# Ramen restaurants in Japan, what is the deal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628 "2015-01-12T15:59:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/1 "2015-01-12T15:59:45Z")
I’ve seen these places and I can come up with a few options: They make REALLY GOOD ramen, like really good which makes it worth the money. But ramen is so easy to make at home, even livening it up by tossing in some fresh veggies or egg etc that this is hard to be believe it is worth it. Just as a random comparison say burger places, no contest. They are reasonable enough in price it is worth it(could be I dunno.) It is just that culturally the customers want ramen and are willing to pay for it, but then I wonder why there are no ramen places in the USA or elsewhere for the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/2 "2015-01-12T16:04:30Z")
Additional option: Lots of people in Japan live in places that don’t have kitchens/food-prep areas, and it’s culturally acceptable to eat dinner at ramen places (or get it and take it home). ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/3 "2015-01-12T16:07:22Z")
Homemade ramen from scratch with real broth is exponentially better than what you get from the dried packets. What you’re asking is akin to saying “Why are there all these Italian restaurants serving spaghetti when I can buy a box of [Kraft Spaghetti Dinner](http://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Spaghetti-Classics-Italian-Parmesan/dp/B000E1HVR0) for a few cents and make it myself?” ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/4 "2015-01-12T16:09:53Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Homemade ramen from scratch with real broth is exponentially better than what you get from the dried packets. What you’re asking is akin to saying “Why are there all these Italian restaurants serving spaghetti when I can buy a box of [Kraft Spaghetti Dinner](http://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Spaghetti-Classics-Italian-Parmesan/dp/B000E1HVR0) for a few cents and make it myself?” Well then I’m kind of annoyed that ramen places serving real broth etc haven’t expanded outside Japan. It was also my first hypothesis in my own OP 🙂 But hey we had a thread here recently on spaghetti in restaurants and a lot of posters said they will NOT ever buy spaghetti. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/5 "2015-01-12T16:14:02Z")
They have. But like anything, they’re first going to be in the major metropolitan areas. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/6 "2015-01-12T16:14:43Z")
Go on Netflix (or amazon Prime), find a show called _Mind of a Chef_, and watch the first episode. You will learn everything you ever needed to know about ramen in Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/7 "2015-01-12T16:15:31Z")
We just got one in town! I haven’t been yet but I hear that they make truly excellent broth. I’m looking forward to trying them out. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/8 "2015-01-12T16:16:25Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Go on Netflix (or amazon Prime), find a show called _Mind of a Chef_, and watch the first episode. You will learn everything you ever needed to know about ramen in Japan. Yes! But be warned, you will end up binge-watching the entire first season in the next day or two. Sincerely, OneCentStamp now halfway through Season 2 since starting on Friday ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/9 "2015-01-12T16:16:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > They have. But like anything, they’re first going to be in the major metropolitan areas. As of a few years ago Houston had none, and there are tons of sushi places and even Japanese import markets and a large population of immigrants from basically every asian country. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/10 "2015-01-12T16:21:37Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Well then I’m kind of annoyed that ramen places serving real broth etc haven’t expanded outside Japan. I’m in Bangkok, Thailand and theres a sizeable Japanese population here, tons of good Ramen places. Go to any city that has a sizeable Japanese population and you’ll find Ramen restaurants. As your attitude shows, the average westerner is not going to appreciate Ramen as something that can be a delicacy so they are going to want to go to a Japanese restaurant that serves Sushi or something else they associate with fine dining. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/11 "2015-01-12T16:23:35Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Go on Netflix (or amazon Prime), find a show called _Mind of a Chef_, and watch the first episode. You will learn everything you ever needed to know about ramen in Japan. Nah. Watch _Tampopo_. Just because it’s awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/12 "2015-01-12T16:24:20Z")
