上上ラーメン 塩/ Jōjō Ramen Shio / Kaishinzan — Yūtenji, Tokyo

Collagen-rich soup simmers for over 13 hours and includes ingredients like chicken bones, pork bones, shijimi and asari clams, plus 10 different vegetables (broccoli, ginger, daikon, carrots, celery and green onions, etc.) Medium-thin noodles are semi-transparent. Topped with pork chashu, mizuna, seaweed and lemon. Yaki gyoza dumplings use housemade skins and are stuffed with collagen, premium seaweed and dried shiitake mushrooms. After finishing the dumplings it’s recommended to pour the leftover gyoza sauce into the ramen. Drinking all of the soup is also recommended (you may get scolded otherwise).

Master Masako-san previously ran the shop with her husband, who had experience working as a chef for the Chinese embassy. After he passed away in 2011 she took over the kitchen and has run the shop solo ever since. She is now in her 80’s. When they first opened the store it was called Sanno Hanten and was so popular they had to move, relocating once along Meguro-Dōri before moving again to the current location. Ten seats. Open since 1967.