TOKYO (The Japan Times/ANN): A ramen boom like never before is sweeping Japan, driven by tourism and turning the beloved national dish into an international sensation.
The market for ramen restaurants is estimated to have reached a record high of about 790 billion yen (S$6.6 billion) in the last fiscal year, making it 60 per cent larger than it was 10 years ago, according to a credit research company.
This surge is being propelled by the ever-growing number of foreign visitors to Japan.
Seven American tourists were speaking excitedly about what kind of ramen they would get. It was past noon in mid-October, and they were standing in front of a miso ramen restaurant in Tokyo’s Shibuya ward.
The group was part of Tokyo Ramen Tours organised by a Japanese travel agency.
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