It bears repeating that the ramen you get at a good ramen shop isn’t the same ingredient you think of when you hear the word. They bear absolutely no resemblance to each other. It’s like asking why people buy pasta in italian restsurants when ramen is so easy to make at home. [Ramen in Houston](http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2014/08/ramen_ramen_ramen_where_to_get_the_trendy_dish_and_whats_coming_next.php) ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/13 "2015-01-12T16:26:51Z")
When I worked in Manhattan during the summer of 1981, my favorite place to eat was a ramen fast-food restaurant near my office. It was way better than any packaged ramen I had had before. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/14 "2015-01-12T16:30:32Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > It bears repeating that the ramen you get at a good ramen shop isn’t the same ingredient you think of when you hear the word. They bear absolutely no resemblance to each other. > > It’s like asking why people buy pasta in italian restsurants when ramen is so easy to make at home. > [Ramen in Houston](http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2014/08/ramen_ramen_ramen_where_to_get_the_trendy_dish_and_whats_coming_next.php) It was my first hypothesis, so yes it did cross my mind. [http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2013/02/goro\_gun\_houstons\_first\_ramen.php](http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2013/02/goro_gun_houstons_first_ramen.php) This says as of two years ago there were none, with one soon to open. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/15 "2015-01-12T16:33:03Z")
> [@grude](#): > > It was my first hypothesis, so yes it did cross my mind. > > [http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2013/02/goro\_gun\_houstons\_first\_ramen.php](http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2013/02/goro_gun_houstons_first_ramen.php) > > This says as of two years ago there were none, with one soon to open. I never asked you if it crossed your mind, and your first hypothesis still didn’t allow for how different the products are. I was trying to make sure you understand that what you find easy to make at home isn’t actually what’s sold in Ramen shops. Why do you care what was there two years ago? Are you time traveling? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/16 "2015-01-12T16:35:17Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Well then I’m kind of annoyed that ramen places serving real broth etc haven’t expanded outside Japan. Step 1: Fund enormously expensive marketing program (90%+ of working budget) to counter the notion that “ray-men” is something college students live on from a box under their dorm bed. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/17 "2015-01-12T16:37:06Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > I’m in Bangkok, Thailand and theres a sizeable Japanese population here, tons of good Ramen places. Go to any city that has a sizeable Japanese population and you’ll find Ramen restaurants. > > As your attitude shows, the average westerner is not going to appreciate Ramen as something that can be a delicacy so they are going to want to go to a Japanese restaurant that serves Sushi or something else they associate with fine dining. How consistently good are they? I mean how much of a guarantee do you have they extrude their own noodles fresh and make their own broth, versus someone running in the back and sneakily making some instant ramen. What is cost like? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/18 "2015-01-12T16:40:31Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Step 1: Fund enormously expensive marketing program (90%+ of working budget) to counter the notion that “ray-men” is something college students live on from a box under their dorm bed. Well if Americans could come to embrace sushi, they could embrace ramen. I’d advise not calling it ramen per se, and using big pictures to show it isn’t just noodles and broth but basically a full serving of meat and veggies in the bowl too. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/19 "2015-01-12T16:41:51Z")
> [@grude](#): > > How consistently good are they? I mean how much of a guarantee do you have they extrude their own noodles fresh and make their own broth, versus someone running in the back and sneakily making some instant ramen. > > What is cost like? If you went somewhere and ordered pasta primavera, would you notice if someone served you instant Raman? Cost is relatively inexpensive. Maybe 12-15 bucks for a bowl, but it depends. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628/20 "2015-01-12T16:47:12Z")
> [@grude](#): > > How consistently good are they? I mean how much of a guarantee do you have they extrude their own noodles fresh and make their own broth, versus someone running in the back and sneakily making some instant ramen. > > What is cost like? varies from average to exceptional of course, there are cheap ramen places and there are classy ones. Here in Bangkok, they are cheap, 80-150 baht for a big bowl which is about $3.50-$7. You can tell immediately the difference between instant and proper ramen. Any restaurant serving up instant would go out of business in days. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ramen-restaurants-in-japan-what-is-the-deal/709628.md?page=2)