24 Hours in Tokyo - 5 Ramen to Eat

Only have 24 hours in Tokyo? Not sure where to eat ramen? We got you covered!

We're diving into 5 Tokyo neighborhoods and selecting our top ramen pick in each of them. Let's get to it!

Shibuya Ramen - Spicy Tantanmen

The Shibuya area is always the tourist radar, and for good reason. It's one of Tokyo's biggest entertainment districts. There's a nice variety of ramen shops around Shibuya station too. Among them, Renge no Gotoku is a must visit.

The most popular ramen they serve is a tantanmen, a spicy ramen style originally from Sichuan, China. The tantanmen soup at Renge no Gotoku is nutty, rich, and spicy all at once.

You have to order this tantanmen with paiko, or deep-fried breaded pork cutlet!

Shinjuku Ramen - Michelin Starred Shio

Neon-drenched Shinjuku is one of Tokyo's most fiercely competitive ramen neighborhoods. It's therefore not easy choosing just one ramen shop. Our pick has a shiny Michelin star...Soba House Konjiki Hototogisu.

The ramen that likely nabbed them the star is seasoned with shio (salt). What lies beneath this seasoning is a complex blend of hamaguri clams and sea bream. If you've only had tonkotsu (pork) ramen up to now, you might not be ready for this one.

Note that they're notorious for rushing customers out the door to keep the turnover moving.

Asakusa Ramen - Rich Miso

Home to traditional buildings and Tokyo's oldest temple, the Asakusa neighborhood is a wonderful place to visit. Asakusa is also a great place for ramen. One of the best ramen shops in the area is Fukurou.

They specialize in miso ramen, with a soup that's hearty but refined. The thick noodles are a perfect match to this soup, as is the dollop of ginger on top of the pork.

Coming Soon - a Tokyo Ramen Guide with 50+ ramen shops from the same Tokyo neighborhoods!

Akihabara Ramen - Bright Shio

Motenashi Kuroki in Akihabara is one of Tokyo's most renowned ramen shops. Everything on their menu is excellent. There is one ramen you should order, however, and that is the shio ramen.

They use multiple types of shio (salt) to hold up a soup that's whole chickens, pork, kelp, and fish. It is both delicious and beautifully presented. Choose between thick, hand-pressed noodles (pictured) or thin noodles.

A heads up - Motenashi Kuroki is one of the smallest ramen shops on this list. But thankfully the wait is never too long.

Ginza Ramen - Thick Tsukemen

In the posh Ginza district of Tokyo, you can find an impressive selection of top-notch ramen shops. Among them, Oborozuki vividly stands out. They're famous for tsukemen (dipping ramen).

Thick noodles meet an equally thick and rich soup that is pork, chicken, fish and other ingredients. In short, it's outstanding. Inside Oborozuki is almost like a cave...and it's all part of the experience.

There you have it - if you have only 24 hours in Tokyo, add these 5 Tokyo ramen shops to your list!