You forgot Ramen is a LUXURY FOOD in the USA. At $15 a bowl + tax and tips. You are looking at $19 a bowl. That is 2090 YEN about twice as much as you pay in Tokyo.
I think, as he says in the video, it's because ramen is more like fast food in japan. Unless there are many free seats you are expected to eat and leave quickly which means they can serve a lot more customers per seat, so they can make it cheaper while still making the same amount of money.
Yes! I live in the US and I am currently on vacation in Japan. Ramen is INSANELY different. Ramen in the US is so busy with so much toppings and such. Ramen in Japan are more simple yet contains so much unami & effort within each component.
I hope you’ll enjoy your visit to Japan! Please try Chanpon, it’s my favorite type of ramen.. ask people where you can try the best chanpon at where you are at!
Yep, I've found a few places in the US that are fairly simple but that was the one thing I noticed when I went to Tokyo is how much more simple the Ramen was....and I consider that a good thing. Most places with lots of Ramen in the US are cities where people are obsessed with over complicating things to try and stand out or be special. Sometimes simple is best.
To be fair, in Japan, it's fast food... in the US, it's foreign food in a dine in restaurant. That's a huge difference. In Japan, it's common, in the US, it's something that you might eat a few times in your life except for a few people. And I'm not counting cup ramen...
Precisely, what he described in the United States is not a ramen shop, but a Japanese cuisine restaurant that features Ramen as one of many items on menu.
What might more I suppose luxury or kind of valued more, is japanese curry. I only been to Japan twice but I haven't had a chance to try out the curry chains. But I did try the ramen. From what i remember, it is pretty fast in service. Where I'm from (California) , I'm 15 minutes away from nearest Co Co Ichibanya.
Ramen is not cheap in the US, but it is far from a luxury food. It is still about $10-15 per meal. Still cheaper than most meals at red lobster and no one would call red lobster a luxury food.
@@Chemicalkinetics I think what's obviously considered luxury would be more of fine dining. Ramen would be far from that kind of standard of food. At least in a typical sitdown restuarant .
I am a local Japanese who makes video about Osaka and used to live in U.S.. Ramen restaurant in U.S. is more like customer service oriented, while Japan is taste quality oriented I think🤔 For me, Ramen taste is better in Japan, but the Ramen restaurant service quality is much better in U.S.🤔🤔
The service isn't about quality. In Japan, you might see your server once when they bring your food. In America, you see your server about 5 times so it's seems like the servers are attentive.
Maurice W jus bec, they want something the Tip! that’s why they do that.come to the nice restaurant here amd u can see the server is attentive and always giving u good polite service.... with out tipping! but still US is ghetto
Currently, I work at a US ramen shop. Since the US is all about customizing and satisfying as many customers as possible (ideally...some servers just suck and shouldn't be in the industry), we give as many options to mix and match as possible. Gluten-free noodles, subbing protein items, switching broth, adding different toppings that can completely change the base ramen to something else. We have a wide variety of cultures, religions, dietary needs and it's best to just address them because you want the largest pool of customers as possible. US food and service culture is definitely have-it-your-way because if the customer is happy we get return customers and larger tips. Not all ramen places, but most do have a varied menu for the people who don't want ramen but wanted to come to a restaurant with their friends. (I only know a few that serve just strictly ramen with no apps or rice or alt. noodle dishes. I do know a large selection of alcohol is common at all places unless it's in a food court type situation or a booth.) A lot of kids are also picky so it helps to be able to customize everything so parents can eat out with their kids without issue. As an Asian person though...I don't get take out for noodle soups that have already been half eaten as it makes the noodles mushy and gross after sitting in the broth. I understand like pure takeout where most restaurants keep the broth and noodles/toppings separate...but not like you've eaten it and it's been sitting in that broth for 20+ min. But I'm not here to judge customers on how they eat their food. I'm just there to make their experience positive so they come back 2nd, 3rd, 4th, forever.
An American who actually understands, respects and knows the "have it your way" culture when it comes to food in the US. Many of the comments here seem ignorant about the US, ironically.
Ramen restaurants in the US are still seen as unique imo. They're really only in the bigger cities and most people from smaller cities have never gone to one or heard of one. As others have said, a larger menu is almost necessary if they want to make a profit and appease a family of varying ages.
Yes it’s like Japanese shops opening up to sell one not widely known American soup. It wouldn’t make sense to them nor have tons of customers. Ramen means something different culturally in Japan. In US it’s still a “Soup” dish so not always ok to eat alone.
Apparently there are a lot of ramen places around where I live(In Las Vegas, so a fairly big city). However, I was not aware that they existed. In the last 20 years I been living here, I never once heard anything about any raman shops around town. I only know they exist now because I googled it.
@@mawlinzebra It depends on where you are. In my experience in three different areas of the US prices and quality don't always match up. Best I've had was at a place on the second floor of a building in NYC. Close to that was (in quality and price ~$13-15) was a well-known shop in Madison, Wisconsin. For being a small city in the Midwest there is a strong affinity for Asian food there. But the worst I've had was a $17 bowl in Eastern Pennsylvania a little north of Philly.
Wow a very detailed comparison of the two same but different restaurants. I love the transition and the straight to the point dialogue. You should make more videos like this its helpful for students who are planning to go to Japan like me. Now we know the difference between ramen shops in USA and Japan thanks man.
In Japan there are Ramen shops, but what he described in the United States is NOT a Ramen shop. It is a Japanese cuisine restaurant that feature Ramen as one of many items on its menu.
I think in the US, ramen shops in general has to have other Japanese dishes (to include curry rice and katsu) to entice every types of customers. When ramen is mentioned, people think those packages of instant noodles, not an establishments that specialize in it. It is gaining ground/traction though in the recent years. Unlike in Thailand or Japan where you go to a specialty shop that sells only a particular dish. Many Asian restaurants (at least in the East Coast) still have to have extensive items available for everyone.
Also there isn't as many options for Japanese cuisine in the US (especially rural areas) so the few Japanese restaurants we have need to have a variety of Japanese food. Like they mentioned above when Americans think of ramen they often think of the instant packages and so the popularity of authentic Japanese ramen is relatively new here. Therefore a lot of places that used to have just sushi (since sushi has been pretty popular here for a couple of decades now) started also making ramen. Now that ramen is becoming more popular I predict to see more ramen-specific restaurants popping up that don't offer sushi but still appetizers of some sort. Also, since popularity of things like curry rice and soba are still pretty low it definitely doesn't make sense to have restaurants dedicated to just those dishes so the only place you can find these things are at sushi/ramen places -- and not all of them even serve them! So unfortunately until Japanese cuisine gets more popular there isn't going to be a specific restaurant for every type of food and it's just going to be lumped together. Also, I ALWAYS take home my leftover ramen. I hate wasting food and I think it tastes just as good if not better when it's reheated because the broth gets a stronger flavor. I do take out the noodles while I reheat the broth and then add them back just before I eat it so they don't get too overcooked. I've never had them get mushy before but the flavor they get from sitting in the broth makes them delicious. The only issue I've found with reheating ramen is that the meat (especially pork belly) can get chewy when reheating.
Kammy Marie Exactly right about the rural thing. Most of the Asian restaurants around here have a multitude of options (like buffet style) and most of them are predominantly Chinese. Tbh I really like Japanese food and I wish it were more available here. If I wanted to make it myself, it'd cost an arm and a leg just to get the ingredients.
@@kammymarie13 your comment is very informative! As for taking out leftover meal it's strange considering US is a lawsuit society. In Japan restaurants are afraid of being sued; plus the climate is unfavorable for food, being humid. Also Japanese people value a lot in perfect chewiness. In other words, al dente. We don't like soggy noodles. And ramen restaurant owners are known to take pride in their ramen. Just like stubborn artisans they tend to get irritated at small things. If I were to say to an owner I'd like to take out ramen, he will most likely get furiated. Having said that they won't if you're a foreigner.
@@時岡さなえ Thank you! It had never occurred to me before that people would sue a restaurant for getting sick (I had never seen it personally) so I looked it up and it seems to be more hassle than it's worth. Not only do you need to spend a lot of money and time to sue but you also need to provide evidence that it was their food that made you sick. Usually food poisoning only lasts a day or two so I don't think many people find the trouble to be worth it. I completely understand the pride chefs have in their food and would hate to offend them (though personally I think wanting to take their food home and eat it again later is a compliment!) and also that taking home leftovers in Japan is culturally taboo so I wouldn't do it there. However, in America it's part of our culture to take home half of our meal -- in fact portion sizes are so large here because it's almost expected! It's also a great way to save money because you can fill yourself up on the free bread or salad they give you and then save the meal for later 😊 Sometimes I can get 3 meals from just one restaurant visit!
Australian here, our ramen shops are similar toUS aside from tips (we pay a living wage). That being said we stuffed up first time in Japan and didn’t realise we had to eat and run... we worked it watching locals. We were very tired, just arrived, and lucky found a coffee shop that let us sit and relax a bit. However the ramen in Japan was sooooooooooo good. Can’t wait to come back later this year and show my kids! Congrats on you new arrival announcement, it’s a great journey.
This is basically like comparing US ramen shops to Japanese (USA style) BBQ restaurants. They're fundamentally different, and that's what makes it cool!
