In the Ramen Hunter annual tradition, we get Frank from 5AM Ramen and Brian of Ramen Adventures back on the pod to discuss the Ramen Walker 2024 Tokyo guide. This is the 15th edition of the Ramen Walker Tokyo Guide, and there are some new things to check out in this issue. First we get to hear about Brian's recent Germany/Poland trip. He brought so…

Ramen Pharmacist's most recent hunting expedition took him to Wakayama, an underrated spot in the Ramen wilderness. This was a great chance to get him and other fans of Wakayama Ramen on the pod. Joined by Keizo Shimamoto as well as first time guest and Kansai based hunter, The Gourmet Bear. Keizo shares some updates, including a rare appearance of…

What happens when a prominent Ramen Chef/YouTuber takes subliminal shots at the biggest Ramen YouTuber? Sparks fly!! Is there a right way and wrong way to eat Tsukemen? Are Ramen otaku's going overboard with their detailed description of the bowls? Listen as Ramen Beast and Ramen Guide break down the details and share their opinions of the drama. S…

Have you listened to this podcast dreaming of making a Ramen trip to Japan? While it is fun to imagine, it can also be a bit daunting to figure out the logistics and scheduling. Ramen Fiendd and Ramen Pharmacist are two US based Hunters who join the pod to break down their recent excursion to Japan. With the overwhelming number of options, the fell…

Join us on this episode of Ramen Hunter as we explore Ramen History with friends of the pod: Abram aka Ramen Beast and Cody aka Ramen Guide Japan. Today we look into the legendary Class of '96. A group of shops including Menya Musashi, Aoba, and Kujiraken than pushed the Ramen into the 21st Century. Learn how the things we take for granted in moder…

First episode of 2023, and managed to trick Keizo Shimamoto into sitting down with me to talk Ramen. First we get into Keizo's recent trip to Japan with his family. Learn tips on how to manage family when you are trying to sneak in bowls during your vacation. Hear the story of how the Mochiko/Ramen FEEL pop-up came together. We also dig into curren…

Ramen Festival season is over, and I wanted to get Brian of Ramen Adventures and Kim aka The Ramen Mistress to talk about their experience at the annual Dai Tsukemen Haku Festival in Tokyo. Before getting into this years festival, Brian and Kim talk about recent slurps. We also get into the updated Hyakumeiten (Tabelog Top 100) list for 2022. Some …

Another year, another "Tokyo Ramen of the Year" review. Bringing back Abram aka Ramen Beast and Cody aka Ramen Guide Japan for our annual discussion of the TRY rankings. Before getting into the magazine content, Abram shares some updates on the Mensho US operation including happenings at the Twitter building. Cody discusses the vibe in Tokyo with t…

Able to get Frank from 5AM and Brian of Ramen Adventures back on the pod to discuss the Ramen Walker 2023 Tokyo guide. For those of you who don't know, Brian is a contributor to the Ramen Walker guides, so its always a treat to hear what he has to say. First we get to hear about Brian's recent Russia trip. Learn about the Ramen scene in places like…

Last year I stumbled across a new Ramen Hunter on IG who brought a perspective I've been really curious about: The Female Ramen Hunter. Kim aka The Ramen Mistress graces us with her presence and tells her story. Am joined by Frank from 5AM Ramen to navigate the discussion. Learn about how Kim got her Ramen start, life in Yokohama, and hunting as a …

On a car ride through Modesto recently, I decided to grab a bowl at Konfucious Eats. I paid my respects to the chef Ernie and lo and behold he is a listener of Ramen Hunter! After staring at his Yamato Richmen Noodle Machine sitting in the restaurant floor, I knew I had to hear his story. Earnie got some of his friends to join the pod, so we're als…

I saw an interesting tweet announcing a new Ramen Noodle company in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I had to investigate. Figured this would be a good time to talk specifically about noodles and give the listeners a taste of how complicated this rabbit hole is. I enlisted Mike Satinover aka Ramen Lord to help me in our discussion with Shotaro Uchid…

I got hit up by Shawn aka Ramen Fiend asking why I don't do an episode about Ramen Hunters in the US? This Schmoe was at a loss, and asked him to round up some friends to educate me on the Southern California Ramen scene. Ramen Fiend is joined by Ramen Zac, and Raphael (aka Yolo), and they drop knowledge on the evolution of Ramen in Southern Califo…

