What Is Tsukemen?

Most people who have not lived in Japan do not know what Tsukemen is.

Tsukemen is a Japanese noodle dish consisting of ramen which is eaten after dipping in a separate bowl of soup. The soup is thick and should be appreciated.  If ramen is the perfect choice during cold seasons, tsukemen is the savior for noodle-craving tummies on hot, summer days.  Below is one of my favorite lunch spots in Shibuya and a famous chain in Japan.

How to eat tsukemen?  It’s simple really; grab a small bunch of noodles with your chopsticks, dip it in the soup and then eat it. If you dip too many noodles at one time though, the taste of the soup becomes a little too overpowering. The staff recommend grabbing 2 or 3 strands of noodles at a time and dipping them in the soup. Do not eat too many noodles at once or the taste of the soup will not be appreciated.  The soup itself has a very dense flavor to be enjoyed with every taste.