Coming from HK I can never understand the mandatory tips culture. I remember going to a restaurant in Canada and when was told I didn't pay enough because I only gave like 5% tips. If that's the case why don't you just add 10% service charge to the lump sum and present to me clear?
Tips (also called gratuity) aren’t always mandatory in the US, but they are expected. I Here, it’s standard to pay 15-20% for service in restaurants. Americans dislike tip culture too, but until we can get laws passed to fix the pay system of the service industry, it is unfair not to tip the service workers to help them earn a living wage.
Main reason of tips because wages paid by restaurant is minimal-tips like over minimal wages. If no tips nobody will work in any retail food businesses.
I agree with you. I live in Canada and I think it's very stupid how we must tip a server after a meal. They're doing their job -- they should make profit per guest at a fixed rate. The fixed rate should have been established by the business owner. If I ever own a food business, I'm paying my servers the minimum wage: any profits they make will be from the number of people they serve per day. If anyone gives a poor review about the server, the server will lose their profit made from that group of people.
It used to be like 15-20%, but these days they demand 25-30%, or even more. That's insane. Just taking order and bringing food costs that much? IMO the management should pay decent wage, and drop tipping altogether.
I like the ticket machine better than the waiting list. Yay! to no tipping! So far ramen in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Yokohama) taste is a lot better than the ones I've had in the USA (Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, LA, and NY)
Agreed! I can only speak for ramen in LA, but it just can't compare to ramen in Japan. The differences were even more apparent when I visited a ramen festival in LA, and they brought over like 6 ramen chef's straight from Japan and there was one place from LA there as well. And there were close to hour long lines for each Japanese chef's ramen, and not a single person for the LA ramen...
@@kennethpulgar-vidal Lol i feel sorry for that guy. If he's from LA I'd think to myself I can go to his shop any other day, but you'll never see the japanese guys again. Of course you'd get you ramen from them.
@@vrc7net Eh, dont worry about the LA one. It wasn't a chef from his own restaurant. It was a booth set up from a local ramen chain out here. Won't name names, but it was basically having Japanese chefs from their own restaurants setting up a booth next to a booth from what is essentially the L.A. "McDonald's" of ramen... So naturally, almost nobody went to them
Where did you go in San Diego? It is definitely a lot different than Japan! I noticed they serve it scorching hot at some places there, I actually burned my mouth like a dingus haha. In the states places serve it at a milder temp.
You hit the nail in the head on this one! Just as you said, if I want ramen, I go to a ramen shop. If I want sushi, I go to a sushi bar. If I want something else, I want variety, I'll go to a family restaurant. I love your videos, keep up the awesome work!
Your videos help me get a better understanding about Japan. I’m a first time traveler and I will be heading to Japan next month. Thank you for the heads up. ありがとうございます！
I definitely appreciate this video. I've been to Japan many times and everything mentioned in this video is definitely true. I definitely appreciate Japan ramen culture more, simply because the ramen in Japan is much better (AND NO TIP!) I really like the ramen restarurants you chose to highlight in Tokyo (Fuunji & Afuri) and in SF (Yamadaya), all of which I have been to before!
Just spent 3 weeks in Japan and the Ramen was amazing. I had never had it before as I’m from countryside in England and now live in Iceland so there isn’t good Japanese options. Japan was amazing and made easier thanks to a lot of your videos Best holiday ever
I think the biggest difference would be the price , when I was in Canada , I would spend more than 20$ including tips if I order an extra noodle, in contrast in Japan less than 10$😂 I had a hard time holding back eating ramen because I love ramen🤭 Paolo, you might want to focus on the amount of the ramen restaurants in Tokyo one day, everybody will be surprised !!
A local shop, Tatsuya Ramen, here in Austin is a bit a mix of Japanese and American cultures. 1. You pay before you eat at the register 2. Ramen options are typically traditional with some seasonal items that are different like a crawfish ramen or kabocha ramen 3. Seating is both counter and long tables 4. There is an appetizer and drink menu, but they're fairly limited 5. There is takeaway, but most people finish their bowls. Some take the broth home 6. There are no reservations The shop is also owned by a Japanese expat. If you ever decide to come to Austin, TX, check out our Japanese food and other foods. I would recommend it after having visited Japan a few times.
I live in the USA. I also think restaurants have way too many options. I'd love it if a place would just have 3 things they're good at, and you choose from those 3, that's it.
If you've ever watched Kitchen Nightmare, that's the big problem of a LOT of failing restaurants. Too many items on the menu means less attention give to most.
As someone who works in lots of different restaurants in the industry, most customers only order a few items off the menu so a simpler menu of better cooked food means you'll get something fresh and delicious instead of something not commonly ordered (usually gross/sitting in fridge for too long bc it doesn't sell) Americans are spoiled with too many options tbh
I have eaten at many ramen shops in both Japan and USA and I had never thought about the differences between them. You hit the nail on the head. Now I will think about it every time I eat in a ramen shop.
My favorite ramen shop in the U.S. is different from that place you went to. It's tiny, limited seating but at tables, and we order at the counter. After we're done, we either leave it on the table or place our dishes in a dish bucket on a rack to make it easier for the employees. My friend who's half Japanese and lived in Japan during his childhood freaked out when we first went because he said it was just like home, confirming that the ramen was authentic. They don't focus on just ramen, but everything else is great too. This place was actually rated #2 for ramen in the city.
In Toronto, ramen has become really popular with club and bar goers. Instead of getting pizza after a night out, people are going to ramen places and so they’ve started popping up all over the place to accommodate the increase in ramen popularity.
You can slurp all you want in America as well. You just might get weird looks, but they don't matter. It's about you enjoying your meal. FYI I always slurp with ramen and spaghetti.
There's a reason you slurp. You don't wait for the broth to cool. You slurp it while it's hot. If you didn't slurp it, it would be too hot to eat right away. By slurping it, you cool the noodles down just enough to be able to eat them and the noodles and broth are at the perfect temperature. You need to watch Tampopo ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo ).
For everyone who is unaware in America tipping is an option in japan its on the contrary it is already included in the price so people don’t consider it a tip or know that they are tipping
You hit it perfectly. Thats why I prefer Japanese system/etiquette vs US and this implies to not just Ramen restaurants, but all restaurants. US is more about "I'm the entitled customer, your business should focus on me" vs Japan is "both customer and restaurant should focus on the food, its an art"
Once you try ramen in Japan, ramen in the US just isn't the same!! Tried Ichiran 2 years ago during our trip to Japan and returned to LA and nothing could compare! T_T hahaha
Nikki Fil-Jap in America ichiran was recommended by a lot of our friends hence why we mentioned it- but we also have visited other small ramen shops in Japan. It’s one of the most unique ramen experiences we’ve had, nothing like it in LA.
That ramen shop you were standing in line for and the ticketing machine is BOMB. that fishy, thick broth is everything. Can't wait to go back in March. Love your vids.
I've never ordered Ramen in a shop here in the US, but I have ordered delivery. At least with delivery they sent the noodles and other items (meat, vegetables, eggs, etc.) in the bowl, and they send the broth in a separate container. You add the broth yourself when the food is delivered, so you avoid soggy delivery noodles. It's worked out rather well so far.
I'm from Singapore and the ramen shops is pretty much similar to what it's in the US! But most of the ramen shops in my country doesn't serve sashimi as an appetiser, in fact we don't have, prolly just hard boiled eggs and some veges. Yea and the sitting style is quite smilar to the US although we do have counter seats for a quick meal. But ramen in Singapore is skewing on the pricey side, I can easily hit up to SGD$18 before service charges if I wanna have an ingredient filled bowl of ramen. :/ I still love the experience of eating ramen in Japan! Nice video Paolo!
Major difference USA Ramen is expensive while Japanese Ramen is cheap 3:55 Now how do you tell who's leftover belongs to who without marking the container...
90% sure the customers are provided with the take out containers to take care for themselves. Its not really that big of an issue in that regard. If it is just ask for a pen or something to mark them with. It just sounds like you're trying to find the smallest details as an issue. Now if you were to order as pickup/take out and not dine in, most restaurants in all types of cuisines in the U.S will mark the containers well enough for you to understand which is which. A ramen place in my area has really great ramen for its price at only average 10 dollars. If you do take out, They place the soup in its own container, and noodles and any dry toppings in its own container, etc...They understand how to do take out for a meal like this. I can't agree though with the people taking home their dine in leftovers though. If you take it home sitting in the soup, the noodles will lose its texture and ruin everything that makes the ramen good.
@@PLA8thRt It's called sarcasm, we thrive on it in downstate New York ( NYC area). I honestly can't believe you went out of your way to explain that for a bit of humor.
my favourite ramen shops (australia) are tiny places that can only seat about 5-20 people. they’re definitely more like the japanese ramen shops in that they’re the order from the small menu, eat fast and get out right after you finish eating. so damn gooood
Leftover ramen happens if you can't finish it which happens. Most girls can't finish a big bowl of soup like that. Since there aren't any sizes in the ramen shops, you have to eat everything that you get. If you waste it then that's also bad. If soggy noodles doesn't bother you then why not get left over ramen?
