Outside the shop, menus with photos are lined up. Clear golden soup, almost black soup, red soup. Some photos show the noodles and soup in separate bowls.
Ramen became popular as a dish of wheat noodles eaten in soup made from meat or fish. Today it is eaten throughout Japan, and each region and shop has its own take on a bowl.
If you are unsure what to choose, start with two things.
・The flavor name — shoyu, shio, miso, tonkotsu. These four are a starting point
・The look of the noodles — thin or thick? If the noodles and soup are in separate bowls, it is tsukemen
Then there is ordering, and finishing your meal.
・At many shops, you buy a meal ticket from a machine first
・You can leave a little soup or drink it all
The photos in this article were taken at the ramen shop 麺肴ひづき (Hizuki) in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture.
1 Choose by Flavor Name — Shoyu, Shio, Miso, Tonkotsu
Ramen flavors are often called by four names. Shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt), and miso name the soup’s seasoning. Tonkotsu names a soup made from pork bones.
But not every bowl fits neatly into one of these four. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) writes that soup bases such as chicken, fish, and seafood are combined with seasonings differently from region to region and shop to shop. The menu at the shop in these photos also had sesame and chili oil tantanmen, soupless tantanmen, and a bowl combining tonkotsu and shoyu.
The four names are a starting point when you cannot decide. From there, you can look at the photos and choose a color you would like to try.
Even with shoyu, the colors can differ this much. The bowl above is clear gold; the one below is almost black. At this shop, both were shoyu ramen.
If you see 「中華そば」 on the menu
「中華そば」 (chuka soba) is another name for ramen. In general, an old-style ramen may be called this.
The name alone does not tell you the flavor, though. At the shop in the photos, 「手もみ中華そば」 came with a choice of shoyu or shio (on the menu in October 2026). The English listing said “Traditional Chinese soba.”
2 Choose by the Look of the Noodles — Thin, Thick and Wavy, or Tsukemen
You can also see the shape of the noodles in the photo menu.
The noodles in the clear shoyu bowl were fairly thin. Lift the noodles of the 手もみ中華そば with chopsticks and you see that they are wide and wavy.
Which tastes better is up to you. JNTO writes that enjoying small differences, from noodle firmness to how the green onions are cut, is part of the pleasure of ramen.
If the noodles and soup come in separate bowls, it is tsukemen
With 「つけ麺」 (tsukemen), the noodles and soup come separately. You dip the noodles into the richer soup to eat them. Some shops also serve a bowl of 「汁なし」 (soupless noodles).
On the menu at the shop in the photos, the tsukemen photo showed a bowl of noodles beside a bowl of soup.
For more noodles, look for 「大盛」 or 「替玉」
When you want more noodles, look for 「大盛」 (large). 「替玉（かえだま）」 is a refill of noodles only. If you plan to order 替玉, keep some soup: only the noodles will arrive.
You can also look up these characters in the “A Mini Japanese Dictionary for Eating Out” article.
3 Order First at the Ticket Machine
According to JNTO, many ramen shops have you buy a meal ticket from a ticket machine before eating. At some shops, you order from a staff member.
At the shop in the photos, the numbers on the menu outside matched the numbers on the ticket machine buttons. The screen was only in Japanese, but choosing a number from the outside menu before entering meant you did not have to decide at the screen.
The “Restaurants with a Ticket Machine” article covers how to use the machine, as well as bills and coins.
4 Slurp and Eat
You can slurp your noodles. JNTO writes that slurping is not rude; it is, in fact, a normal way to eat ramen. If you cannot manage it, there is no need to worry.
5 When You Finish — Leave the Soup or Drink It All
Once you have eaten the noodles and toppings, what about the soup? You can leave it or drink it all; either is fine.
You can leave a little soup. It is also fine to drink it all.(The writer lives in Nagano Prefecture and loves soba.)
JNTO also writes that if you want to drink it all, go ahead; you can even lift the bowl to drink. Eating the noodles and toppings and leaving a little soup still counts as finishing your meal.
When you are done, get up rather than sitting for a long time, especially if people are waiting outside.
6 What Goes into the Soup, and Things You Cannot Eat
Ramen soup may be made from pork, chicken, fish, or seafood. What goes into it varies by shop and by bowl.
The appearance or the English listing may not tell you everything in the soup base. On the menu at the shop in the photos, the English listing for 「イリヤマノニボシソバ」 said “Soy sauce-based soup.” The 「ニボシ」 in its name means 「煮干し」, small fish that have been boiled and dried.
Ramen noodles became widespread as wheat noodles. Whether the soup or toppings contain egg, milk, or other ingredients also varies by shop and by bowl. Some shops add a seasoned egg (味玉). And food served in restaurants is not required to carry the allergy labeling required for packaged foods.
If there is something you cannot eat, try showing the staff a card that lists it, including soup base ingredients, and asking them, as described in the “Allergy Card for Japan” article.
JNTO writes that some chefs are also developing dishes without animal-derived ingredients as alternatives to ramen. If you ask with your card and find a bowl you can eat, that too can be a bowl to remember from your trip.
For now, just this
If you cannot decide, start with shoyu, shio, miso, or tonkotsu. Then look at the colors in the photos.
「中華そば」 is also a name for ramen. Check the menu for the flavor.
If the noodles and soup are in separate bowls, it is tsukemen.
Buy your ticket first. For the buttons, see the “Restaurants with a Ticket Machine” article.
You can leave a little soup or drink it all. If ordering 替玉, keep enough soup for the extra noodles.
If there is something you cannot eat, ask with a card that includes the soup base.
