Ramen
Would you like a paper apron?
Yes, thank you.
Hello. My name is Koizumi.
I came to this shop to enjoy some of my favorite ramen.
The walls are covered in beautiful paintings.
The whole place is filled with cute red and green objects.
They're drawn on the walls and the lanterns.
Yes, those are...
Thank you for waiting.
Taiyo no Tomato Ramen
My latest favorite...
Deep red tomato ramen.
Loves Ramen Noodles
Ms. Koizumi
Loves Ramen Noodles
Tomato Ramen
Time to eat.
The slippery noodles are coated with the faintly acidic and sweet taste of tomato.
The melted cheese mingles with that.
This is...
irresistible!
At a restaurant I visited the other day,
they had over ten different types of tomato ramen.
I had trouble deciding which to get.
Since it's gotten hot lately, the cold noodles also look really good.
But still...
Eating piping-hot ramen that makes you sweat is simply something else.
Sigh...
The other pleasure that tomato ramen brings with it is this.
You take this rice with furikake
and put it into your leftover soup to make a sort of risotto.
This is the true charm of this ramen.
Lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes,
is known to be good for clear skin and digestion.
I don't leave a single molecule of it behind.
Incidentally, lycopene is a fat-soluble vitamin.
Its absorption rate increases almost four times when it's heated in oil.
Oil
Here you go.
Your tomato juice.
Talking about tomato ramen makes me think of the ramen Yuu-san made me that one time.
That was tomato-based, too.
In France, the tomato is called "the apple of love."
That is to say, the tomato is a symbol of love.
I can't deny that ramen was full of love.
I have trouble being honest about my feelings and always act cold toward her,
but the truth is, I want to become better friends with Yuu-san.
My feelings are passionate, just like this ripe tomato.
Someday, I'll tell her.
Either way, today's ramen was delicious again.
What have you been mumbling about all this time?
It's annoying.
Oh, whoops! You heard me? Starting when?
Somewhere around "Hello. My name is Koizumi."
Oh, man, how embarrassing! You heard the whole thing!
So about that restaurant you were talking about...
I don't remember going there with you.
How do you know about that place?
Oh, really?
Thank you for waiting.
Ah, here it is!
My turn now.
Time to eat.
Well, it's true that the ramen you made for me back then was tasty.
But that's all.
Whole Tomatoes
Thank you for visiting Shinjuku Nylord.
Thank you very much!
Thank you for the food.
What? But I'm not done eating!
Koizumi-san!
So sad...
She's acting the same as ever today.
The faintly acidic and sweet taste...
So good.
Excuse me!
Can I have some ramen risotto, please?
Maybe I'll travel to Fussa tomorrow.
Slurp...
Wait!
Doesn't the red on the Italian flag stand for tomatoes?
And the white is for cheese, and the green for olives?
Wrong.
Patriotism
Justice
Homeland
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Euglena
As we see here, unicellular organisms can be divided into animal and plant types.
Amoeba and paramecium are animal types. Closterium and pinnularia are plant types.
Euglena
The green bug, or euglena, is classified as being between those groups.
It's called a "bug," but it is not an insect.
It moves using a tentacle called a flagellum,
but it is also capable of photosynthesis and a truly remarkable...
Yesterday, Koizumi-san...
It's true that the ramen you made for me back then was tasty.
But that's all.
Koizumi-san...
It's okay to be honest and say how you really feel, you know.
I'm always ready to accept your feelings.
I'd really like to have some of your homemade ramen again,
but I'm too embarrassed to ask.
Yes, I love it!
Ouch!
What are you mumbling about with that grin on your face?
You'd look scary to anyone who didn't know you.
Hey, that's mean...
Huh?
Where is everyone?
Come on, we're leaving.
Where are you going?
So that's it.
We had cleaning duty.
Euglena, euglena...
Hmm, hmm, hmm, 4-1-1-4...
Euglena are great...
What are you singing?
You haven't heard it?
There's this infomercial about euglena that airs late at night.
Really? I had no idea.
I've been really into them lately.
They say that eating cookies and jellies made with it is good for the skin.
Really?
But they're bugs.
I thought you hated bugs. You're okay with that?