I can never finish a bowl of ramen and always take it home for later. I simply take out the noodles and leftover meat while I'm reheating the broth/veg and then add it back right before I'm about to eat it. The heated broth reheats the noodles/meat without cooking it and whatever little amount of broth they soak up just enhances the flavor and doesn't make them soggy. It amazes me how people can be so grossed out by something they've never even tried lol How do you know leftover ramen is gross if you've never tried it??
You have leftover ramen by heating it up, pouring it into a bowl and eating it. Some shops in Japan will give you doggy bags to bring it home, soup and all.
Eating leftovers from eating out might be a strange for people since the food might not taste the same, but as a person who has done it several times, I personally enjoy taking extra food home. Whether it's Italian, Chinese, or even half of that delicious steak you couldn't finish because you were too full, it feels nice if the next day you don't have time to cook or go out. All you have to do is put the food in a microwave and presto! The is food ready to eat!
Dude, if you are in Shibuya and like ramen and sushi check out Uobei. It's a really cool place and you can order your food via a touch screen tablet (menu in English) and it gets delivered to your seat via a conveyor system. Very good quality and a bowl of ramen and 4 plates of sushi was about £6 which was the cheapest I found in Tokyo.
I'm so glad to have found a little ramen shop in Calgary that is leaning to the more authentic side of things. Also, don't do leftover ramen. I made that mistake only once. Love your videos!!
Haven't been to Japan but a lot of ramen shops in Hawaii are pretty good especially the ones in Waikiki that cater to Japanese tourists but still expensive. Been to a few ramen shops in California and I didn't really enjoy the experience people ordering starters and stuff just give me extra noodles.
I live in Canada, north of Toronto, and have had ramen in Toronto a few times. There, most restaurants are fairly small in general, and have limited seating, so while they do have tables they don't usually look like the one you showed in the US. While they do generally have appetizers and a bit of other options, they generally have a more limited menu compared to a traditional western restaurant.
You should have gone to Miki in the outer richmond neighborhood in san francisco. best in the city, huge cuts of pork belly and tankatsu broth is out of this world. haven’t had much luck in japan town as far as ramen goes.
At the ramen shops near me in the US they take separate the broth from the noodles and toppings when you either get delivery or take the rest of your meal home. The noodles are separated from the broth so they do not get soggy. It is not the same texture, but the US also doesn't have ramen shops on every corner for $5-$8.
The food prices are lower proportionally, and the minimum wage with tips is pretty abysmal. Generally, even if its the worst service, you tip at least 15%, 20 for average, and 25 for exceptional
Oh this is really cool! I want to visit Japan someday, and I never really thought about the differences in American and Japanese restaurants. It looks like Japan is very taste oriented, with ordering super quickly, and leaving as soon as possible, where here in America, we focus more on atmosphere and costumer service. It’s cool to compare the cultures! Great video as always!
Ramen was a staple for our family when living in Japan and we LOVED the system. It was nice to know that the people behind the counter were dealing with the food...that's it. They didn't need to manage ordering, handle money, play busboy...they stay in the food zone and churn it out great bowl after bowl. We loved the ability to choose the firmness of our noodles and the strength of the broth and even the amount of toppings. I loved the options for tsukemen (which is near impossible to find in the US) and the limitations on the types of sides meant they could focus on more details for the ramen itself. I feel a lot like many US Japanese restaurants try to do too much instead of doing one type of Japanese food really well. The Midwest is really cold in the winter and I feel like I have never missed a real true Japanese ramen shop like I do living here. **sadness ensues**
Spot on comments Paolo. I think it would be fair to say that the US experience is similar to a lot of countries outside Japan, apart from the tip (that's predominantly a US centric thing due to the very low working wage). The only other thing I would add is that the cost is significantly different. I spend a lot of time in Fukuoka (It's my wife's home town. I love a good Hakata/Tonkotsu ramen), and here the price is very reasonable, and often I get a chance at a free Kaedama. When it comes to payment - cash is king in Japan! When I am back home in Sydney, it is more expensive but there is often an understanding that a Ramen place is a ramen place, and although there are side dishes, they don't venture into the realm of a completely different type of Japanese cuisine (my local area of Sydney has nearly 200 Japanese restaurants alone, so I can walk down the street for pure Yakiniku, Okonomiyaki, yakitori... heck there is even a pure soba shop that understands you really should be making fresh soba, so they do it in the window). Sydney has one of the highest rates of foreign born, and there is a strong Asian culture awareness (due to population and close proximity to Asia) and as a result, there is a lot more specialising for most Asian cuisines which is reinforced with a high percentage of Australians having travelled extensively through Asia, and know that you need to head to a restaurant that done one thing well. Of course, you can venture into areas of Sydney where they don't understand the finer details of Japanese cuisine so they can bundle a lot of options. The cost is significantly more than Japan but without the need for tips. Furthermore, with Australia being the fastest adopter of contactless payments it's very rare to see cash. Many times, someone will just come to your table to tap your phone. When I am in San Francisco, New York, Vancouver or other North American cities that have larger Asian populations the cost, plus tax, plus tip it gets significantly more expensive that Sydney. The US payments systems are inconsistent and well behind Australia and Europe, so I really never know what way my card will be accepted (but it's usually card). San Francisco compared to anywhere else will try to push the hipster feel. There are even Ramen places I have been that are so cool from entering to sitting down that when I look at the menu and cannot spot anything resembling a true, simplistic Ramen, I am not surprised. It's very different. Very California. Very hip. A massive departure from the simple, single tonkotsu broth one shop would sweat a lifetime from family member to family member perfecting through the generations in Japan. I think I have to spend more time in Mexico hunting down their versions. They have a love for Japanese cuisine that has already created new trends with Sushi. I suspect they've done the same with Ramen. Bang for you buck and flavour are all Japans way. But it's a dish the world seems to love, and there are probably more wild and wacky version outside Japan that in.
I've found that a lot of people not from America (or other Western countries) don't seem to do the whole doggie-bag thing. Meanwhile here in the US, it's almost expected? Serving sizes are large not because you're expected to eat that much in one sitting (although sometimes you're really hungry), but because most people take home their leftovers and either eat them as a snack later, or for lunch the next day. It's the same when we cook, although IDK if having leftovers after a home-cooked meal is an unusual in other places.
I’m from São Paulo, Brazil and here we have a lot of japanese imigrantes. There’s a place called “Liberdade” where you can find a lot of typical japanese restaurants and it’s more like USA style. Have a lot of appetizers and different kind of drinks with or no alcohol. Maybe one day you can come to Brazil and show how japanese immigrants lives here.
Thanks. Never been to a ramen shop in Japan or the States. I'm going to Japan in October and really want to try one. This will come in handy. Thanks again!
Absolutely, I'm in Canada and we have Bento Box brand here and the bowls are big, it's too much to eat in one serving so I ask for a lid and I go home with it.
No shit. My best sushi/sashimi and cheesecake (funnily enough) experiences were in Japan. The NYC cheesecakes were overpriced and dry. In Japan they were overpriced and worth it.
Im from the philippines and what we have here is very similar to the US. A lot on the menu, large tables for groups and everyone isn't in the hurry to leave. When i went to tokyo, it was definately a whole new experience. I like the line system, first come first serve ftw! And the ramen was amazing. If people are lining up, then the place must serve good food in general.
Eric Larrabee oh yea? You even think tipping is a good thing as we are paying the tips because the employers don’t pay their employees enough money and we are responsible for that? They are even not delivering good customer service. All they do is looking around two or three times and ask “how are you doing”. That’s not worth more than 18-20% of tipping. If you are that generous, you may do that as that’s your money and nobody would refuse you to pay more to them. That’s your dumb choice.
The standard is shifting to 18 to 20% now. 10% has always been the tip for bad service. I still do 15% personally because I live in California and servers are paid minimum wage + tips.
@@user-tn7qj7mj2l lol can tell youve never been in the service industry. you dont want to tip, then stay home. if your server sucked, then leave them a bad tip. but to imply that people should tip less due to the time of day they come in is stupid. ...you want restaurants to be full of mcdonalds workers? cause thats what will happen if you get rid of tipping.
Yes because one is paid a reasonable wage while the other is systematically created a long time ago to make tipping the only way a server can make money.
Ramen is street food in Japan and fancy dinning in the US. The quality is much lower in US ramen and usually much more expensive, about twice as expensive here in New York vs ramen in Japan. Overall, the eat out environment is just pretty poor in the US. You pay a lot (because tax and tips) for low quality food
I found eating Ramen in Japan intimidating. Being from US, the whole rush and eat thing is a bit unsettling. To me US Ramen shops are to expensive to be rushed. But a Ramen shop in Japan has better tasting Ramen. I like them both for different reasons. When I came back to japan I will eat Ramen when it isn't the lunch or dinner rush so I do not feel rushed. Take home Ramen is gross not matter what country you are in. Do not order appetizers if you can't finish your Ramen.....
There is a Japanese restaurant, where I live, that serves a very specific type of ramen that I have never seen anywhere else. They family flies in family members from Japan to help out once and a while. The ramen is really good. The owners told me is a secret recipe. The broth is creamy and rich rather than clear.
