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5AM Ramen

20 stories

5AM RamenEatMensouan Sunada: A Sugamo Shoyu Ramen Worth Knowing About A review of Mensouan Sunada in Sugamo — clean Shirakawa-style shoyu ramen, a massive dumpling bowl, and an all-counter-seat setup worth knowing about.

5AM RamenEatNiboshimania, Kamata — The Niboshi Ramen Shop Worth Going Back For Inside Niboshimania in Kamata, where niboshi ramen styles rotate daily — from a clean, bright bowl to a smoky, sweet-finishing heavier one.

5AM RamenEatGo Chome House: Creamy Ie-kei Ramen in Nakano's Back Alleys A tiny ie-kei ramen shop in Nakano with a creamier, Musashiya-style broth — great ramen, brisk service, and a spot worth knowing about.

5AM RamenEatThe Evolution of Tokyo Ramen: A Guide to the City's Many Styles Tokyo Ramen Styles Ramen's roots are Chinese, but Tokyo is where it became what most people now picture when they hear the word "ramen".

5AM RamenEatClam Ramen in Shimokitazawa: Mikawa's Shio vs. Shoyu, Compared Clam ramen is rare even in Tokyo. Here's how Mikawa in Shimokitazawa handles it, and how the shio and shoyu bowls compare.

5AM RamenEatNishi-Eifuku Niboshi Box: Inside One of Tokyo's Best Niboshi Ramen Shops A visit to Nishi-Eifuku Niboshi Box, the TRY Award–winning niboshi ramen shop from the team behind Bonito Soup Noodle RAIK, known for its rich, dried-sardine broth.

5AM RamenEatJinenjo in Saitama: Rokurinsha's Tsukemen Cousin With Noodles the Size of Udon A Rokurinsha offshoot buried in Saitama, Jinenjo's tsukemen is worth the drive for noodles thicker than anything you've seen — read why.

5AM RamenEatHachimitsu Gotanda Ramen Review: Hand-Pressed Noodles & Shiro Shoyu Hachimitsu in Gotanda is one of those ramen shops that snuck up on the neighborhood.

5AM RamenEatMugito Mensuke: Revenge Ramen in Osaka Mugito Mensuke in Osaka draws long lines for its rare guinea fowl ramen broth. Here's what makes this Bib Gourmand shop worth the wait.

5AM RamenEatTsuchinotomi Ramen Yokohama: Duck, Chicken, and Pork Broth Done Right Tsuchinotomi Ramen Yokohama Tucked a few minutes from Sakuragicho Station, in the middle of Noge's tangle of izakayas, sits a ramen shop with one of the more unusual names in Japan: 己巳, or…

5AM RamenEatBone Daddies Ramen Review: London's Irreverent Take on Tonkotsu A firsthand review of Bone Daddies in London — the Yuzu Tonkotsu and Kani Tonkotsu bowls, and why this chain stands out in London's tonkotsu-heavy ramen scene.

5AM RamenEatDuramentei: Yakumo's Ramen Legacy Lives On in Kameido A review of Duramentei in Kameido, Tokyo — the Yakumo-trained ramen shop carrying on its mentor's white and black shoyu ramen and signature wontons.

5AM RamenEatHow to Actually Taste a Bowl of Ramen (Not Just Eat It) Grew up eating ramen in Tokyo — it took years to actually learn how to taste it. A real framework: broth first, condiments later, plus the tsukemen twist most people get wrong.

5AM RamenEatMatsuo Seibaku: Tokyo’s Pressure-Cooker Ramen Matsuo Seibaku boils its noodles in a pressure cooker — twice. A look at the ramen tsukemen at this shop from a Hirai alum.

5AM RamenEatMensho Kapolei, Hawaii - Tokyo’s Ramen Pioneer Lands in the Islands Mensho has finally made it to Hawaii. A first look at the Kapolei location, including the signature truffle chicken ramen, clam butter shio, and abura soba.

5AM RamenEatGion Duck Noodles Asakusa - Kyoto's Duck Ramen Comes to Tokyo Gion Duck Noodles has landed in Asakusa. Here's how the Tokyo branch compares to the original Kyoto shop that helped put duck ramen on the map.

5AM RamenEatMenya Sugo Tori no Toriko: Shimbashi’s New Chicken Paitan Ramen A review of Menya Sugo Tori no Toriko in Shimbashi — the tsukemen group’s new chicken paitan ramen shop, its fiery aka bowl, and its standout ginger foam.

5AM RamenEatTokyo Ramen Etiquette: A Local’s Guide to Doing It Right Grew up in Tokyo eating ramen before it was cool. A local's guide to Tokyo ramen etiquette — ordering systems, slurping, and what tourists actually need to know.

5AM RamenEatDashito Komugino Kanousei: The Ramen Shop Rewriting the Rules in Osaka A firsthand review of Dashito Komugino Kanousei in Osaka's Namba area — a modern ramen shop that surprised me.

5AM RamenEatTokyo Ramen Kaika (Nakano) — Motsuke's Spirit, Living On Tokyo Ramen Kaika in Nakano carries the soul of the late Motsuke — fish-forward chuukasoba and a tantanmen with real heat.

On this week

· Festivals, exhibitions, concerts and food fairs across the country, this week's stories from each region, and what the cities say themselves.

On view

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The wire their own posts

How Japan eats out in 2026 from the country's own reports

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About

Day by Day Japan plans a first trip to Japan the way a friend who lives here would: one day at a time, with the trains and the prices written down.

Each route is a real day or weekend: where to go first, how long the walk or the train takes, what the ticket costs and where to eat on the way. Prices come from the operator's or the place's own published fares and carry the date they were checked; where we have not checked a price, the route says so instead of guessing. If it rains, the route has a plan B.

Around the routes sits the week in Japan. Every few hours the site reads the Japanese city and food press and the English-language desks in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka, and puts the places they name on one map. Headlines stay in the language they were written in, every story links to its source, and we quote no more than a line.

The routes and notes are written by one editor under a pen name, Sora Nakamura, drafted with AI assistance from checked material and read before they go out. Day by Day Japan is independent: no advertisers, no affiliate links, no bookings.