A blog about ramen and records.

An idea born of a simple combination: I love Japan, I love ramen and I love vinyl. So when in Japan (where I've lived and try to visit regularly) I go and eat ramen then I go and buy random Japanese records. Not necessarily always in that order. I then post pictures and mp3s of them. Also features entries by guest bloggers with the same obsession.

Like I said. Simple. Please to enjoying.
Fufu Ramen, Koenji, March 2011. Grabbed a bowl of Fufu’s always excellent パーコらーめん on my way back to Koenji on a cold March night. I first discovered Fufu when I was working in Hibarigaoka in 2007 and loved the fact that you could alway sit in there for hours slowly going through your food while reading the mangas available. The パーコ ramen is basically an add-on to any of their standard bowls (tonkotsu, shoyu and miso) of freshly sliced pork tonkatsu! I had the shoyu this time, with side of gyoza. The ramen at Fufu is nothing amazing, but it’s cheap and tasty and like I said one of the more hospitable ramen chains if you need to kill some time.

Fufu Ramen, Koenji, March 2011.

Grabbed a bowl of Fufu’s always excellent パーコらーめん on my way back to Koenji on a cold March night. I first discovered Fufu when I was working in Hibarigaoka in 2007 and loved the fact that you could alway sit in there for hours slowly going through your food while reading the mangas available.

The パーコ ramen is basically an add-on to any of their standard bowls (tonkotsu, shoyu and miso) of freshly sliced pork tonkatsu! I had the shoyu this time, with side of gyoza. The ramen at Fufu is nothing amazing, but it’s cheap and tasty and like I said one of the more hospitable ramen chains if you need to kill some time.

Ramen Dai, Koenji, March 2011. Popped into Ramen Dai one night with Audace. Few things had caught my eye about this chain since I’d returned this time - they had similar yellow signs to Ramen Jiro, they boasted of garlic and overall it just felt like a direct attempt at cashing in on Jiro’s popularity. Going into the Koenji branch only confirmed this - similar machines, similar ordering system (whereby you can ask for extra garlic, veg or fat on your ramen) and a bowl that was very similar in look and taste to Jiro. I’d say that Dai is a lot easier to handle than Jiro though - it doesn’t pierce through you as much as say a bowl from Jiro Ogikubo. Broth is good, nicely balanced between the overpowering fat, shoyu and garlic while the chashu definitely holds its own in terms of firmness and taste. Wish there’d been more cabbage in the moyashi though. If you can’t get a bowl of Jiro than Dai is a good second option and one I definitely need to revisit.

Ramen Dai, Koenji, March 2011.

Popped into Ramen Dai one night with Audace. Few things had caught my eye about this chain since I’d returned this time - they had similar yellow signs to Ramen Jiro, they boasted of garlic and overall it just felt like a direct attempt at cashing in on Jiro’s popularity.

Going into the Koenji branch only confirmed this - similar machines, similar ordering system (whereby you can ask for extra garlic, veg or fat on your ramen) and a bowl that was very similar in look and taste to Jiro. I’d say that Dai is a lot easier to handle than Jiro though - it doesn’t pierce through you as much as say a bowl from Jiro Ogikubo.

Broth is good, nicely balanced between the overpowering fat, shoyu and garlic while the chashu definitely holds its own in terms of firmness and taste. Wish there’d been more cabbage in the moyashi though. If you can’t get a bowl of Jiro than Dai is a good second option and one I definitely need to revisit.

Constance Towers - Inorganic Beat - 1987 Taken from volume 2 of the Taito Game Music vinyl series, this is an arrangement based on the soundtrack for Darius boss scene 2 - YT embed below. Like most video game vinyl, Taito Game Music vol.2 is amazing for a number of reasons - the artwork (including screenshots of the boss levels), the concept (this volume is boss level music only), and the soundtrack itself which in most cases has aged really well. I can’t find a good copy of the original ‘Inorganic Beat’ track but will post audio soon as I can - I’m shipping all the records back from Japan today. The rest of side B includes covers by Zuntata, Taito’s own Sound Team who are apparently quite famous for doing live arrangements/versions of classic video game soundtracks. Side A features music from boss scenes 1 to 7 as well as the boss clear music and credits.

Constance Towers - Inorganic Beat - 1987

Taken from volume 2 of the Taito Game Music vinyl series, this is an arrangement based on the soundtrack for Darius boss scene 2 - YT embed below.

Like most video game vinyl, Taito Game Music vol.2 is amazing for a number of reasons - the artwork (including screenshots of the boss levels), the concept (this volume is boss level music only), and the soundtrack itself which in most cases has aged really well.

I can’t find a good copy of the original ‘Inorganic Beat’ track but will post audio soon as I can - I’m shipping all the records back from Japan today.

The rest of side B includes covers by Zuntata, Taito’s own Sound Team who are apparently quite famous for doing live arrangements/versions of classic video game soundtracks. Side A features music from boss scenes 1 to 7 as well as the boss clear music and credits.