Welcome to the US of A, in which waiters are not entitled to minimum wage because they earn tips, so it is up to the customer to pay for the waiters' salary
@@julianakarasawa315 no, look at the state laws, most have a variation on the same deal, there is minimum wage and tips are either a bonus or a small amount is charged against the minimum before becoming a bonus, in either case it tends to pay more than minimum wage in the end which is why people take the job.
That amount is not required on a normal basis maybe just where he went. Only in select dining places when you have large groups of 6/8 people or more( honestly only seen it in Disney world and fine dining spots). If I have a 20 dollar meal I usually tip about 4-5 dollars depending on service I would tip more or less.
@@caitlynt2864 Doesn't make sense haha. You said that this amount is only in select dining places. But then you say you tip $ 4 for a $20 meal. This is exactly a 20% tip
I grew up in Philadelphia, and I went to Tokyo for the first time a few months ago. My first exposure to ramen was instant ramen (think of those noodle packs you would find in a 7 Eleven or Lawson, but with worse ingredients), which was a cheap low-quality high-calorie meal college students who didn’t have a lot of money would eat. Ramen bars and restaurants are still relatively new in my city, they’re typically not operated by Japanese people, and they don’t have the same focus on creating a quality bowl of ramen. And, yes, there are a lot of appetizers and side dishes. This is why Japan was such a shock to me, in a good way. I love that a ramen bar focuses on just ramen, and that customers are expected to order upfront, sit down, eat, clean up after themselves, thank the people who made their meal, and leave so the next person can sit down immediately. Plus, even cheap ramen in Japan tastes way, way better than the most expensive bowl of ramen I’ve had in the United States.
I live in Ontario, Canada and have traveled to Tokyo a couple times. The ramen shops in my area are more similar to those you described in the USA. The biggest difference I find from Japanese ramen is the amount of salt in the broth, and this one actually applies to food in general. In North America we tend to salt our food pretty heavily but in Japan there is virtually no salt at all. As a result, ramen in Japan tastes much more distinct and 'clean'. I also find that the ramen shops in Japan are more experimental. On your recommendation I checked out Fuunji Ramen which mixes fish & pork stock for their soup. Surprisingly I found a couple of other Tokyo ramen shops that did the same thing. Most of the ramen shops I've tried in Canada don't even bother having a rotating special (except Kinton Ramen) let alone continuously trying new things.
In a few ramen places I've eaten in the US, if you're going to take your leftover ramen home they separate the noodles and broth into separate containers so the noodles don't sit in the broth and soak it up. It's better than putting it all into one container.
I loved your video. I got to eat ramen in Tokyo and in the US. I love both styles. I like being able to take food home since it's so heavy in carbs in the US. But when you are traveling, we found it best to eat everything at the ramen shop.
Wow who ever told you tipping is 18-20% in ca was bs. It’s 10-15 normally, in fact we just went out last night for ramen in ca and we tipped 17% but it was that good.
Ramen Nagi in the Bay Area is actually much more like a Japanese ramen shop. You queue up to get in, the menu is simple, and you order on a sheet. Ramen is definitely less rare than it used to be in the USA. Most towns with a university will have at least one ramen shop. Ramen in the US tends to be more expensive, though places near university campuses tend to be cheaper since they are more in the "fast food" category and less in the "specialty food" category.
In Brisbane, Australia we have Hakataya Ramen, which is most like the Japanese ramen bar experience. There are tiny seats squished into a tiny stall, and only about 5 ramen dishes to choose from. Otherwise, you get ramen options on the menus of Japanese restaurants and sushi trains. You can order take-out/take-away ramen at Hakataya Ramen and from the restaurants, but they separate the noodles, toppings and broth so the noodles don't get soggy!
I've done ramen takeaway a few times. Restaurants will give you a container of the soup, noodles in a seperate container, and maybe even the fixings in a third one so nothing sogs out. It's still a lesser experience because the noodles still keep cooking when cramped into a sealed container and get mushy -- and there's no real guarantee that you'll have an appropriately sized bowl at home to mix everything together so you're left trying to portion everything out and it's way more math and logic than i care to do with my ramen.
I live in Düsseldorf in Germany, and there is an entire street dedicated to Asian restaurants. There is somewhat of a spectrum of all kinds of extremes. You do get restaurants in which the queues and etiquette are the same as in Japan, but they do offer takeaway. You've got japanese, korean, chinese, thai food, BBC, sushi, ramen, in all kinds of combinations, fast food and regular restaurants alike
Which Ramen Shop culture do you prefer and why?
Check out my Toe-Kyo Shirt Merch here - www.tokyozebra.com/merch
日本のラーメンは美味しいですよね！
Love this video, very inspiring!
Did you like Ramen Yamadaya?
Paolo fromTOKYO I’ve never been to Tokyo but I’m sure the ramen is better!
I can’t wait to go Lawson’s and Family Mart!
Paolo fromTOKYO lol .......taking home ramen defeats the purpose!!!
I have order delivery but the noodles come separate
You forgot Ramen is a LUXURY FOOD in the USA.
At $15 a bowl + tax and tips. You are looking at $19 a bowl.
That is 2090 YEN about twice as much as you pay in Tokyo.
I think, as he says in the video, it's because ramen is more like fast food in japan. Unless there are many free seats you are expected to eat and leave quickly which means they can serve a lot more customers per seat, so they can make it cheaper while still making the same amount of money.
@@vrc7net Ramen is also CHEAP in Japan 900Y to 1000Y being typical for Tokyo. That's $8 to $9.
Pho is much better and cheaper too.
@@dangda-ww7de
Vietnamese pho should be compared to Udon and soba in Japan rather than ramen.
@@dangda-ww7de Do some research and gain some appreciation for diversity. Ramen Pho. Both are delicious if made well. It's not a contest.
Yes! I live in the US and I am currently on vacation in Japan. Ramen is INSANELY different. Ramen in the US is so busy with so much toppings and such. Ramen in Japan are more simple yet contains so much unami & effort within each component.
Ramen in Japan taste better :P The flavor of the soup and the tenderness of the noodles are amazing
I hope you’ll enjoy your visit to Japan!
Please try Chanpon, it’s my favorite type of ramen.. ask people where you can try the best chanpon at where you are at!
I think you mean umami? Do you know what umami means?
Yep, I've found a few places in the US that are fairly simple but that was the one thing I noticed when I went to Tokyo is how much more simple the Ramen was....and I consider that a good thing. Most places with lots of Ramen in the US are cities where people are obsessed with over complicating things to try and stand out or be special. Sometimes simple is best.
America ruins real quality food. Its all about the PROCESSED garbage...
To be fair, in Japan, it's fast food... in the US, it's foreign food in a dine in restaurant. That's a huge difference. In Japan, it's common, in the US, it's something that you might eat a few times in your life except for a few people. And I'm not counting cup ramen...
Dude you are way overselling how luxury ramen is in the US. It's just a restaurant item, at most $20 and thats a bit of an overestimation.
Precisely, what he described in the United States is not a ramen shop, but a Japanese cuisine restaurant that features Ramen as one of many items on menu.
What might more I suppose luxury or kind of valued more, is japanese curry. I only been to Japan twice but I haven't had a chance to try out the curry chains. But I did try the ramen. From what i remember, it is pretty fast in service.
Where I'm from (California) , I'm 15 minutes away from nearest Co Co Ichibanya.
Ramen is not cheap in the US, but it is far from a luxury food. It is still about $10-15 per meal. Still cheaper than most meals at red lobster and no one would call red lobster a luxury food.
@@Chemicalkinetics I think what's obviously considered luxury would be more of fine dining. Ramen would be far from that kind of standard of food. At least in a typical sitdown restuarant .
I am a local Japanese who makes video about Osaka and used to live in U.S..
Ramen restaurant in U.S. is more like customer service oriented, while Japan is taste quality oriented I think🤔
For me, Ramen taste is better in Japan, but the Ramen restaurant service quality is much better in U.S.🤔🤔
Rion Ishida US is ghetto and they took a Tip in ur pay so they do it in purpose cuz they wnt tip or extra money haha but still in the US is ghetto
brixx jones I don’t think you know what ghetto means
Rion Ishida I do, of course! but dude , admit it US is ghetto
The service isn't about quality. In Japan, you might see your server once when they bring your food. In America, you see your server about 5 times so it's seems like the servers are attentive.
Maurice W jus bec, they want something the Tip! that’s why they do that.come to the nice restaurant here amd u can see the server is attentive and always giving u good polite service.... with out tipping! but still US is ghetto
Currently, I work at a US ramen shop. Since the US is all about customizing and satisfying as many customers as possible (ideally...some servers just suck and shouldn't be in the industry), we give as many options to mix and match as possible. Gluten-free noodles, subbing protein items, switching broth, adding different toppings that can completely change the base ramen to something else. We have a wide variety of cultures, religions, dietary needs and it's best to just address them because you want the largest pool of customers as possible. US food and service culture is definitely have-it-your-way because if the customer is happy we get return customers and larger tips. Not all ramen places, but most do have a varied menu for the people who don't want ramen but wanted to come to a restaurant with their friends. (I only know a few that serve just strictly ramen with no apps or rice or alt. noodle dishes. I do know a large selection of alcohol is common at all places unless it's in a food court type situation or a booth.) A lot of kids are also picky so it helps to be able to customize everything so parents can eat out with their kids without issue. As an Asian person though...I don't get take out for noodle soups that have already been half eaten as it makes the noodles mushy and gross after sitting in the broth. I understand like pure takeout where most restaurants keep the broth and noodles/toppings separate...but not like you've eaten it and it's been sitting in that broth for 20+ min. But I'm not here to judge customers on how they eat their food. I'm just there to make their experience positive so they come back 2nd, 3rd, 4th, forever.
