ICHIRAN Harajuku — Restaurant in Tokyo

I first tried Ichiran Ramen 🍜 in Osaka and didn’t outright plan to visit another outlet in Tokyo. However, luck willing, we “walked” past this outlet and the staff informed me the queue was about 30 mins. I think it’s a sign 😇, we went ahead and joined the queue.

Ichiran Ramen is an Informal ramen restaurant with a specialty for tonkotsu ramen 🍜 in a pork 🐷 bone 🦴 broth. The queue sometimes can be a killer 😌especially during winter ☃️ and we are just freezing ❄️ outside but so amazingly good is the Ramen, you will finish every last drop! (as per my previous trip).

System : You take a queue number 🎟️ and proceed to queue ⏳. You can scan the QR code on the queue ticket and you can see in real time 🕰️ how many pax are ahead of you. When it is your turn, proceed to enter the restaurant and head up to Level 2️⃣, whereby you will place your order with 2 x vending machines ⚙️. You can customise your Order on these machines by adding extra pork 🥓 or eggs 🥚….etc. You will then enter into the waiting hall ✋ and at the waiting hall, you will be given another order sheet to determine how strong 💪you want your broth to be, how “hard” you want your noodles to be cooked, how much garlic 🧄 you want……etc ….etc (More food related now)

Once done, you will be directed to your seat 🪑and await the noodles that you ordered to be serve 💁‍♂️. At the booth, you are faced with a drawn bamboo 🎋curtain and whoever is at the other side will be busy cooking 🧑‍🍳👩‍🍳 it for you. You have everything you need right in front of you. Water dispenser 🚰, chopsticks 🥢, spoon 🥄…..etc all there. There are even 4 wooden 🪵drop tags 🏷️ to inform the staff of more complicated matters if you can’t speak Japanese 🇯🇵. (See my pics)

So what is the buzz 🐝 about? Firstly, the Ramen 🍜 is really good ✅✅✅. It is at least 2 to 3 tiers above the best that you have tried. Given the same fuss free, chill environment settling, their food and consistency is really world 🌏renowned. Secondly, they kept the design and concept like the Japanese “Old Ways” 🎌🏯 Notice how a lot of wood 🪵, curtains 🎏 and lanterns 🏮are used in designing the place? The ambiance is great, it gives you focus to eat, not speak 🗣️on the phone 📱and also enjoy that moment in a boxed-up situation. It puts you in an oasis 🏝️of serenity amidst the bustling city 🏙️ and I fully agree to it 😎.

Pro Tips: Pick up the queue ticket and you can go shopping nearby till it’s time. (Don’t be late!) Fast is 15mins – 20mins, average is 30mins to 40mins and Long is 1hr to 1.15mins. Be bold and order what you believe you will enjoy. (If not sure, avoid chilli 🌶️) When you enter the hall to your cubicle, put away your phone and enjoy the meal. It’s very quiet, so don’t speak loudly and disrupt the peace.

Well worth my time, hope you enjoy it as much as I...

Even as a Japanese person myself, I can say with confidence that Ichiran is worth the hype. The Tonkotsu ramen with the red sauce, priced at only around $10 is worth every penny. Keep in mind they won’t have a variety of types of ramen, such as shoyu or miso! What makes Ichiran unique is the individual booths, enabling introverted tourists to feel at ease. Fyi, the booths can be folded, so those who come in groups can eat together. If you ask, you can go to a completely separate room for those who possess an intense will to focus on the taste. Can’t speak Japanese at all? That’s completely fine, as they provide sheets in Chinese, Korean, and English which you fill to write down your order. No need to stress about what to choose as they are all small components, and each option per topping is encircled in dotted lines (which is the one they reccomend) for ease in choosing. After ten minutes or so, the ramen would arrive. No.1 tip is to not wait until your acquaintances receive their ramen. Start eating right after you get it, as Ichiran ramen tastes best when it’s steaming hot. Another thing to keep in mind is that when you spend 20-30min so eating the bowl of ramen, noodles can get soggy and impair the taste, so another tip is to prioritize eating, although talking is of course, completely allowed. If you are feeling hungry and feel you can go for another round, order kaedama instead of another new bowl of ramen, as it’s way cheaper. Lastly, although there’s sometimes a pretty long line in front of the store, don’t feel repelled by it. Ichiran has an extremely high customer turnover rate (as customers just eat ramen and leave) and it usually won’t take 15 min or more to get in no matter the length of the line. And yes, Ichiran is worth...

My first worst experience.

The young guy staff working at 14/01/24 at 8.45pm outside the front queue should learn some manners and not to be rude to customers, if you cant handle tourists customers don't work there or learn how to use proper manners when speaking. He came out and started yelling at us saying 'NO' 3 times when we thought we could order on the machine, could have told us without yelling. Once 4 of us were inside we were separated to two groups sitting two by each side as there were no seats next to each other. Suddenly one local storms out and the girl staff was wondering why he left in disgust, however without checking the girl staff gave us his table without confirming why the guy had left his table. While I was sitting down on my designated table, the guy staff who takes the tickets for the order asked me something im Japanese asking and confused why there are 2 forms that has been filled out, while asking the local then came back and shoved his body and hand on my table and started yelling something in japanese to me and the guy staff, the girl staff was behind the local looking at me with with her apologizing face and she know she stuffed up and i had to move table. The local was lucky i was calm at this point. Never had any problems in the past with this business or locals here but if most of your customers are tourists, you should consider hiring someone that can speak with local manners. We did not receive any apologies for the mishap from the business after we left and the girl staff was...