Recommended bowl: Yamagata chicken soup

Opened in 2016, Muginae remains one of the most prestigious shops in the Tokyo ramen scene. Master Fukaya-san serves a golden brown soup made from flavorful free-range Yamagata chickens, along with a tare that is prepared from two varieties of specialty shoyu — one from Nagano, the other from Hyogo. The noodles are house-made with Japanese flour. Muginae is an excellent example of the ongoing Tokyo trend of exquisitely prepared shoyu ramen made with high-quality ingredients. Balance plus clean, crisp flavors — this one screams excellence. Check Twitter for holidays and updates: @Akihiro_Fukaya