An American who actually understands, respects and knows the "have it your way" culture when it comes to food in the US. Many of the comments here seem ignorant about the US, ironically.
Ramen restaurants in the US are still seen as unique imo. They're really only in the bigger cities and most people from smaller cities have never gone to one or heard of one. As others have said, a larger menu is almost necessary if they want to make a profit and appease a family of varying ages.
Yes it’s like Japanese shops opening up to sell one not widely known American soup. It wouldn’t make sense to them nor have tons of customers. Ramen means something different culturally in Japan. In US it’s still a “Soup” dish so not always ok to eat alone.
Apparently there are a lot of ramen places around where I live(In Las Vegas, so a fairly big city). However, I was not aware that they existed. In the last 20 years I been living here, I never once heard anything about any raman shops around town. I only know they exist now because I googled it.
@@hollyh7924 bro where do you live where a bowl of ramen is $15+? I'm in socal and a bowl here is between $8-$12.
waisodim666 Ramen is only about 8$ where I live. I think someone else said it’s more expensive for them.
@@mawlinzebra It depends on where you are. In my experience in three different areas of the US prices and quality don't always match up. Best I've had was at a place on the second floor of a building in NYC. Close to that was (in quality and price ~$13-15) was a well-known shop in Madison, Wisconsin. For being a small city in the Midwest there is a strong affinity for Asian food there. But the worst I've had was a $17 bowl in Eastern Pennsylvania a little north of Philly.
Left over Ramen? I don't understand!
cuz i ate them all
I mean, if you don’t feel well or can’t stuff yourself anymore....
@@TH-cam_Staff You must be fun at parties. The joke has completely gone over you head.
Jose Ramos me neither
It's sacrilegious to take ramen home with noodles and soup together!
Love the Japanese approach, saves everyone involved time, reduces the risk of misunderstandings and the employees can focus on the important stuff!
Wow a very detailed comparison of the two same
but different restaurants. I love the transition and the straight to the point dialogue.
You should make more videos like this its helpful for students who are planning
to go to Japan like me. Now we know the difference between ramen shops in USA
and Japan thanks man.
In Japan there are Ramen shops, but what he described in the United States is NOT a Ramen shop. It is a Japanese cuisine restaurant that feature Ramen as one of many items on its menu.
I think in the US, ramen shops in general has to have other Japanese dishes (to include curry rice and katsu) to entice every types of customers. When ramen is mentioned, people think those packages of instant noodles, not an establishments that specialize in it. It is gaining ground/traction though in the recent years. Unlike in Thailand or Japan where you go to a specialty shop that sells only a particular dish. Many Asian restaurants (at least in the East Coast) still have to have extensive items available for everyone.
Also there isn't as many options for Japanese cuisine in the US (especially rural areas) so the few Japanese restaurants we have need to have a variety of Japanese food. Like they mentioned above when Americans think of ramen they often think of the instant packages and so the popularity of authentic Japanese ramen is relatively new here. Therefore a lot of places that used to have just sushi (since sushi has been pretty popular here for a couple of decades now) started also making ramen. Now that ramen is becoming more popular I predict to see more ramen-specific restaurants popping up that don't offer sushi but still appetizers of some sort. Also, since popularity of things like curry rice and soba are still pretty low it definitely doesn't make sense to have restaurants dedicated to just those dishes so the only place you can find these things are at sushi/ramen places -- and not all of them even serve them! So unfortunately until Japanese cuisine gets more popular there isn't going to be a specific restaurant for every type of food and it's just going to be lumped together.
Also, I ALWAYS take home my leftover ramen. I hate wasting food and I think it tastes just as good if not better when it's reheated because the broth gets a stronger flavor. I do take out the noodles while I reheat the broth and then add them back just before I eat it so they don't get too overcooked. I've never had them get mushy before but the flavor they get from sitting in the broth makes them delicious. The only issue I've found with reheating ramen is that the meat (especially pork belly) can get chewy when reheating.
Kammy Marie Exactly right about the rural thing. Most of the Asian restaurants around here have a multitude of options (like buffet style) and most of them are predominantly Chinese.
Tbh I really like Japanese food and I wish it were more available here. If I wanted to make it myself, it'd cost an arm and a leg just to get the ingredients.
I agree. And in this area (Seattle-Tacoma) most Japanese restaurants seem to be owned by Koreans, so sometimes you'll see bulgogi on the menu.
@@kammymarie13 your comment is very informative!
As for taking out leftover meal it's strange considering US is a lawsuit society. In Japan restaurants are afraid of being sued; plus the climate is unfavorable for food, being humid.
Also Japanese people value a lot in perfect chewiness. In other words, al dente. We don't like soggy noodles.
And ramen restaurant owners are known to take pride in their ramen. Just like stubborn artisans they tend to get irritated at small things.
If I were to say to an owner I'd like to take out ramen, he will most likely get furiated. Having said that they won't if you're a foreigner.
@@時岡さなえ Thank you! It had never occurred to me before that people would sue a restaurant for getting sick (I had never seen it personally) so I looked it up and it seems to be more hassle than it's worth. Not only do you need to spend a lot of money and time to sue but you also need to provide evidence that it was their food that made you sick. Usually food poisoning only lasts a day or two so I don't think many people find the trouble to be worth it.
I completely understand the pride chefs have in their food and would hate to offend them (though personally I think wanting to take their food home and eat it again later is a compliment!) and also that taking home leftovers in Japan is culturally taboo so I wouldn't do it there. However, in America it's part of our culture to take home half of our meal -- in fact portion sizes are so large here because it's almost expected! It's also a great way to save money because you can fill yourself up on the free bread or salad they give you and then save the meal for later 😊 Sometimes I can get 3 meals from just one restaurant visit!
Im going to Japan this week. THANK YOU FOR THIS
Australian here, our ramen shops are similar toUS aside from tips (we pay a living wage). That being said we stuffed up first time in Japan and didn’t realise we had to eat and run... we worked it watching locals. We were very tired, just arrived, and lucky found a coffee shop that let us sit and relax a bit.
However the ramen in Japan was sooooooooooo good. Can’t wait to come back later this year and show my kids! Congrats on you new arrival announcement, it’s a great journey.
When I take ramen home, they separate the noodles and broth in separate containers for me :P
Same
edit: but for me it is when I get uber eats, I dont take home my ramen, I dont think it's right just like japanese people.
They do that in America too
This is basically like comparing US ramen shops to Japanese (USA style) BBQ restaurants. They're fundamentally different, and that's what makes it cool!
Coming from HK I can never understand the mandatory tips culture. I remember going to a restaurant in Canada and when was told I didn't pay enough because I only gave like 5% tips. If that's the case why don't you just add 10% service charge to the lump sum and present to me clear?
Tips (also called gratuity) aren’t always mandatory in the US, but they are expected. I
Here, it’s standard to pay 15-20% for service in restaurants.
Americans dislike tip culture too, but until we can get laws passed to fix the pay system of the service industry, it is unfair not to tip the service workers to help them earn a living wage.
Main reason of tips because wages paid by restaurant is minimal-tips like over minimal wages. If no tips nobody will work in any retail food businesses.
I agree with you. I live in Canada and I think it's very stupid how we must tip a server after a meal. They're doing their job -- they should make profit per guest at a fixed rate. The fixed rate should have been established by the business owner. If I ever own a food business, I'm paying my servers the minimum wage: any profits they make will be from the number of people they serve per day. If anyone gives a poor review about the server, the server will lose their profit made from that group of people.
It used to be like 15-20%, but these days they demand 25-30%, or even more.
That's insane. Just taking order and bringing food costs that much?
IMO the management should pay decent wage, and drop tipping altogether.
@@deadby15 Become a server and then talk nonchalantly about it. It's a lot of work.
I like the ticket machine better than the waiting list. Yay! to no tipping! So far ramen in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Yokohama) taste is a lot better than the ones I've had in the USA (Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, LA, and NY)
Agreed! I can only speak for ramen in LA, but it just can't compare to ramen in Japan. The differences were even more apparent when I visited a ramen festival in LA, and they brought over like 6 ramen chef's straight from Japan and there was one place from LA there as well. And there were close to hour long lines for each Japanese chef's ramen, and not a single person for the LA ramen...
@@kennethpulgar-vidal Lol i feel sorry for that guy. If he's from LA I'd think to myself I can go to his shop any other day, but you'll never see the japanese guys again. Of course you'd get you ramen from them.
@@vrc7net Eh, dont worry about the LA one. It wasn't a chef from his own restaurant. It was a booth set up from a local ramen chain out here. Won't name names, but it was basically having Japanese chefs from their own restaurants setting up a booth next to a booth from what is essentially the L.A. "McDonald's" of ramen... So naturally, almost nobody went to them
Now I'm curious to know who is the Mcdonald's of Ramen.
