Ramen’s Rise from Street Food to Global Phenomenon

A bowl of ramen recreated from the menu of Asakusa Rairaiken, considered to be Japan’s oldest Ramen shop. In 2020, the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum headed a project to recreate the shop’s original flavor. (© Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum)

A stall selling Chūka soba in 1933. (© Kyōdō)

A bowl of ajitama tonkotsu ramen featuring flavored eggs from Hakata Daruma, founded in 1963 and now one of Fukuoka’s great ramen shops. (© D and H Inc.)

Miso ramen from popular shop Sumire in Hokkaidō. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Yamagishi Kazuo (left), founder of Taishōken. (© Marunaga Norenkai); Sano Minoru, founder of Shina Sobaya. (© Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum)

The Chūka soba at Ginza Hachigo. (© Food Operation Japan)

The yasaikarame (extra vegetables and sauce) at Ramen Jirō. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

The shōyu soba at Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta. (© Tsuta no Ne)

The interior of the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum recreates a street scene of 1950s Japan dotted with popular ramen shops. (© Jiji)

The Tokyo Ramen Fest in Tokyo’s Komazawa Park attracts droves of ramen fans. (© Ramen Databank)

The interior of the Hong Kong branch of ramen shop Ichiran, one of eight international locations for the popular Japanese chain. (© Kyōdō)