Tokyo shops take no cash (see Paying: cash, cards and IC cards, above).

Soranoiro. Kriewaldt also names two chains: "A lot of chains like Afuri and Soranoiro have a handful of vegetarian or vegan options at some of their stores." And: "Soranoiro also offers some gluten-free options at some locations." Soranoiro Nippon, its shop on Tokyo Ramen Street, says in the street's guide: "We have also introduced gluten-free and vegan dishes in response to the diversification of food in recent years." Its usual bowl is soy-sauce ramen with a chicken soup (see Tokyo Ramen Street: ten shops at Tokyo Station, above), so make sure you order the vegan dish.

UNO RAMEN. At Kyoto Ramen Koji, UNO RAMEN makes gluten-free vegan ramen with a soup of soy milk and vegetable stock and rice-flour noodles (see Kyoto Ramen Koji: ten shops at Kyoto Station, above).

The Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. JNTO's page on the museum says: "There are a number of vegetarian ramen options, including soy meat substitutes for roasted pork fillet." The museum's English page lists a vegetarian menu and says its menu is not halal-compatible. For the noodle-making class, "Vegan soup is available as substitute." The museum adds: "Please request this option when making your reservation."

Ichiran. Ichiran's usual soup is made from 100% pork bones, but its shop at Namba Midosuji in Osaka is, in Ichiran's words, a specialist shop for ramen made with no pork bones at all, and its ramen uses no pork among its ingredients (in Japanese). Ichiran is careful to say what this does not mean: the chicken and beef it uses are not halal-certified, the ramen is not made specifically for Muslims, it is made with the same equipment as Ichiran's original pork-bone ramen, and it is not a vegan dish. The shop's English page adds that pork is handled at the factory, so traces of pork may be present.

Halal ramen: ask before you order

Pork-free is not the same as halal. JNTO's article notes: "The Japan Halal Foundation has also been established as one official avenue to certify halal products in Japan." None of the places in this guide names a certifier, though. Ichiran says the chicken and beef in its pork-free ramen are not halal-certified and that the ramen is not made for Muslims; Toyama Black Menya Iroha at Kyoto Ramen Koji sells a halal chicken ramen for 2,400 yen without saying on the website who certified it; and the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum says its menu is not halal-compatible.

Where can you make your own Cup Noodles?

Instant noodles were invented in Japan, and JNTO's guide to ramen has a tip: "Instant ramen fans will want to visit the Cupnoodles Museum in Osaka Ikeda or Yokohama to create a custom Cup Noodles and learn more about the history of this revolutionary food." Both museums have a My CUPNOODLES Factory, where you design your own cup. The Yokohama museum describes it like this: "Create your own completely original CUPNOODLES package, which is unavailable anywhere else in the world." Its page on the factory explains: "In a cup that you design, select your favorite soup from among four varieties and four toppings from among 12 varieties." It adds: "Altogether, there are 5,460 flavor combinations."

The page sets out the steps. You buy a cup from a vending machine, draw your design on it, place it over a bundle of noodles and choose your soup and toppings; museum staff then seal the cup and shrink-wrap it, and you finish by filling its air package with an air pump. There is only one kind of noodle. If you avoid pork, note that one of the 12 toppings is minced pork (nazo niku), and the page does not say what the soups are made from, so ask the staff.

There is plenty to see as well. In Yokohama, the Instant Noodles History Cube is a display of packages, and the museum says: "An astounding quantity of packages shows how instant noodles, which started with Chicken Ramen, grew into a global dietary culture." The museum also has "a faithful recreation of the work shed where Chicken Ramen, the world’s first instant ramen, was invented". The Chicken Ramen Factory, which needs a reservation and has age limits, sums itself up in one line: "Make Chicken Ramen by hand in the factory." The museum explains: "Enjoy the entire process of kneading, spreading, steaming and seasoning the wheat flour and drying it with the flash frying method." CUPNOODLES Park, a paid attraction with age and height limits, is described like this: "The huge athletic facility offers the virtual experience of being a noodle in a huge factory, and going through the entire manufacturing process from making the noodles to shipping them."