Where did you go in San Diego? It is definitely a lot different than Japan! I noticed they serve it scorching hot at some places there, I actually burned my mouth like a dingus haha. In the states places serve it at a milder temp.
You hit the nail in the head on this one! Just as you said, if I want ramen, I go to a ramen shop. If I want sushi, I go to a sushi bar. If I want something else, I want variety, I'll go to a family restaurant. I love your videos, keep up the awesome work!
Your videos help me get a better understanding about Japan. I’m a first time traveler and I will be heading to Japan next month. Thank you for the heads up.
ありがとうございます！
Love, love, love Japanese ramen! Love how they specialized in one product because they want to perfect their skills
That's not why.
US does this with things like In-N-Out Burger and 5 Guys.
@@mikecronis that's literally why they have restaurants just for ramen and restaurants just for sushi..
I definitely appreciate this video. I've been to Japan many times and everything mentioned in this video is definitely true.
I definitely appreciate Japan ramen culture more, simply because the ramen in Japan is much better (AND NO TIP!)
I really like the ramen restarurants you chose to highlight in Tokyo (Fuunji & Afuri) and in SF (Yamadaya), all of which I have been to before!
Bro this Channel is so legit, I don't understand why people hit the dislike button. ( I rather hit the like button and subscribe)
Love the edit at around 35 seconds, the disappearing server is brilliant
Nah he just teleported behind you, nothing personnel kid
Just spent 3 weeks in Japan and the Ramen was amazing. I had never had it before as I’m from countryside in England and now live in Iceland so there isn’t good Japanese options. Japan was amazing and made easier thanks to a lot of your videos
Best holiday ever
I'm from Wigan and never had ramen before either....I don't think anyone does this...maybe in Manchester but I don't know.
I think the biggest difference would be the price , when I was in Canada , I would spend more than 20$ including tips if I order an extra noodle, in contrast in Japan less than 10$😂
I had a hard time holding back eating ramen because I love ramen🤭
Paolo, you might want to focus on the amount of the ramen restaurants in Tokyo one day, everybody will be surprised !!
A local shop, Tatsuya Ramen, here in Austin is a bit a mix of Japanese and American cultures.
1. You pay before you eat at the register
2. Ramen options are typically traditional with some seasonal items that are different like a crawfish ramen or kabocha ramen
3. Seating is both counter and long tables
4. There is an appetizer and drink menu, but they're fairly limited
5. There is takeaway, but most people finish their bowls. Some take the broth home
6. There are no reservations
The shop is also owned by a Japanese expat. If you ever decide to come to Austin, TX, check out our Japanese food and other foods. I would recommend it after having visited Japan a few times.
I live in the USA. I also think restaurants have way too many options. I'd love it if a place would just have 3 things they're good at, and you choose from those 3, that's it.
If you've ever watched Kitchen Nightmare, that's the big problem of a LOT of failing restaurants. Too many items on the menu means less attention give to most.
As someone who works in lots of different restaurants in the industry, most customers only order a few items off the menu so a simpler menu of better cooked food means you'll get something fresh and delicious instead of something not commonly ordered (usually gross/sitting in fridge for too long bc it doesn't sell) Americans are spoiled with too many options tbh
That's why I like 5 Guys. Burgers, fries, shakes, that's it. Fewer options means a better product.
I have eaten at many ramen shops in both Japan and USA and I had never thought about the differences between them. You hit the nail on the head. Now I will think about it every time I eat in a ramen shop.
What do you think about takeaway?
1:15 she's cute, hands down
Absolutely hands down!
was looking for this comment, agreed
was just thinking that lol
@@EGOCOGITOSUM Oh man. Get help bruh
Hands down to do what? Whack yourself off?
My favorite ramen shop in the U.S. is different from that place you went to. It's tiny, limited seating but at tables, and we order at the counter. After we're done, we either leave it on the table or place our dishes in a dish bucket on a rack to make it easier for the employees. My friend who's half Japanese and lived in Japan during his childhood freaked out when we first went because he said it was just like home, confirming that the ramen was authentic. They don't focus on just ramen, but everything else is great too. This place was actually rated #2 for ramen in the city.
Never enjoyed eating alone for dinner as much as in japan. Kare udon for life
In Toronto, ramen has become really popular with club and bar goers. Instead of getting pizza after a night out, people are going to ramen places and so they’ve started popping up all over the place to accommodate the increase in ramen popularity.
Don't forget one major difference. you can SLURP !!!! all you want in Japan. I love that . .
It is considered a courtesy, slurping in Japan means you love the noodles and is considered a good thing
You can slurp all you want in America as well. You just might get weird looks, but they don't matter. It's about you enjoying your meal.
FYI I always slurp with ramen and spaghetti.
I'm pretty sure that's just a myth.
You can slurp in the USA too it depends where you’re from and the area you’re in.
There's a reason you slurp. You don't wait for the broth to cool. You slurp it while it's hot. If you didn't slurp it, it would be too hot to eat right away. By slurping it, you cool the noodles down just enough to be able to eat them and the noodles and broth are at the perfect temperature. You need to watch Tampopo ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampopo ).
For everyone who is unaware in America tipping is an option in japan its on the contrary it is already included in the price so people don’t consider it a tip or know that they are tipping
Dude I dunno if I'll be able to enjoy my bowl of ramen while there are 20 ppl in the back stairing at me 😂
You hit it perfectly. Thats why I prefer Japanese system/etiquette vs US and this implies to not just Ramen restaurants, but all restaurants. US is more about "I'm the entitled customer, your business should focus on me" vs Japan is "both customer and restaurant should focus on the food, its an art"
Once you try ramen in Japan, ramen in the US just isn't the same!! Tried Ichiran 2 years ago during our trip to Japan and returned to LA and nothing could compare! T_T hahaha
Sylvie & Aaron facts! im japanese and im kinsa upset about the fact that people only know ichiran, theres more ramen places better than ichiran😅
Nikki Fil-Jap in America what’s one of the better ramen shops near shinjuku? I’m going in September and just trying to get an awesome ramen experience
Nikki Fil-Jap in America ichiran was recommended by a lot of our friends hence why we mentioned it- but we also have visited other small ramen shops in Japan. It’s one of the most unique ramen experiences we’ve had, nothing like it in LA.
There’s actually an Ichiran in New York. Costs way more though.
@@kracykat12 watch his video top 5 ramen shops in Shinjuku.
That ramen shop you were standing in line for and the ticketing machine is BOMB. that fishy, thick broth is everything. Can't wait to go back in March. Love your vids.
Thank you for helping me get around tokyo your vids helped me so much.
I've never ordered Ramen in a shop here in the US, but I have ordered delivery. At least with delivery they sent the noodles and other items (meat, vegetables, eggs, etc.) in the bowl, and they send the broth in a separate container. You add the broth yourself when the food is delivered, so you avoid soggy delivery noodles. It's worked out rather well so far.
日本の拉麺は 塩田の自然塩味が
ベースですね
plus 醤油 味噌の味が引き立つ
🌻🌻🌻
I'm from Singapore and the ramen shops is pretty much similar to what it's in the US! But most of the ramen shops in my country doesn't serve sashimi as an appetiser, in fact we don't have, prolly just hard boiled eggs and some veges. Yea and the sitting style is quite smilar to the US although we do have counter seats for a quick meal. But ramen in Singapore is skewing on the pricey side, I can easily hit up to SGD$18 before service charges if I wanna have an ingredient filled bowl of ramen. :/ I still love the experience of eating ramen in Japan! Nice video Paolo!
Major difference
USA Ramen is expensive while Japanese Ramen is cheap
3:55 Now how do you tell who's leftover belongs to who without marking the container...
There got be that one person that has extreme ramen fetish and takes it all
It's not exactly dirty cheap in Japan either though, right?
$10 for a bowl doesn't seem out of the ordinary in Tokyo
90% sure the customers are provided with the take out containers to take care for themselves. Its not really that big of an issue in that regard. If it is just ask for a pen or something to mark them with. It just sounds like you're trying to find the smallest details as an issue. Now if you were to order as pickup/take out and not dine in, most restaurants in all types of cuisines in the U.S will mark the containers well enough for you to understand which is which. A ramen place in my area has really great ramen for its price at only average 10 dollars. If you do take out, They place the soup in its own container, and noodles and any dry toppings in its own container, etc...They understand how to do take out for a meal like this. I can't agree though with the people taking home their dine in leftovers though. If you take it home sitting in the soup, the noodles will lose its texture and ruin everything that makes the ramen good.
@@ericx6969 [raises hand]
@@PLA8thRt It's called sarcasm, we thrive on it in downstate New York ( NYC area). I honestly can't believe you went out of your way to explain that for a bit of humor.
my favourite ramen shops (australia) are tiny places that can only seat about 5-20 people. they’re definitely more like the japanese ramen shops in that they’re the order from the small menu, eat fast and get out right after you finish eating. so damn gooood
I'm in the US. Leftover ramen is strange...first because, like you said, soggy, and second how do you have leftover ramen? Lol.
Leftover ramen happens if you can't finish it which happens. Most girls can't finish a big bowl of soup like that. Since there aren't any sizes in the ramen shops, you have to eat everything that you get. If you waste it then that's also bad. If soggy noodles doesn't bother you then why not get left over ramen?
you can fry or roast it.
