Foodle

Recommended bowl: Rich tonkotsu tsukemen

Chūka Soba Tomita is one of the most renowned and highly ranked ramen shops in Japan, with Tomita-san having been crowned national Tsukemen champion multiple years in a row. The head shop is located out in Matsudo, Chiba, and multiple hour waits at the door are the norm. Luckily, for those who aren’t die-hard enough to make the pilgrimage to the flagship, Tomita-san franchised out and there is now an outpost at Narita Airport's Terminal 1. Similar to the original, with a rich, tonkotsu-gyokai tsukemen and thick noodles meant for dipping. Open since 2016. Less

Recommended bowl: Double soup

Unlike most of the Hakata shops which serve a pure pork soup, Unari offers up a double soup, utilizing various sea ingredients as well. The tonkotsu soup is made using pig heads, and the gyokai soup contains two types of niboshi, three types of other 'bushi' and kombyu. The noodles are housemade in a central kitchen. Run by president Ōkubo-san, they have a handful of branches. The flagship is located in Kyokawa, Fukuoka since 2009, with the Nakasu branch open since 2011. Hours 6pm-6am Less