Hakata Ikousha represents the new wave of post-boom regionalized tonkotsu ramen, with a solid foundation in pork bone basics, innovative presentation, and the savvy to branch out across Japan. 
From the murky waters of Toyama City, Menya Iroha’s Kuroshoyu ramen is on the rise! This little package of nama noodling is an eclipse in a bowl, a black lagoon off… well, you get the point. Black shoyu ramen. 
新横浜ラーメン博物館 shin-yokohama raumen museum
by rameniac | 30 Jul 2008
Every time I visit Tokyo, I make it a point to stop by the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum. A veritable mecca for ramen lovers (not to mention an unqualified triumph in marketing - when was the last time you visited a Ripley’s Believe it or Not?), the “raumen” hakubutsukan features, contrary to popular opinion, neither the best ramen in all of Japan nor the most entertainment value for your yen. As a museum, it’s certainly not the Tate Modern or the Louvre, comprised of little more than a gift shop and an ever-fickle spotlight on one of Japan’s regional ramen varietals. On last visit, it was all about Kumamoto, and the entire “exhibit” consisted of a few bowls under glass, a video loop, and some wall-sized posterboard mockups.
