I'm very hungry.
Misa, let's eat something before going home.
Yes, okay.
What should we have?
Ramen.
It's not worth waiting in that queue for it.
No, it's definitely not worth it.
What?
What's the matter?
That's odd.
Isn't that our classmate, Koizumi?
Koizumi?
Yes, Koizumi.
That mysterious exchange student.
Right.
I don't like her.
She hasn't spoken to anyone since being transferred here.
Everyone dislikes her haughtiness.
Stop it already.
There it is.
You like pretty girls more than having three meals a day.
I like...
pretty girls the most.
Wait!
Yu!
This is too much. I'm going home.
Really!
Koizumi.
Do you recognize me?
I'm your classmate, Osawa Yu.
I'm surprised to see you coming alone to have ramen.
It's a surprise.
We don't need a company to eat ramen.
(Konjiki Hototogisu, Tokyo, Hatagaya)
Sorry to keep you waiting.
It looks delicious.
Thank you for the food.
What?
What was that just now?
Why is she smiling so prettily?
But this bowl of ramen looks ordinary to me.
Is it that tasty to her?
She's back to normal.
Judging a bowl of ramen just by its looks is superficial.
This golden buckwheat soy sauce soup is made from pork meat and trotters,
and simmered in seafood stock added for taste.
Then, clams were mixed in...
to the unparalleled ramen broth.
First, the sweetness of pork bones mixed with the fragrance of seafood.
And finally, the fresh taste of clams...
proliferating in the mouth...
makes it simply a top-notch triple harmony.
Something's wrong with your brain...
if you call this ramen ordinary.
Sorry.
Amazing.
(Today's bowl)
(This drama is fiction.)
(But the ramen is from the actual ramen shop.)
(First Bowl: Jiro)
What? Gosh.
I've lost her.
Yu, let's go home together.
- Sorry but why don't you go ahead? - What?
Don't tell me it's that exchange student again.
Yes.
I'm too curious. I can't stand it.
Can't stand it?
Can't stand it.
There.
Koizumi.
Koizumi!
Wait up!
Why are you walking so fast?
You again.
Koizumi.
Yes?
Let me help you with your bag.
Why?
What else? Because I want to be friends with you.
I don't know what you're talking about at all.
Come on, give it to me.
It's okay.
Don't be shy. Let me take it.
Sorry!
Here.
What does this heart shape mean?
Who's Jiro?
What does it mean?
Do you have a boyfriend, Koizumi?
How can this be?
Are you going to meet up with Jiro now?
You've misunderstood.
What kind of a person is Jiro?
May I follow you? I won't be in the way.
I'll just take a quick look from afar.
Please don't be like this.
Besides, he's not my boyfriend.
What?
But isn't this what you've written down?
You've written Jiro's name...
for today on your diary.
So, who's Jiro?
Jiro...
Goodness, we're actually in Hachioji.
It took us an hour by train to get here.
Aren't we there yet?
I'm tired.
You can go back.
Don't be like that.
Here we are.
(Jiro)
So Jiro is not a boyfriend,
but the name of a ramen shop.
I never said anything about a boyfriend.
But what? You mean to say...
that you especially took a one-hour train trip...
all the way to Hachioji just to eat the ramen in this shop?
What wrong with that?
- No, it's just that... - I enjoy doing it.
To me, Jiro's ramen is special.
Special?
Ramen Jiro was founded in 1968.
They moved to Mita, Minato in the 70s...
and became the popular...
and beloved soul food of Keio college students.
More and more people were attracted to its unique flavors.
They kept opening new branches.
There's a total of 39 branches in Tokyo city center.
Despite refusing media coverage,
people still flock to them just by word-of-mouth.
The charisma and personality of this ramen shop...
is their benchmark.
I see.
I purposely came outside of the peak hour.
There's no queue.
I'm so lucky.
See you.
She actually said, "See you."
Wait, Koizumi.
That was really tasty.
(Ramen Jiro, Hachioji Yaenkaidou second branch)
Welcome.
Goodness.
It's not even dinner time and the place is packed.
Amazing!
But...
They're all men.
What's this amateur talking about?
What?
She actually chose the "Daibuta"?
That's typical Koizumi. Cool!
"Daibuta" is a large portion ramen with barbecued pork, right?
I'm hungry too,
so I'll order this also.
I would suggest you don't order this.
That's okay.
Despite my size, I've got a good appetite.
I say...
Does this shop only sell ramen?
Where's the dumpling, fried rice...
- and set meal B? - There's none.
All the more reason for me to order the "Daibuta."
- Wait! - What?
Young ladies, please listen to our advice.
Please order the small portion now.
What?
You definitely won't be able to finish the big portion.
Impossible.
That's okay.
Despite my size, I've got a good appetite.
Here you are, Mr. Jiro. Thank you.
This man is not Mr. Jiro.
Okay, thank you for coming.
Hey.
Who are these noisy people?
They are Jirorian.
- Jirorian? - That's right.
Ramen Jiro's diehard fans.
They're called Jirorian.
What did you say?
- Jirorians are not fans of ramen. - What?
