If you’re in Fukuoka, you shouldn’t have to go very far to find an Ichiran. You may have to look carefully, though because they’re not very big. Once you find one, walk in and look for the ticket machine, like the one above. As you can see, there aren’t many things to choose from, and there are photos for each of the items they sell. It all revolves around the ramen, so get one of those and anything you want to go with it.

Once you have your tickets, you may need to wait for a place to sit. Look at the panel of lights near the seats and wait for the same number of blue lights as your party, but be forewarned that if it’s too crowded, you may have to sit separately. As you’ll see, not sitting with your friends may not be a big deal. Once you get the blue light, go sit at your number.

Here’s your space for eating. It’s not big, but remember, the focus is on the noodles. As you can see, I’ve got my chopsticks ready.

If this is your first time, you can run through the checklist sitting in your spot. Chopsticks? Check. Glass of water? Check. Ticket? Check. Order form? Oh, yeah, mmmm, how should I have my ramen prepared today…?

The most important part of the meal is choosing how your noodles come out. This is all done on the form that is waiting for you when you sit down. If you have eaten ramen at many places, you will realize that this form is an incredible addition to a noodle shop! Virtually all ramen shops pride themselves on the food they make, and you mostly get what they prepare.

At Ichiran, you choose, in the following order, the strength of the broth; the fat content of the broth; optional sourness; the amount of garlic; what kind, if any, of green onion or leeks; optional slices of pork; the amount, if any, of their “special” spicy sauce; and how firm you want your noodles. The shop in Canal City has an added option with half a boiled egg.

There was an English version available at the Canal City shop. Your mileage may vary.

One final note is that the Canal City shop serves its ramen in beautiful rectangular bowls (is it a bowl if it isn’t round?) Take off the lid, and…

enjoy!

I understand there’s a shop in Kumamoto. That one is high on my list of restaurants to visit next…

World, meet Mr. Ota. His San Diego restaurant, Sushi Ota, is just about the best sushi shop I’ve been to (I’ll save my other favorite, Daiki, in Ise, for another post). Besides being a great guy, Mr. Ota runs a smooth-running ship with fantastic food. We were trying to figure out when we first started going; it must have been not too long after he opened in the late 1980′s. That was back when there were exactly two people behind the counter: Mr. Ota and a nice guy nicknamed Joe. Now there are seven or eight people perfectly choreographed. It’s a big coincidence that Mr. Ota’s hometown is a couple of hours south of Kumamoto (in Hondo). He’s in my hometown, and I’m near his. Mr. Ota knows what my family likes, and he takes great pride watching our expressions after putting his original California- and Kyushu-fused creations in front of us. He has never missed with us. This meal took place about four months ago, so I’m working from the photos and my feeble memory. If the details are lacking, just enjoy the photos, and use your imagination…

Our meal started off with the above creation, although I broke it up before I remembered to take a picture of it. It was crab meat and tomato in a savory gelatin, and it just melted in my mouth.

I need to take some notes when I go back next time because I cannot remember what was in this original masterpiece. I do remember that the avocado matched perfectly with the grated daikon, tare (sauce?), and the fish inside.

This was one of those one-bite experiences that last only as long as you can chew it. There was crab involved and squid and a white fish, and that sauce!

Yes, your honor, guilty as charged. I forgot what kind of fish this was, but it was grilled to perfection and it was tender and extremely tasty.

I understand the giant bluefin tuna is dwindling rapidly. A few orders of various parts of maguro is usual for me. This time we had one order of toro and left it at that. I hope the tuna population returns to normal soon. We should all think carefully before catching/ordering/eating any more giant bluefin tuna.

Uni (sea urchin) is a delicacy in Japan. It just so happens that the waters of the east side of the North Pacific Ocean are filled with sea urchins. Sushi Ota serves them up from both California and Japan.

My wife likes the awabi (abalone); I can do without it. It’s a bit too chewy for me. She said it was wonderful!

Memory lapse again. As you already know, the one on the right is sake (salmon), but the one on the left eludes me right now. Perhaps another trip is in store, so I can ask…

Our final order was tamago. I think it was the first time to order it at Sushi Ota. Check out the cool brand.

Thanks for (another) excellent meal, Mr. Ota. I can’t wait to go back!

This was the view in front of me. On the bottom is one of David Cassidy’s guitars (did your heart start pounding when you read that?) On the top is one of Cesar Rojas’. Seeing that triggered some memories with the missus and me. The two of us have seen Los Lobos perform twice: once at the Paladium in LA for New Year’s (I believe that was 1990). That was a great show. The other time was at the outdoor amphitheater at Balboa Park. During that show, Cesar came up into the audience and played a solo for my wife. We were about two feet away from him. I think I can say that was the closest I’ve ever been to someone in concert. Needless to say, it was an awesome show!

We were in Fukuoka last week for one of the Hawks-Buffalo games (the one before the typhoon came.) We hadn’t been to a Hard Rock in a long time, so that was my request for lunch. I had a great burger and nice conversation with a friend of the family. Behind me, on the wall was Elvis rocking out in front of Mt. Fuji. I couldn’t resist…