Kagetsu Ramen, Arashi veggie ramen, April 2011 Accidental guest post by Hello Liza. This year’s installment is “good this year. Salty and peppery, lots of vegetables. Nice! It is more pho-ish than ramen. Green noodles are cool. Veg gyoza a bit bland though”. Arigatou!

Kagetsu Ramen, Arashi veggie ramen, April 2011

Accidental guest post by Hello Liza. This year’s installment is “good this year. Salty and peppery, lots of vegetables. Nice! It is more pho-ish than ramen. Green noodles are cool. Veg gyoza a bit bland though”.

Arigatou!

Shoyu/Fish Tsukemen, Shibuya, April 2011. Stumbled on this place at 7am in a rather drunk state (hence the slight blur on the picture) after Gas Panic turned out to be closed - let’s not even get to why I was trying to get into Gas Panic at 7am. This is a few doors up from Gas Panic coming from Shibuya Hachiko exit. There are two ramen shops next to each other. It could have been the booze/tiredness but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t, this was by far one of the best tsukemen I’ve found. Great balanced broth, with just enough hints of dashi coming through the shoyu. Amazing men - perfect al dente, wriggly noodles. And really decent chashu and egg. Drunken win.

Shoyu/Fish Tsukemen, Shibuya, April 2011.

Stumbled on this place at 7am in a rather drunk state (hence the slight blur on the picture) after Gas Panic turned out to be closed - let’s not even get to why I was trying to get into Gas Panic at 7am.

This is a few doors up from Gas Panic coming from Shibuya Hachiko exit. There are two ramen shops next to each other. It could have been the booze/tiredness but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t, this was by far one of the best tsukemen I’ve found. Great balanced broth, with just enough hints of dashi coming through the shoyu. Amazing men - perfect al dente, wriggly noodles. And really decent chashu and egg. Drunken win.

Naniwa Express - Empty Corners - 1984 Picked this one up in Disk Union in Ochanomizu a couple weeks ago based entirely on the title and cover. Turns out they were a fairly famous 80s band in Japan dabbling in jazz fusion and pop rock. Empty Corners is the jam though, and it’s driving me mad because I can’t remember the original track it versions. Youtube version below is live. No discogs info - released in 1984 on CBS/Sony, Japanese press.

Naniwa Express - Empty Corners - 1984

Picked this one up in Disk Union in Ochanomizu a couple weeks ago based entirely on the title and cover. Turns out they were a fairly famous 80s band in Japan dabbling in jazz fusion and pop rock.

Empty Corners is the jam though, and it’s driving me mad because I can’t remember the original track it versions. Youtube version below is live.

No discogs info - released in 1984 on CBS/Sony, Japanese press.

Miso Kare ramen, Kyoto, March 2011. Found this banging Kare ramen spot nearby the Tintin museum/shop (oh yes there is one), they do all sorts of Kare ramen and the lunch deal includes ramen + side of kare. Great broth and decent chashu as well.

Miso Kare ramen, Kyoto, March 2011.

Found this banging Kare ramen spot nearby the Tintin museum/shop (oh yes there is one), they do all sorts of Kare ramen and the lunch deal includes ramen + side of kare. Great broth and decent chashu as well.

Space Harrier - Lakeside Memory - 1986 Taken from the vinyl version of ‘Sega Game Music vol.1’ which features all O.S.Ts for Outrun, Space Harrier and Alex Kid. This track is one of my favourites, some dubby 8-bit business that’s aged perfectly. Discogs info As far as I know there’s only one volume that ever made it to wax. Youtube below of the track in question.

Space Harrier - Lakeside Memory - 1986

Taken from the vinyl version of ‘Sega Game Music vol.1’ which features all O.S.Ts for Outrun, Space Harrier and Alex Kid. This track is one of my favourites, some dubby 8-bit business that’s aged perfectly.

Discogs info

As far as I know there’s only one volume that ever made it to wax. Youtube below of the track in question.

Shoyu Ramen, りょう花ラーメン, Kawanoe, Shikoku, March 2011. Found this spot near Tatsuki’s new home in Kawanoe. Pretty banging shoyu broth but the chashu was really the highlight, mouth melting business.

Shoyu Ramen, りょう花ラーメン, Kawanoe, Shikoku, March 2011.

Found this spot near Tatsuki’s new home in Kawanoe. Pretty banging shoyu broth but the chashu was really the highlight, mouth melting business.

Ryuichi Sakamoto - Tibetan Dance - 1984 Taken from the LP version of 音楽図鑑 which I found today in Disk Union for peanuts. The vinyl I found also includes a 12” bonus disc that has ‘Tibetan Dance (Version)’ on it, which is even better. Those claps are real funky. Sakamoto is a badman. Discogs info Youtube below of a live version from around release time. Will post an mp3 of the version once I can.

Ryuichi Sakamoto - Tibetan Dance - 1984

Taken from the LP version of 音楽図鑑 which I found today in Disk Union for peanuts. The vinyl I found also includes a 12” bonus disc that has ‘Tibetan Dance (Version)’ on it, which is even better. Those claps are real funky. Sakamoto is a badman.

Discogs info

Youtube below of a live version from around release time. Will post an mp3 of the version once I can.

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