Nothing But Noodles!

Before I moved to Asia, the term ramen noodles meant the packages of dried, instant noodles eaten by college students. I have since learned that real Japanese ramen comes in many varieties and is much more delicious than its pre-packaged namesake.

In Sapporo, there is a place called 'Ramen Alley', which is indeed an alley (too narrow for cars) lined with small ramen restaurants. The one we went to must be popular, with celebrity autographs on the walls, and the following fantastic Japlish sign:

We also ate ramen a couple of times in Tokyo. I had it both in soup (with butter!) and with the soup on the side. It is a bit strange to have the noodles and the soup separated, though I've had it before and it is quite yummy. 

Another type of Japanese noodle is soba, which is made from buckwheat. Typically, it is eaten cold without broth. However, you can also have it in soup, which was certainly preferable on a snowy Hokkaido winter's day.

Udon noodles are much thicker and chewier than ramen or soba. In Tokyo, I ate them in a yummy hot pot with vegetables, mushrooms, egg and one jumbo tempura shrimp!