Any tour to Japan is incomplete without a trip to the restaurants of the country and having a taste of the local delicacies. Restaurants in Japan are numerous and you can avail a wide range of Japanese foods in these restaurants. But then there are several restaurants that specialize in a particular type of food. For example you can check out the Ramen-ya restaurants, which offer only ramen dishes.
As a food item ramen is extremely popular in Japan. Infact it is one of the premium fast foods of Japan. Ramen is actually noodles in soup which is served with condiments like grilled pork, bean sprouts, leek, and bamboo shoots. Varieties of restaurants like izakayas, karaoke halls and amusement parks offer ramen, but then the best quality ramen are only available in ramen-ya restaurants. These restaurants generally boast of 10 to 20 seats at a bar and three or four tables. The menus in these restaurants do not have much variety as most of the ramen-ya restaurants mainly offer ramen dishes. Some of the dishes that you can avail in a ramen-ya restaurant are ramen, fried rice that includes chahan, yakimeshi, gyoza or Chinese dumplings and beer. The restaurants are ideal places to relax, eat and drink within a cost of 1000 yen.
Two kinds of ramen-ya are available in Japan, the diner style and the boutique style. Diner style ramen-ya feature plastic or formica tables, metal diner-stools, or folding chairs. These restaurants are sparsely decorated and are vibrantly lit. Most of the diner style restaurants are old and offer ramen dishes at cheap rates. Generally the price of the food items range between 400 to 600 yen and the menus of these restaurants boast of few dishes. On the other hand the boutique style ramen-ya restaurants are relatively newer and are much more opulent in comparison to the diner style restaurants. Each boutique style restaurant boasts of latest state of the art decors that include interiors featuring natural wood and atmospheric lighting. The menus of these restaurants have much more variety and the cost of the dishes usually range between 700 to 1200 yen. Although the quality of food in these restaurants is more or less same as the diner style restaurants, but then the boutique style restaurants offer better quality toppings. In the ramen-ya restaurants you have to eat ramen with chopsticks and a Chinese-style spoon. You have to pick up the noodles and toppings with the help of the chopsticks and use the spoon to drink the soup. If the restaurants do not provide you with a spoon, then you can pick up the bowl and drink from it without hesitation. Do not be bothered about slurping loudly as the Japanese, while slurping their noodles make a lot of noise. Although it will be quite a challenge for you to have ramen with chopsticks, but then you can be rest assured that you will cherish your experience in the ramen-ya restaurants for the rest of your life.
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