I can never finish a bowl of ramen and always take it home for later. I simply take out the noodles and leftover meat while I'm reheating the broth/veg and then add it back right before I'm about to eat it. The heated broth reheats the noodles/meat without cooking it and whatever little amount of broth they soak up just enhances the flavor and doesn't make them soggy.
It amazes me how people can be so grossed out by something they've never even tried lol How do you know leftover ramen is gross if you've never tried it??
Petrus Chan "most girls can't finish a big bowl of soup like that." If we're talking U.S portion sizes, sure we can, but it's not a good look 😂
You have leftover ramen by heating it up, pouring it into a bowl and eating it. Some shops in Japan will give you doggy bags to bring it home, soup and all.
This is one of the most helpful videos about Japan that I've watched. I'm hoping to visit and this really helps me to NOT be a rude American. 👍
Dude your merch is so dope! Def will be buying some tee’s 🤙🏽🤙🏽
Eating leftovers from eating out might be a strange for people since the food might not taste the same, but as a person who has done it several times, I personally enjoy taking extra food home. Whether it's Italian, Chinese, or even half of that delicious steak you couldn't finish because you were too full, it feels nice if the next day you don't have time to cook or go out. All you have to do is put the food in a microwave and presto! The is food ready to eat!
Japanese for sure. I am landing in Tokyo in less than a week and my first stop is Ramen in Shibuya! Mouth watering already.
Dude, if you are in Shibuya and like ramen and sushi check out Uobei. It's a really cool place and you can order your food via a touch screen tablet (menu in English) and it gets delivered to your seat via a conveyor system. Very good quality and a bowl of ramen and 4 plates of sushi was about £6 which was the cheapest I found in Tokyo.
Ichiran, right? LOL
Have a nice trip, share your experiences if you feel like it 😁
@@Jabalaster it will all be on my blog at gregcromie.blog
@@gregcromie9939 thank you, will definitively check it out :)
I'm so glad to have found a little ramen shop in Calgary that is leaning to the more authentic side of things. Also, don't do leftover ramen. I made that mistake only once. Love your videos!!
Haven't been to Japan but a lot of ramen shops in Hawaii are pretty good especially the ones in Waikiki that cater to Japanese tourists but still expensive. Been to a few ramen shops in California and I didn't really enjoy the experience people ordering starters and stuff just give me extra noodles.
Tons in between Waipahu and Aiea areas where I grew up, ramen there is great and stupid cheap.
I live in Canada, north of Toronto, and have had ramen in Toronto a few times. There, most restaurants are fairly small in general, and have limited seating, so while they do have tables they don't usually look like the one you showed in the US. While they do generally have appetizers and a bit of other options, they generally have a more limited menu compared to a traditional western restaurant.
You should have gone to Miki in the outer richmond neighborhood in san francisco.
best in the city, huge cuts of pork belly and tankatsu broth is out of this world.
haven’t had much luck in japan town as far as ramen goes.
At the ramen shops near me in the US they take separate the broth from the noodles and toppings when you either get delivery or take the rest of your meal home. The noodles are separated from the broth so they do not get soggy. It is not the same texture, but the US also doesn't have ramen shops on every corner for $5-$8.
Yeah, that whole tipping thing is really annoying, only been to the us once, and that's one of the big things I remember.
The food prices are lower proportionally, and the minimum wage with tips is pretty abysmal. Generally, even if its the worst service, you tip at least 15%, 20 for average, and 25 for exceptional
Oh this is really cool! I want to visit Japan someday, and I never really thought about the differences in American and Japanese restaurants. It looks like Japan is very taste oriented, with ordering super quickly, and leaving as soon as possible, where here in America, we focus more on atmosphere and costumer service. It’s cool to compare the cultures! Great video as always!
True. Thought u were gonna mention taste difference. 👍🏽 either way
Ramen was a staple for our family when living in Japan and we LOVED the system. It was nice to know that the people behind the counter were dealing with the food...that's it. They didn't need to manage ordering, handle money, play busboy...they stay in the food zone and churn it out great bowl after bowl. We loved the ability to choose the firmness of our noodles and the strength of the broth and even the amount of toppings. I loved the options for tsukemen (which is near impossible to find in the US) and the limitations on the types of sides meant they could focus on more details for the ramen itself. I feel a lot like many US Japanese restaurants try to do too much instead of doing one type of Japanese food really well. The Midwest is really cold in the winter and I feel like I have never missed a real true Japanese ramen shop like I do living here. **sadness ensues**
Standard ramen prices here in Denmark is around 2000-2300 yen, i think its very pricey compared to what we paid in Japan :)
No kidding :) 180DKK for some bowl with noodles in CPH. Insane prices.
Spot on comments Paolo. I think it would be fair to say that the US experience is similar to a lot of countries outside Japan, apart from the tip (that's predominantly a US centric thing due to the very low working wage). The only other thing I would add is that the cost is significantly different. I spend a lot of time in Fukuoka (It's my wife's home town. I love a good Hakata/Tonkotsu ramen), and here the price is very reasonable, and often I get a chance at a free Kaedama. When it comes to payment - cash is king in Japan!
When I am back home in Sydney, it is more expensive but there is often an understanding that a Ramen place is a ramen place, and although there are side dishes, they don't venture into the realm of a completely different type of Japanese cuisine (my local area of Sydney has nearly 200 Japanese restaurants alone, so I can walk down the street for pure Yakiniku, Okonomiyaki, yakitori... heck there is even a pure soba shop that understands you really should be making fresh soba, so they do it in the window). Sydney has one of the highest rates of foreign born, and there is a strong Asian culture awareness (due to population and close proximity to Asia) and as a result, there is a lot more specialising for most Asian cuisines which is reinforced with a high percentage of Australians having travelled extensively through Asia, and know that you need to head to a restaurant that done one thing well. Of course, you can venture into areas of Sydney where they don't understand the finer details of Japanese cuisine so they can bundle a lot of options. The cost is significantly more than Japan but without the need for tips. Furthermore, with Australia being the fastest adopter of contactless payments it's very rare to see cash. Many times, someone will just come to your table to tap your phone.
When I am in San Francisco, New York, Vancouver or other North American cities that have larger Asian populations the cost, plus tax, plus tip it gets significantly more expensive that Sydney. The US payments systems are inconsistent and well behind Australia and Europe, so I really never know what way my card will be accepted (but it's usually card). San Francisco compared to anywhere else will try to push the hipster feel. There are even Ramen places I have been that are so cool from entering to sitting down that when I look at the menu and cannot spot anything resembling a true, simplistic Ramen, I am not surprised. It's very different. Very California. Very hip. A massive departure from the simple, single tonkotsu broth one shop would sweat a lifetime from family member to family member perfecting through the generations in Japan.
I think I have to spend more time in Mexico hunting down their versions. They have a love for Japanese cuisine that has already created new trends with Sushi. I suspect they've done the same with Ramen.
Bang for you buck and flavour are all Japans way. But it's a dish the world seems to love, and there are probably more wild and wacky version outside Japan that in.
1:15 OMG that girl in the ramen shop is cute!
Such an interesting video Paolo. Thank you!!
BTW, Ichiran opened 2 shops in New York. Twice as expensive as the place I’ve been to in Shinjuku and much lower quality.
yeah but Ichiran is crap now so it's a wash anyway. The quality has gone way downhill in the past 3 years
Ichiran is NOT CRAP.
@@cupramen2632 it is. It's overpriced crap now. The quality has gone way downhill due to the tourist popularity. They no longer have to care
@@cupramen2632 It really is. Tourist trap nowadays. There are lots of much better ramen restaurants in Tokyo.
I've found that a lot of people not from America (or other Western countries) don't seem to do the whole doggie-bag thing. Meanwhile here in the US, it's almost expected? Serving sizes are large not because you're expected to eat that much in one sitting (although sometimes you're really hungry), but because most people take home their leftovers and either eat them as a snack later, or for lunch the next day. It's the same when we cook, although IDK if having leftovers after a home-cooked meal is an unusual in other places.
I agree taking left over ramen home is super gross, it ruins the noodles. 🤮
I’m from São Paulo, Brazil and here we have a lot of japanese imigrantes. There’s a place called “Liberdade” where you can find a lot of typical japanese restaurants and it’s more like USA style. Have a lot of appetizers and different kind of drinks with or no alcohol. Maybe one day you can come to Brazil and show how japanese immigrants lives here.
Bruh i totally agree i wouldnt eat leftover Ramen. I dont even think i could order it takeout. Same goes with Pho
So you are wasting food? Think again...
@@j1shin no, i would eat it all and not bring it home
When I order Pho for take out, the broth comes separate and you assemble it yourself, but the Ramen shops it's all together in one bowl. :c
Thanks. Never been to a ramen shop in Japan or the States. I'm going to Japan in October and really want to try one. This will come in handy. Thanks again!
I'd deffo prefer Japanese style restos here with the machines and what not.
I am addicted to your videos 😂 I miss Japan .. I remember when I first went into a ramen shop in Kyoto last year and it was really delicious 😋
I have taken home leftover ramen noodles * some of those bowls are huge* its still delicious the next day especially if you are hungry xd
Gross.
