648349 Fri Aug 28 19:44:21 -0700 2009 2 45 Japan 0 4987546 I had very high expectations for eating at the Yokohama Ramen Museum. Oh, I suppose I had other reasons for visiting Yokohama, like the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the Port of Yokohama (a fairly extensive and impressive Expo as it turns out), and a couple of amusement parks I could take my son to visit, but they were just a pretext. I really wanted to indulge myself in Ramen culture. And with 9 famous ramen shops serving from 11am to 11pm, I would be able to try many different kinds of ramen in just one place. The first place we tried met my high expectations. It was a deeply satisfying pure brown base with chewy noodles. The next two places totally blew me away. Taken all together, I was in Ramen heaven. And the differences between the bowls were ever so dramatic. For the record, the first place was #2 Hachiya, known for using grilled lard in its stock. This was a gorgeous, distinctive bowl of ramen. The next two were #1 Ryushanhai and #6 Komurasaki. Ryushanhai serves a yellow bowl with a special karamisu topping which gives the ramen a spicy kick. Komurasaki serves a white garlicky bowl with thin noodles. We finished off the day with a dish of pork cutlet, egg, and rice that was as good as homestyle cooking gets at #9 Gyunyuya Shokuda. Even though we were already full, we couldn't stop eating this. Well, eventually we stopped, but we didn't want to. Our next trip featured two bowls that were very similar and quite frankly I wouldn't bother with these if I had only one visit to devote to the Museum. Both # 8 Shinasoyaba and #3 Harukiya feature more seafood in the stock (seaweed is part of the standard topping), and both are very, very good, but not relevatory. At Shinasoyaba I ordered the special kukkeido yude-tomago (300Y), an egg from hens that lay just once a week. It was ok, so YMMV. My next ramen was clearly a crowd favorite, as it was the only one that had a line both times I went. It is also the smallest stand. #7 Eki serves a thick, thick soup that tastes like somebody put pork, fat, and salt in a blender. It was delicious, and people were slurping and sweating this stuff like crazy. I highly recommend it, but I'm glad I left this for last. Not sure I would taste ANYTHING after eating this. Potent stuff. I went back a third time just to take pictures of the amazingly themed two-story recreation of a Tokyo street scene, circa 1958. This place would be worth going to if you didn't even like ramen. My first two visits were at about 9pm on a Sunday and Monday. Not many people going at this time. Even though a sign says each person is expected to order their own bowl, my son and I shared a mini-bowl at all locations. The toppings are the same no matter what size you order, though of course you can add to that if you like. The availability of mini-bowls (still quite large, actually) is another draw to the Museum. Please note that the participating shops change from time to time. Sometimes a location change, and sometimes a complete change in shop. Fri Aug 28 19:44:21 -0700 2009 10156 Steve 1 4991771 Well done, that's a lot of eating! Sun Aug 30 22:03:23 -0700 2009 4987546 101545 lost squirrel 2 4991782 Yes (burp), it was. But sharing mini-bowls (over a two-day period, if that wasn't clear) and not completely finishing them off helped in the cause. Sun Aug 30 22:09:41 -0700 2009 4991771 10156 Steve