We Put Our Tourist Shoes On

Last weekend the husband and I put on our walking shoes and went to a very touristy spot that we hadn’t been to in our two years in Japan yet.  While it is called The Raumen Museum it isn’t really a museum per se.

For 310 Yen we gained access to ramen love.  The first floor is a gift shop with a cool little race track in the back.  There is actually a history museum of ramen also but it was in Kanji.

The brochure shows the different shops with Ramen to choose from and nicely describes the differences of each.  Basically, it is Ramen from different regions of Japan and influences from different areas of the world.

Moving to level B2 first because there seemed to be more shops there, we were completely amazed by the decor.  It was made to feel like a “street-scape replication from the year 1958, Japan” according to the brochure and it delivered!

Yes, this is all indoors.  It was really well done.  Now it was time to pick a shop and slurp some Ramen!  The best part of this location is that they offer smaller portions so we were able to try two different kinds without feeling over full.

Our first stop was at Narumi-Ippudo which uses a Consomme’ made from combining French bouillon and Japanese dashi stock.  It definitely had a mild flavor but was still very good.

Next we moved up to B1 level to find another shop to try our second bowl.  This floor was designed more like the back alley Ramen shops and the decor was well thought out, even with some clothes hanging from a balcony and chickens on a rooftop.

Then we found our shop and tried Genkotsu Ramen.  This second ramen was using wheat noodles, which is unusual but much better for me to eat so I had to try it!  It definitely had more traditional flavors and some nice slices of pork in it.  Very satisfying!

There are 7 more to try so we are definitely going back after the Summer heat dies down and I think getting the seasonal pass so we can keep going without the cover.

After filling up on Ramen we took the train up to Kawasaki to explore and it was not disappointing.  The shopping areas here were worth going to see.  There is one that’s set up like an Italian courtyard and includes Venetian jewelry, Italian shoes and other shops and restaurants.  Even the toilet in the courtyard was decorated more than usual.

We wandered around the streets and found a nice bar to stop at, The Kirin bar.  It was time for a beer…or two.  Oh and we just had to try the lamb appetizer with orange sauce.  It was amazing!  We walked up on a covered market, which are pretty popular in Japan but this one had stained glass ceilings!

After a wonderful day of Ramen and Kawasaki we started home with smiles on our faces and promises to return to both in the Fall.