The museum in Ikeda, Osaka, calls itself the birthplace of instant noodles, and it has its own recreation of the work shed. Its main exhibition tells the story: "The story of the invention of instant noodles, the growth of this new industry, and the value of intellectual property are displayed graphically and chronologically." Entry is free; the two factories cost extra.

When are the ramen festivals in 2026?

The biggest is in Tokyo in autumn. GO TOKYO, Tokyo's official travel guide, says: "Tokyo Ramen Festa is the largest outdoor ramen event in Japan." It goes on: "Regional ramen styles from all over the country, including many popular local favorites, will be available from stalls at the event." The festival has a purpose too: "The Tokyo Ramen Festa takes place every year to help drive up support for regional food culture." And the timing suits it: "As the weather gets colder, warm up with some delicious ramen from across Japan."

The listing was last updated on 1 September 2026 and asks visitors to check the official event website for the latest information, so check again closer to the dates.

Half-price day at Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho

Sapporo's ramen alley has a festival day of its own. Sapporo's official tourism site says: "Each year on November 11 (from 12:00 to 24:00) all stores have a 50% off promotion." It adds: "This is a great chance to try out each and every shop throughout the day." In 2026, 11 November is a Wednesday. For the alley itself, see Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho: miso ramen in Susukino, above, and check the alley's website (in Japanese) nearer the day.

What is the history of ramen in Japan?

JNTO's guide to ramen tells the story in a few steps. It begins: "Ramen noodles have their roots in China." Then: "How it made the jump from China to Japan is still under debate, but it's generally accepted that in 1910 a Chinese restaurant in Asakusa in Tokyo started serving a dish known as ramen." The new dish caught on fast: "The Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth quickly became all the rage." Noodle soup itself was not new to Japan, the guide points out, since soba and udon were already established; what was new was kansui, the alkaline solution that gives ramen noodles their bounce (see What are the main types of ramen?, above). "Soon, the streets of Yokohama Chinatown were filled with portable food stalls selling ramen and gyoza."

The war and the years after it shaped what came next. "Japanese ramen continued its rise in popularity throughout World War II." The guide continues: "In 1945, while under American occupation, Japan recorded its worst rice harvest." And: "In response, the US provided flour as emergency aid, and school lunches began at elementary schools." Street food stalls were banned for a time, but according to the guide some of that flour was secretly passed to the black market and made into ramen. By 1950 the controls on wheat flour had been lifted, just as many Japanese were coming home from posts in China with a taste for ramen. "This confluence of events caused an explosion of ramen shops throughout the country and gave birth to countless new varieties."

Several of the regional styles in this guide go back to the decades around the war: JNTO's UK office traces Kurume's tonkotsu ramen to the 1930s, and both tsukemen and Sapporo's miso ramen appeared in the 1950s (see What are the famous regional ramen styles in Japan?, above, and Tsukemen and mazesoba, above).

The Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum's gallery goes further back. The museum says: "In this section, visitors can learn about ramen, centered around its history that has been clarified through 25 years of investigation." It also covers Chinese noodles in the Muromachi period (1338–1573), which the museum describes as a new discovery (see Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum: ramen from around Japan in a 1958 street, above).

Instant noodles: a post-war invention

Instant noodles came out of the same hungry years. JNTO's guide explains: "During the post-war period, Japan was still reeling from one of its worst rice harvests in decades." It goes on: "America encouraged the production of bread as a cheap way to feed a hungry nation, but Momofuku Ando believed noodles would be more familiar than bread." In 1958 Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin, the company that created Cup Noodles, invented pre-cooked instant noodles, and JNTO's German-language ramen guide gives the same year (in German). The first was Chicken Ramen, which both Cupnoodles Museums describe as the first instant noodles in the world. As the guide says: "Instant ramen has come a long way since then, and you'll be amazed by the variety available in Japan today." For the museums, see Where can you make your own Cup Noodles?, above.

To cite or link to this page: Ramen in Japan: what a bowl costs, the regional styles, where to find the best ramen, how to order and ramen without pork — Japan Pocket Guide, https://japanpocketguide.com/food/ramen/ Copy