Honored to sit down with Hideyuki Yamashita-san, founder of Yamachan Ramen and a Ramen veteran with over 40 years of experience. Yamashita-san shares the history of Nagasaki Champon, a style first served in 1907 at a shop called Shikairou. Learn how a chain called Ringer Hut took this style and made it famous across Japan. Hear about Yamashita-san'…

Abram aka Ramen Beast and Cody aka Ramen Guide Japan are back on the pod to discuss another issue of Tokyo Ramen of the Year (TRY) 2021-2022 magazine rankings. Before getting into the magazine content, we discuss a recent tweet storm that sent the Tokyo Ramen scene ablaze. What is a Ramen "critic", and what value do they have for shop owners. What …

Joined by the Frank from 5AM and Brian of Ramen Adventures fame to discuss the Ramen Walker 2022 Tokyo guide. Brian is an annual contributor to the guide, so his input is invaluable. First we get into recent slurps (1:34). We discuss an update to the Tokyo Ramen Street in Tokyo Station (9:24). We also touch upon the growing trend of frozen ramen (1…

Joined by the Ramen Hunting crew of Noodle Slurp, Ramen Guide Japan, and Nama Japan. First we discuss recent slurps (1:44). We also get into Nama Japan's story (11:15) and learn about his website and YouTube channel. Later on, Ramen Guide Japan shares some secrets to increasing web traffic and sales on websites (19:49). We get into the history of M…

Joined by friends of the pod, Abram Plaut and Keizo Shimamoto! First we discuss Keizo's new position as Director of Innovation at Myojo Noodle (0:44) Abram also shares updates on MENSHO's activities in the US (9:00). The guys also discuss the new trend in Japan of Ramen Vending Machines with frozen noodle kits (15:13). Will this be a thing?? We get…

Bizentei is a fantastic Ramen Shop that's been around since 1979. On a trip earlier this year I noticed a poster for "Come Back Anytime", an upcoming documentary about the shop. My curiosity was piqued, and reached out to Director John Daschbach and Producer Wataru Yamamoto to discuss their project. John and Wataru share what inspired them to make …

A recent trip to the Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum inspired me to do an episode on instant noodles. Gathered up my old friend 5AM Ramen along with the greatest instant ramen expert in the world, Hans aka The Ramen Rater. The guys talk about recent slurps (1:46) including a product that can best be described as "motel air conditioning" flavored (4:22)…

Joined on this episode by friends of the pod Abram aka Ramen Beast and Cody aka Ramen Guide Japan. We first talk about recent slurps, including Ramen Mu (6:21) which provides syringes to shoot up your ramen bowl. Abram recommends Shimomae Shoten (11:27) in Yokohama Chinatown. Edwin asks the guys about their thoughts on a new "healthier noodle" prod…

Joined on this episode by friends of the pod Abram aka Ramen Beast, Brian aka Ramen Adventures, and first time guest Mike Satinover aka Ramen Lord. Listen as Brian experiences an extortion attempt while we are recording! We cover some recently slurped bowls, and talk about Mike's Ramen journey through Sapporo to his home kitchen in Chicago. The guy…

Joined this episode by the friends of the pod Abram aka Ramen Beast, Brian from Ramen Adventures, and Frank from 5AM Ramen. We touch on the recently announced Michelin Guide Ramen list, as well as the Tabelog Top 100. Is Brian a secret Michelin reviewer?? The guys also share their picks (bowls eaten in 2020) for the following: - Overall top 3 shops…

Joined this episode by the friends of the pod Abram aka Ramen Beast and Keizo Shimamoto, noted LA Clippers fan. We get into current events, especially the recent effects of COVID19 on Abram and Keizo. Also get to hear about Abram's crazy trip to Fukuoka which segues into a deep dive into Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen. We cover some of the history, and Keiz…

Joined this episode by the famed Ramen Hunters Brian from Ramen Adventures and Frank from 5AM Ramen. The guys share their experience at the newly launched Ramen Walker Kitchen in Saitama, featuring a "who's who" of Ramen Masters. We also get into Franks recent travels in Aomori prefecture to sample the local Ramen styles. Learn about Tsugaru Nibosh…

Am joined this episode by Abram aka Ramen Beast and Cody aka Ramen Guide Japan, two elite English speaking Ramen Hunters. These guys are on a mission to hit-up every Ramen Jiro, a soul crushing style of Ramen know for volumes of noodles, vegetables, and oil. Ramen Jiro is a genre that literally has a cult following. Ramen Jiro is also notorious for…