If it's for beauty, I can even eat bugs without bugging out.
That was so lame.
Oh, shut up!
We just learned in class that it's not a bug, but a type of algae.
The green bug, also known as euglena.
With a scientific name meaning "beautiful eye,"
this single-celled organism has a length of 0.05 millimeters.
This organism, with over 60 different nutrients,
is used in a variety of health foods.
Thanks to its ability to photosynthesize,
it's also being closely studied
in various fields, such as to mitigate global warming or as a bio-fuel.
Euglena, huh?
I'd like to know what it tastes like.
N-Not because it's popular now or anything!
It's just my natural curiosity about single-celled organisms.
I mean, I'm actually considering entering a scientific field after graduation.
Euglena.
Wh-What?
They use it in ramen, too.
Huh?
There's one with about six hundred million euglena in the soup.
It's called green ramen.
After hearing you talk, I got the urge to go have some again.
Hey, Koizumi-san...
Do you have a moment?
Yes?
So that ramen...
This is the place.
Yamate Ramen Hongo Anan
Huh...
Their sign looks like a blackboard.
I don't think it's the reason,
but apparently students from Tokyo University often come here to work.
Really?
I'm splurging today on extra green.
You can add more green, huh?
Well, anyway...
Time to eat.
This green color is made by hundreds of millions of euglena.
This reminds me of Italian food made with basil.
Right this moment,
six hundred millions of these euglena are flowing into my body.
Thank you for the food.
I really liked the basil taste,
but I couldn't really tell what the euglena actually tastes like.
No?
Then would you like to go to a place where they put euglena directly into the noodles?
What? You mean right now?
I don't think I can go right now.
I'm too full.
It's a short train ride, or we could go by foot and walk some of this off.
Is it really a good idea to consume that much euglena in one day?
I ended up eating another bowl.
Oof... So full...
Is this another property of euglena?
Hi!
No, I think it's a property of Koizumi-san.
I'm going to the next shop now.
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Huge Line
Take a look at this huge line!
Today we're visiting a popular sweets shop that has
The Miraculous Line for Sweets!
a line going around the block every day!
Let's see what these people have to say about it.
Wow, that's crazy.
I stood in line for three hours to get these.
I can brag at school tomorrow!
Whoa...
Is it really good enough to be worth all that?
I bet you stand in line for ramen shops pretty often, right?
I don't really like standing in line, to be honest.
I avoid it whenever I can.
Oh, really? That's unexpected.
I would've thought she'd happily stand in line for ramen.
I guess she must know a bunch of places where you don't have to stand in line.
Yeah, that must be it.
There's no reason why she would ever have to stand in line.
Mutekiya Ramen
About another hour, you think?
Yeah.
Man, it's hot.
Yeah, I'm already in line.
Looks like we'll move up soon.
It's crazy long.
We've been here a long time.
It's so hot.
An hour down.
Standing in line in the summer is brutal.
But I have to do this!
Today, I'm going to this place
Koizumi-san was totally reading up on this place today.
Appear
Peek
I'm positive that she's fixated on Mutekiya right now.
But Koizumi-san's got class duty this week.
Hey, cute girl over there
That's why I went to stand in line for her.
Enjoy your ramen
Once she gets here, I'll give her my spot and smoothly make my exit.
Ba-dump
I have to say, great idea, me!
My very own "if pressure doesn't work, try leaving" plan!
Hello? Where are you?
What? You're gonna be a bit longer?
Still, I thought she said she doesn't like to stand in line.
She just couldn't admit it.
That's cute in its own way.
All right, please step forward.
Mutekiya
Finally, I'm on the side where the store is!
Hurry up!
Where the hell are you?
Please take a look while you wait.
Okay!
Thank you very much.
This store has tonkotsu base, my favorite.
This looks so good!
Oh, you're close? Where?
I should come here to eat it myself sometime.
Oh, I see you.
Over here!
You guys are so late.
Yeah, sorry.
It was too hot, so we took a break at a Starbucks.
Heya! I see you're almost at the front.
Hey, girlie.
Crowd
Can you step back a bit? My friends need to get in here.
E-Excuse me?!
