Recommended bowl: Wakayama legend

Wa Dining Seino is about as good as it gets. Located in Arida, Wakayama, the shop is often ranked amongst the top ramen shops in all of Japan (as high as No. 3 at one point). Open from just 11am to 3pm, weekends get especially hectic as ramen heads from far and wide make the pilgrimage to this deep part of Wakayama for a chance to sample the bowls served by master Harada-san. The noodles are housemade, and the tare includes a local Kadochō brand shoyu from Arida. The soup is made from chicken, pork and niboshi (with the niboshi heads removed). Multiple varieties of bowls are on the menu, but most go with the Wakayama ramen or the shoyu ramen. Marvelous balance and overall execution. For those who can’t make the trek, Seino now has a second outpost located in a department store near Wakayama station. But of course, nothing beats the original.