Abram Plaut aka Ramen Beast joins the pod for a chat. We cover his journey morphing into the Ramen Beast, as well as his involvement with Menya Shono's overseas projects. We also dig into his Ramen travels, specifically his recent trip to Okayama prefecture which has some hidden ramen secrets. Do they really put Tonkatsu in Tonkotsu?? Abram also te…

Frank from 5AM Ramen joins as we have a conversation with Ramen Walker contributor Brian MacDuckston of Ramen Adventures. Ramen Walker publishes an annual guide of worthwhile shops to check out, and we dig into the Tokyo edition that dropped on 9/07. We touch on new shops, the best of various styles, the Grand Prix Rankings, and more! This years ed…

Brian MacDuckston of Ramen Adventures fame sits down for a pod! We dig into the tools that Ramen Hunters use to guide their slurping activities. Hear about his involvement with Ramen Walker, one of the top annual guides for Ramen content across Japan. We also get into Brian's TV appearances and interaction with pop idols. Make sure to Google "Go!オス…

Keizo Shimamoto of Ramen Shack/Ramen Burger fame sits down for a chat. We cover his blogging days and journey to Japan. Learn about Tantantei and other shops that influenced Keizo. We also discuss going from being jobless in New York to becoming an overnight sensation with the Ramen Burger. Learn the story behind the Ramen Shack and his current pro…

Frank (5AM Ramen) and I are joined by The Noodle Slurp, an accomplished Ramen Hunter with deep experience in the Osaka area. We pick his brain about Takaida-kei shops, as well as the New School boom taking place in the area. Learn about the shops making the biggest impact out there. We also discuss The Noodle Slurp's recent move to Tokyo, and diffe…

Joined by Frank from 5AM Ramen as he shares his exploration of Abura Soba, or Soupless Ramen. Frank highlights several shops that are early pioneers, including Sankou and Chinchintei. We also discuss a recent experience at a Michelin starred shop, leading to a Schmoe rant. Our favorite Ramen Drama comes to a close, so Frank and I review the final e…

Joined by Frank from 5AM Ramen as we share our top picks for the strangest bowls we've had. Did Pineapple Ramen make the list? How about Pizza Ramen? We also break down Episode 7 of Gyoretsu no Megami - Ramen Saiyuki (airing Mondays @ 10pm on TV Tokyo). In this episode our protagonist provides consulting to a shop in a Ramen Theme Park. What are so…

Joined by Frank from 5AM Ramen to dig into regional Tantanmen styles. We look into Hiroshima's Soupless Tantanmen and Katsuura (Chiba prefecture) style Tantanmen. How did they come about? Who were their target customers? Listen to find the answers! We also break down Episode 6 of Gyoretsu no Megami - Ramen Saiyuki (airing Mondays @ 10pm on TV Tokyo…

Joined by Frank from 5AM Ramen to explore the roots of Tantanmen in Japan. What is the connection with an Iron Chef? When Yakuza trouble brews, where do they squash beef? Listen to find the answers! We also break down Episode 5 of Gyoretsu no Megami - Ramen Saiyuki, the Ramen Drama airing Mondays @ 10pm on TV Tokyo.…

Joined by Frank from 5AM Ramen to explore the different iterations of Taishoken, the legendary shop that is credited as the birthplace of Tsukemen. We break down Higashi Ikebukuro and Eifukucho versions of Taishoken. We also discuss the California branch of Taishoken and explain where it fits in the big picture. Be warned it gets quite nerdy at tim…

Joined by Frank from 5AM Ramen to explore the different iterations of Taishoken. We discuss the history of Taishoken and how it gave birth to Tsukemen. Be warned it gets quite nerdy at times. We also break down Episode 3 of Gyoretsu no Megami - Ramen Saiyuki, the new Ramen Drama airing on TV Tokyo.By Ramen Schmoe

I sit down with Frank from 5AM Ramen to discuss current events in the Japan Ramen scene. We also take a deep dive into the history of Tokyo Ramen, and provide some context for how Ramen evolved over the years. You can hear us share our top pick, and the history behind them. Frank and I also re-cap the newest J-Drama series "Ramen Saiyuki" airing on…

The very first episode of Ramen Hunter! I sit down with Frank from 5AM Ramen to discuss current events in the Japan Ramen scene. How are Ramen shops in Japan dealing with COVID-19? Frank and I also re-cap the newest J-Drama series "Ramen Saiyuki" airing on Tokyo TV, breaking down the first episode. We also discuss Chibakiya, the founding father of …

Ramen Hunter Podcast dropping soon!By Edwin