WHAT
This is cutting!
E-Excuse me, but I don't think cutting is right.
Huh? But I've been standing here for them the whole time.
I've been standing here for almost an hour in this heat.
It was hard, let me tell you.
Uh, hang on! The same goes for me!
In fact, everyone here has been standing just as long!
She's right.
Come on...
Let it slide just this once, okay?
I don't normally do this.
This guy is messing things up for everyone, and he knows it!
Is that girl alone?
I guess she doesn't have anyone to eat with.
Kinda sad.
Th-Th-This isn't something you normally eat in a group!
And anyway, that's not even the point!
What are you doing?
Koizumi-san! Can you believe this?!
I don't know why you're here,
but you're making a scene in front of this restaurant.
I'm here to stand in line for you.
I wanted you to be able to just walk right in.
Cutting in line is also a disturbance.
I know that!
I was going to give you my spot and go home!
Wait, what?
Oh, so that girl's a gopher.
I'm not!
This was an act of innocent love!
Anyway...
It seems there are quite a number of people who think nothing of cutting in line,
and it's bound to happen at any restaurant with huge lines.
I guess. I mean, there are people who will do it even after you point it out to them.
What are you talking about?
A real ramen lover would never do that.
Obviously, there are some who would.
I don't know if they're real ramen lovers, though.
Only so many bowls of ramen can be crafted by the people who work in this store.
This store also has a person who prepares the soup for the next day instead of sleeping.
Stealing even one bowl of that soup from its rightful owner in line is something
a true ramen lover would never do.
Never ever.
I'll get in line and wait myself.
Seeing the line order change would confuse the people working here.
Then I'll get in line again, too!
Do as you like, I guess.
Yes!
Wait up, Koizumi-san!
Anyway, the shop's staff was really nice...
So you're standing back here now, too?
Well, you might not think it, but we do love ramen quite a bit.
I see!
I don't know, but I'd say this all turned out okay. Right, Koizumi-san?
What are you talking about?
Move This Way
Please do not queue beyond this point. Instead, please queue on the other side of the street.
Still, I was pretty surprised.
Huh?
The other day, you said you don't really like waiting in line.
I don't like waiting in line,
but I also know that if you wait a little longer, the line won't be as bad.
But then, why...
Because I was taken over by impulse.
I just had to have this store's ramen at once.
Once you're in that place, you have no choice but to line up.
An impulse... Is the ramen here really that good?
I like it.
I see.
Let's take a picture with the huge line!
A memento of this trip!
I've started a food blog for places with huge lines.
Really?
Yeah, I've been standing here for two hours now.
Nah, it's not that impressive!
I guess there are people here specifically because they want to stand in line.
That can be its own entertainment.
Mutekiya Ramen
It's its own good fortune, in a way.
I guess so.
Mutekiya
Thank you for waiting!
We... We can finally eat!
The wait was worth it!
Time to eat.
This looks so good.
It's delicious!
The rich tonkotsu soup clings to the thick noodles!
And free toppings!
Garlic! Pickled mustard greens! Fish powder!
I'll switch it up with some pickled mustard greens!
This is bliss.
It's like this soup is melting away the exhaustion of that long wait.
I'm seriously getting hooked.
Mutekiya Ramen
That was amazing.
Mutekiya Ramen
Bliss...
Hey, Koizumi-san!
Let's stand in line for that ramen again!
Yuu is hooked on the ramen and the line
Why don't you go by yourself?
Standing alone for two hours is not at all like standing with you for two hours!
Do you remember what you're not supposed to do while standing in line?
Yes!
Don't be loud in front of the restaurant, and don't cut in line.
On top of that, stalking me is also against the rules.
I-I need to watch over her so that nobody does something like that to her!
Wait! Koizumi-san!
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Morning Ramen
Hiyashi
Museum
Things that happen with ramen!
Getting a big portion because it's free, but it's gross!
I've been there!
Do I use black pepper or shichimi?
I've been there!
Can't get chopsticks out of the dispenser.
I've been there!
When ordering fish-based broths, do I pick a sardine, mackerel, or flying fish base?
Not... sure if I've been there?
Thank you for the food!