Itaria-ken
It's winter, and in recent weeks Rebecca and I have been complaining that there is no ramen shop within walking or quick riding distance from our apartment. Last night, my students informed me that in fact, there is a very famous ramen shop here in Yahata, whose ramen is rated as the best in Shizuoka-shi. It's called Itaria-ken, and is about a minute away on a bike. I've ridden past it hundreds of times in the year and a half I've lived here.

*sigh*

To make up for lost time, I decided to eat there as often as possible in the month-and-a-bit I have left. Today, for lunch, I had this:



I fear that photo fails to properly convey the size of the thing. It is monstrous, and delicious. Never has ramen felt so much like a full meal. It is a mountain of vegetables, and great, generous chunks of meat, piled upon thick noodles -- wobbly and uneven; clearly made fresh that day. It pained me to be unable to finish the bowl. How these perpetually slim Japanese pack it away like they do, I still can't understand.

* * *

Shawn and Dan B have emailed me their phone numbers; thanks guys!

Everyone else: HEY. COME ON.