Day 4: Fisherman's Ramen at Okiemonmaru

Rumor has it that in any given seaside city, the best places to eat are where the fisherman have lunch. After visiting Okiemonmaru in Chigasaki, I can wholeheartedly vouch for that. The lack of odor despite the buckets of freshly caught fish outside the door suggested that the new arrivals would be gone before sundown.

The seafarers who just returned, however, were not responsible for the quick turnover. They sat at the long wooden tables slurping up ramen with such gusto that I knew I was in for something special. I was right. The shoyu ramen, which is ramen in a soy sauce based broth, was incredible. The pork was tender and juicy, the noodles were just right, and it was brought to the table piping hot (shamefully, many ramen restaurants in New York serve theirs lukewarm).  The most amazing part is that the broth had depth without being salty; this was the first time I'd eaten ramen that didn't make me want to down a gallon of water an hour later.

I've never been too keen on shoyu ramen, but thanks to Okiemonmaru it's on the top of my "must eat" list next time I visit Chigasaki. Who knew that you could find some of the best shoyu ramen south of Tokyo at a fish restaurant? Only in Japan! :-)