The Yokohama Ramen Museum wasn’t on my radar when Hunter and I were brainstorming places to go to during our anniversary trip to Tokyo. I was fairly pre-occupied with my dreams of visiting the Ghibli Museum! So when Hunter suggested we go, I wasn’t very enthused. “The place has ramen. So what?” I thought. Boy was I in for a nice surprise!
After about an hour of walking around to kill time, we arrived at the museum to a line of people already waiting to go in. The staff were taking everyone’s temperatures and making sure we disinfected our hands before we could approach the ticket window. I wondered why there were such strict requirements here, where most other places leave it to the honor system. I realized the reason once we descended to the basement.
The First Floor
Before we get to that, though, we gotta talk about the first floor! Timelines covered the walls, explaining the journey (in English!) ramen took to become one of the most loved Japanese foods ever, with the floor space exhibiting historical ramen carts and store fronts. The store front was a replica of an old ramen shop that helped cause Japan’s first ramen craze: Kiraiken. It opened in 1897 and during the busy season around New Years, they saw 2-3000 customers a day! Apparently, they closed in the 70s due to not having an heir to take over the business. You really couldn’t find anyone that was willing to take the mantle over??
The gift shop and noodle making experience are also located on this floor. Near the experience area was a large cone that detailed the museum’s attempt to recover the lost ramen recipe used at OO. They lucked out because some of the workers are still alive and vividly remember what the broth tasted like. They were also able to do genetic testing on wheat to figure out which type they used! Crazy!
It was coming back from that area that we noticed a small staircase leading to the basement. Figuring we’d seen everything there was to see on the first floor, we turned the corner and headed down.
The Basement of the Yokohama Ramen Museum
The first thing I noticed when we turned the corner into the stairwell was that the flooring was different. Instead of wood, it was now small, white tiles with black grout in between each, bringing to mind a shower room. As we descended, I realized the walls were also tiled. On the first landing were small mirrors and a ledge, just like an onsen. There was even a cardboard cut out of a man wrapped in a towel that you could pose behind!
As we continued down, the next thing I noticed was the sound — water splashing, people talking, the grating of plastic stools on tile. At the bottom of the stairs, the corridor had old-style onsen lockers, places to put your clothes while you bathe, and a door to the baths. Now, I knew that there was not an onsen in the bottom of this building. It’s a ramen museum. But at the same time, I swear I could feel the heat and moisture, and I thought that if I opened that door, I’d be face to face with a bunch of naked bathers!
Resisting the urge to test my hypothesis, I turned away from the onsen area — and into a narrow alley. Not a hallway, not a row of shelves, but a full-blown alley. With the sounds of the onsen still faintly audible, new sounds reached my ears. Conversations, old TV commercials, children laughing, music playing. Looking up, I could see laundry hung out to dry and wires crisscrossing the darkening sky. I truly felt that I had traveled back in time.
Each door, each building front looked so real, the talking so loud, I again swore that I’d find people on the other side if I’d just open one. But my mind knew it was fake and I didn’t want to break the illusion, so I kept my hands at my sides. There was no one there but me and Hunter, so we took our time strolling down the narrow street, excited for what lay around each corner.
Around one such corner was another surprise! The alley opened up and stairs led down to a large space where people were lining up outside of old fashioned restaurants. The ramen-tasting area! We spent a bit of time standing, looking out over everything. The sky was purple and red, the buildings dark, their signs lit up. Advertisements for old movies were posted on the walls, and close by was a staff member, dressed as a railroad worker, calling out to people walking down the stairs that they were arriving at Naruto Bashi Station. It was a bit surreal! I honestly think I could spend all day just going in a circle around this basement area. Eventually, though, we pulled out the pamphlet, sized up our ramen choices, and got in line outside one of the cramped restaurants.
The Ramen
After much deliberation, we went with the Kiraiken ramen. Can’t turn down the chance to taste a re-discovered recipe, right? We chose our orders on the ticket machine (you can order a mini bowl if you want to try ramen from multiple restaurants), and it wasn’t long before seats opened for us.
I’m not a huge fan of shoyu-based broth in my ramen, but when our bowls came, I knew it was going to be delicious. My mouth was watering as soon as I smelled it! The bamboo slices on the top were soft but firm and the chashu pork melted in my mouth. The broth was salty and filled with umami; I actually drank it once the noodles were gone, something I usually don’t do! I had a mini bowl and it was just the right amount of ramen.
Additional Information
- Parking: There is a toll parking lot here, but be warned, only the first 30 minutes are free. After that it’s ￥250 per 30 minutes. It is a short walk from Shin-Yokohama Station, so it might be better to use public transportation if you visit.
- Admission: ￥380 for adults / ￥100 for students and seniors (60+) / free for children who haven’t entered elementary school yet
- Hours: 11am-10pm
- Holidays: December 31st and January 1st
- Website: Click here for English and here for Japanese. The Japanese website has the most recent information on it.
