Thick or Thin, Crinkly or Straight: Noodles Make the Ramen

Seimenshi Fushichō Karasu in his trademark raven mask. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Fushichō Karasu hard at work making dream noodles a reality. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Asakusa Kaikarō, in Taitō, Tokyo, has been in business since 1950. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Four major noodle styles. Counterclockwise from upper right: Super thick noodles, thin noodles, medium thick, and hand-kneaded crinkly. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

The tsukesoba at Tsukesoba Kanda Katsumoto. It pairs a chintan dried-sardine soup with both thin noodles and wide, flat ones. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Chūkasoba from Hachigou. The soup, filled with the natural flavors of its ingredients, matches perfectly with noodles with clear body and toothsomeness despite their thinness. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Ramen Daishi seeks to reach “the pinnacle of ordinary.” (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Do Miso ramen uses special-order chewy noodles made from domestically grown wheat and tapioca. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)

Wagyū Paitan Tanmen from Menzin Saitō combines rich paitan soup; chewy, crinkly noodles; and vegetables. (© Yamakawa Daisuke)