They are fans of Jiro ramen.
What?
To the Jirorians,
Jiro is not a type of ramen,
but a type of Jiro food.
You've lost me there.
So, Koizumi, are you a Jirorian too?
No way! I'm not qualified yet.
I've got a long way to go.
Thick and fragrant suckling bone, fresh and tasty soy sauce,
perfectly rich and mellow broth.
Today's noodles are particularly delicious.
- No deviation. - Yes.
The strong and thick feel of the wheat noodles is still there.
No deviation.
No deviation?
Ramen Jiro's flavor changes subtly every day.
What?
Sometimes the flavor's a bit stronger,
sometimes it's a little richer.
- There's some deviation. - What?
You mean sometimes it's not so nice?
Can there be times when it tastes bad?
That's hard to believe.
The flavor is actually not the same every day...
You're so annoying!
It's always been very tasty! It's under this major premise...
that there's sometimes a little deviation, okay?
No matter how it deviates, it's still absolutely delicious.
To enjoy the subtle changes in flavor every day...
is an adult's pursuit.
I don't think you girls...
will be able to understand that.
Take a good look at this piece of pork.
They've exceeded themselves in preparing it today.
The pork is absolutely heavenly.
It's the best they've prepared today.
So you're saying there are also times when the pork's not nice?
You haven't been listening!
Enough.
Us, Jirorians, love all of these.
No matter what you say, ramen has a life of its own.
What? That sounds like a famous saying.
By the way,
the taste and quality differs in every Jiro branch.
This is our pleasure too.
And another thing,
the U.K.'s number one paper,
"The Guardian", states that Jiro...
is one of the 50 must-eat foods of the world.
I see.
In the traditional sense, that's absolutely amazing.
But you girls...
would never understand the beauty of Jiro.
So why don't you quickly cancel your order and go home?
You girls?
Don't look down on us!
We're serious customers too.
We can't eat ramen just because we don't have ramen knowledge?
What?
This sound is music to my ears.
Sound?
The sound of water being drained.
I just don't understand.
Do you want garlic in it?
Lots of vegetables, lots of garlic,
lots of oil and flavorful.
Lots?
He's talking about the garnishing.
You say "lots" if you want more vegetables.
You say "lots" if you want more of anything.
It's the same with garlic.
And if you want it to be more flavorful, say "lots of oil."
If you want to have more flavor, say "flavorful."
Wait a minute.
Didn't the cook ask only if you wanted more garlic?
He never said anything about vegetables.
In Ramen Jiro, if you're asked about the garlic,
it's usual for customers to request for more of the other things also.
Is that so?
Would you like to have more garlic?
I'll have more of everything.
- In that case... - You can't, Osawa.
- You won't be able to finish it. - It'll be fine.
I'm so hungry I'm about to become a Pekorian.
You really don't know your limits.
Here you go.
What?
Is this a mountain?
Mount Fuji? The World Heritage?
I can't see the noodles at all.
There's still time...
if you girls want to apologize.
This mountain...
is too high for you girls.
We've tried our best to dissuade you.
We've tried to several times.
But you paid no heed to us.
This mountain is precipitous.
Be careful when scaling it.
I...
"We're serious customers too."
You said that...
just now, right?
Yes.
Please go ahead, then.
If you're really serious customers,
I'm sure you'll conscientiously finish it.
Koizumi.
What should we do?
Thank you for the food.
Turn it upside down.
You know your stuff.
Turn it upside down.
Jiro's noodles are not only thick,
but the portions are also huge.
So it absorbs the soup very quickly.
If it's eaten the normal way,
that is, from the vegetables first,
the noodles will gradually lump together.
Turning it upside down prevents this from happening.
First, pull the noodles out from the bottom.
Place them above the vegetables to keep them from softening.
At the same time...
the vegetables can also absorb the flavorful soup.
This is the most commonly seen technique among the Jirorians.
That's the smile.
Koizumi.
You really love your ramen.
She changes back to normal in a flash.
Miss.
It's best to enjoy your noodles now when it's still warm.
Okay.
May I take a photo?
Sure.
Thank you for the food.
It's delicious.
(Jiro)
I can't take in any more.
Can I leave some behind?
There's no helping it.
Remember to order a small portion next time.
By the way, we have smaller portions here for our women customers too.
Okay.
Sorry.
You're kidding.
How can you eat so much ramen?
Because it's there.
My tummy is so bloated.
But I'm so happy to be able to eat ramen with you.
Koizumi, let's eat ramen again next time.
I decline.
What?
This is the story of Koizumi who loves to eat ramen.
(Koizumi Observation Journal, Volume One, Osawa Yu)
Koizumi's observation journal.
The shops Koizumi and I visited today were Konjiki Hototogisu...
and Ramen Jiro at Two Chome Horinouchi, Hachioji.
They were delicious.
Here you go.
Eating ramen so early in the morning is a bit...
I'm awake now.
It's so red. What's this?
You definitely won't be able to finish it.
It's very spicy.
The North Pole heat level is this shop's ultimate "Boss" level.
You won't be able to take it.
It's very spicy.