Volume 02: Ramen

After a year and a half of hard work (and many, many bowls of noodles), we are proud to present Volume 02: Ramen.

Produced in collaboration with a group of talented writers, recipe developers, and illustrators, the stories in this book run the gamut from the challenges of halal ramen and the rise of a tiny family-run noodle-making business, to meditations on searching for home in a bowl of ramen and the experience of eating ramen in space.

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In this volume

Take a whirlwind history tour of ramen through the ages.

Find out what it’s like to slurp ramen in outer space with Naoko Yamazaki, the second Japanese woman to visit space.

Visit sleepy Mishima for Takanashi Tetsuhiro’s tangy lemon ramen… and a taste of a brewing cultural movement.

  • Meet the legendary makers behind some of Japan’s finest ramen noodles at Kaikarou, a family-run business in the backstreets of Asakusa.

  • Learn about the painstaking process of producing a porcelain ramen bowl with ceramics powerhouse Maruhiro.

Eavesdrop on the inner life of that girl in the ramen shop (you know, that girl).

Hear about what it takes to be a ramen tour guide with Frank Striegl of 5AM Ramen.

Wander through the neon-lit streets of Tokyo in search of home in a bowl of ramen.

…and more!

  • Original features

    Unravelling Ramen – Claire Williamson
    Noodle Narratives – Mike Fu

    Keep Eating – Kee Byung-keun

    Halal, is it ramen you’re looking for? – Kirsty Bouwers

    The Masked Man and the Reluctant Heir – Florentyna Leow

    That Girl in the Ramen Shop – Carina Fushimi

  • Interviews

    Young at Heart: Takanashi Tetsuhiro Wants to Start a Cultural Movement

    Out of this World: Naoko Yamazaki Eats in Space

    5AM Ramen: Down the Ramen Rabbit Hole with Frank Striegl

    Baba Kyohei on pottery, pop culture, and parks

    Ramen is Life, Basically: Stacy Tan Talks Design

    Tasaki Ryusei on transforming ideas into porcelain

  • Recipes & Reviews

    Laksa in a Flash – Yi Jun Loh

    Ramen Ritual – Joshen Chew

    Review: “I Want to be Spaghetti” – Florentyna Leow

    Illustrations by
    Dean Aizawa
    Julia Hansson
    Apple Leow