Absolutely, I'm in Canada and we have Bento Box brand here and the bowls are big, it's too much to eat in one serving so I ask for a lid and I go home with it.
@@iheartheenim (っ˘ڡ˘ς)
Just ask for two containers and separate your noodles and broth. Not gross at all and delicious.
@@kombuchas4684 right!!
I love his soft spoken voice
My best Ramen experience was definitely in Kyoto, not the US!
No shit. My best sushi/sashimi and cheesecake (funnily enough) experiences were in Japan.
The NYC cheesecakes were overpriced and dry. In Japan they were overpriced and worth it.
@@Alexeon he may be talking in terms of ingredients and probable profit margin.
You don't say.
Im from the philippines and what we have here is very similar to the US. A lot on the menu, large tables for groups and everyone isn't in the hurry to leave.
When i went to tokyo, it was definately a whole new experience. I like the line system, first come first serve ftw! And the ramen was amazing. If people are lining up, then the place must serve good food in general.
Not necessarily a MINIMUM of 18-20% tip. For lunch is 10-15% and for dinner is 15-20%. And this is not minimum, this is actually a high tip rate.
this is mark. mark is a bad tipper. mark encourages others to tip poorly. dont be mark.
Eric Larrabee oh yea? You even think tipping is a good thing as we are paying the tips because the employers don’t pay their employees enough money and we are responsible for that? They are even not delivering good customer service. All they do is looking around two or three times and ask “how are you doing”. That’s not worth more than 18-20% of tipping. If you are that generous, you may do that as that’s your money and nobody would refuse you to pay more to them. That’s your dumb choice.
The standard is shifting to 18 to 20% now. 10% has always been the tip for bad service. I still do 15% personally because I live in California and servers are paid minimum wage + tips.
@@user-tn7qj7mj2l lol can tell youve never been in the service industry. you dont want to tip, then stay home. if your server sucked, then leave them a bad tip. but to imply that people should tip less due to the time of day they come in is stupid. ...you want restaurants to be full of mcdonalds workers? cause thats what will happen if you get rid of tipping.
After finding out that there's no tipping in Japan, I don't feel as bad for waiters in America 😂🙌
Yes because one is paid a reasonable wage while the other is systematically created a long time ago to make tipping the only way a server can make money.
Ramen is street food in Japan and fancy dinning in the US. The quality is much lower in US ramen and usually much more expensive, about twice as expensive here in New York vs ramen in Japan.
Overall, the eat out environment is just pretty poor in the US. You pay a lot (because tax and tips) for low quality food
Eat out environment is poor in the US? You're fucking crazy.
I found eating Ramen in Japan intimidating. Being from US, the whole rush and eat thing is a bit unsettling. To me US Ramen shops are to expensive to be rushed. But a Ramen shop in Japan has better tasting Ramen. I like them both for different reasons. When I came back to japan I will eat Ramen when it isn't the lunch or dinner rush so I do not feel rushed. Take home Ramen is gross not matter what country you are in. Do not order appetizers if you can't finish your Ramen.....
in Russia its the same as in US!
I'm coming to Hakuba Feb 21.20202. I love your videos they have been helpful in learning the difference between America and Japan
1:11 here u go. i get u buddy. i know. it's alright. kappa
There is a Japanese restaurant, where I live, that serves a very specific type of ramen that I have never seen anywhere else. They family flies in family members from Japan to help out once and a while. The ramen is really good. The owners told me is a secret recipe. The broth is creamy and rich rather than clear.
"18-20%" tip? Oof
Welcome to the US of A, in which waiters are not entitled to minimum wage because they earn tips, so it is up to the customer to pay for the waiters' salary
@@julianakarasawa315 no, look at the state laws, most have a variation on the same deal, there is minimum wage and tips are either a bonus or a small amount is charged against the minimum before becoming a bonus, in either case it tends to pay more than minimum wage in the end which is why people take the job.
That amount is not required on a normal basis maybe just where he went. Only in select dining places when you have large groups of 6/8 people or more( honestly only seen it in Disney world and fine dining spots). If I have a 20 dollar meal I usually tip about 4-5 dollars depending on service I would tip more or less.
I just toss 5 bucks on the table every time
@@caitlynt2864 Doesn't make sense haha. You said that this amount is only in select dining places. But then you say you tip $ 4 for a $20 meal. This is exactly a 20% tip
I grew up in Philadelphia, and I went to Tokyo for the first time a few months ago. My first exposure to ramen was instant ramen (think of those noodle packs you would find in a 7 Eleven or Lawson, but with worse ingredients), which was a cheap low-quality high-calorie meal college students who didn’t have a lot of money would eat. Ramen bars and restaurants are still relatively new in my city, they’re typically not operated by Japanese people, and they don’t have the same focus on creating a quality bowl of ramen. And, yes, there are a lot of appetizers and side dishes.
This is why Japan was such a shock to me, in a good way. I love that a ramen bar focuses on just ramen, and that customers are expected to order upfront, sit down, eat, clean up after themselves, thank the people who made their meal, and leave so the next person can sit down immediately. Plus, even cheap ramen in Japan tastes way, way better than the most expensive bowl of ramen I’ve had in the United States.
Ramen shops run by Chinese, cooked by Hispanics. It's hard to justify $15 for a small bowl of noodles. Maybe it's satisfying for a girl but not me
Taking my first trip to Japan in October. Great info. Thx a lot!
djdag2000 -ev Nice! I’m going in November
I am going in October as well.
I live in Ontario, Canada and have traveled to Tokyo a couple times. The ramen shops in my area are more similar to those you described in the USA.
The biggest difference I find from Japanese ramen is the amount of salt in the broth, and this one actually applies to food in general. In North America we tend to salt our food pretty heavily but in Japan there is virtually no salt at all. As a result, ramen in Japan tastes much more distinct and 'clean'.
I also find that the ramen shops in Japan are more experimental. On your recommendation I checked out Fuunji Ramen which mixes fish & pork stock for their soup. Surprisingly I found a couple of other Tokyo ramen shops that did the same thing. Most of the ramen shops I've tried in Canada don't even bother having a rotating special (except Kinton Ramen) let alone continuously trying new things.
Fuunji! Best ramen I've had!
In a few ramen places I've eaten in the US, if you're going to take your leftover ramen home they separate the noodles and broth into separate containers so the noodles don't sit in the broth and soak it up. It's better than putting it all into one container.
I miss Japan so much, I can't wait to move there!
Your happy vibes rock great to see your channel growth. Love the video production design .🚀
For me Ramen 🍜 is those 70 cent bags you buy on supermarket!!
Shrimp ones 🤤
I loved your video. I got to eat ramen in Tokyo and in the US. I love both styles. I like being able to take food home since it's so heavy in carbs in the US. But when you are traveling, we found it best to eat everything at the ramen shop.
Wow who ever told you tipping is 18-20% in ca was bs. It’s 10-15 normally, in fact we just went out last night for ramen in ca and we tipped 17% but it was that good.
Ramen Nagi in the Bay Area is actually much more like a Japanese ramen shop. You queue up to get in, the menu is simple, and you order on a sheet.
Ramen is definitely less rare than it used to be in the USA. Most towns with a university will have at least one ramen shop.
Ramen in the US tends to be more expensive, though places near university campuses tend to be cheaper since they are more in the "fast food" category and less in the "specialty food" category.
There was no need for that circle 🤦♂️
Timestamp?
Koda T in the thumbnail
@@yeetus1518 ohh!! Yeah that was clickbait lol.
Maybe he forgot to mention it. The significance of the glove?
In Brisbane, Australia we have Hakataya Ramen, which is most like the Japanese ramen bar experience. There are tiny seats squished into a tiny stall, and only about 5 ramen dishes to choose from. Otherwise, you get ramen options on the menus of Japanese restaurants and sushi trains. You can order take-out/take-away ramen at Hakataya Ramen and from the restaurants, but they separate the noodles, toppings and broth so the noodles don't get soggy!
Bro, you went to Ramen Yamadaya. They're not good. I'm from San Francisco and Ramen Yamadaya ain't top tier at all.
Ramen Nagi?
@DrinkwithaMexican 😂😅
Santouka is my goto in the bay area. Though i have heard of good things about ramen nagi
Ummm... Orenchi anyone? It's one of my favs in the South Bay 👍
@@YaoMini219 never heard of that place before. But will have to put that on the list of places to check out :) thanks!
I've done ramen takeaway a few times. Restaurants will give you a container of the soup, noodles in a seperate container, and maybe even the fixings in a third one so nothing sogs out.
It's still a lesser experience because the noodles still keep cooking when cramped into a sealed container and get mushy -- and there's no real guarantee that you'll have an appropriately sized bowl at home to mix everything together so you're left trying to portion everything out and it's way more math and logic than i care to do with my ramen.
Leftover noodles? Sacrilege!
I live in Düsseldorf in Germany, and there is an entire street dedicated to Asian restaurants. There is somewhat of a spectrum of all kinds of extremes. You do get restaurants in which the queues and etiquette are the same as in Japan, but they do offer takeaway. You've got japanese, korean, chinese, thai food, BBC, sushi, ramen, in all kinds of combinations, fast food and regular restaurants alike