KAMAISHI RAMEN - RAMEN JAPAN

Ramen Japan, this time in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture. This is the story of the ramen that stayed with the city through good times and bad. Kamaishi, Iwate has a population of around 30,000. Nearby some of the world's most productive fishing grounds, this port town has a thriving fishing industry. The city spreads out from the fishing port, and is where you'll find the ramen loved by people of all ages here in Kamaishi. The local ramen association has 33 member shops. The association's vice president, Konno Tokio, explains what makes Kamaishi ramen so special. First, there's the clear soy sauce based soup. The noodles are also special, extremely thin. When I first came here, the noodles were this thin. The umami of the soup is what makes the ramen so special. It's refreshing, but there's a lot of depth to it. I think I'll be very happy when I eat it. This Chinese restaurant is the birthplace of Kamaishi ramen. It first opened in 1951. You don't find this type of thin noodles anywhere else. It's like somen, but it's like Chinese noodles. I think I can eat as many as I want. Saijo Nobuhito served up the first ever bowl of ramen in Kamaishi. Now his son, Masanobu, is the second generation owner and keeper of the flame. Kamaishi ramen means ultra-fine noodles. But when the shop first opened, the noodles were much thicker. Somen noodles are made by stretching wheat flour dough into thin strands. The national standard is under 1.3 millimeters. The characteristic ultra-fine ramen noodles came about from this simple request. They measure just 1 millimeter. Cooking time is only 25 seconds. With this, Kamaishi-style ramen was complete. When the original owner, Nobuhito, was just 27, the family moved to Kamaishi from a neighboring prefecture after hearing of its economic boom. His son, Masanobu, still vividly remembers the first time he set eyes on his new home. Kamaishi had long been a flourishing center for steel production, and the mills towered over it. In the 1950s, the post-war reconstruction led to a period of significant economic growth. And the steelworks in Kamaishi helped support it. Rails for the Shinkansen bullet train and other construction materials were produced non-stop 24 hours a day, and the city's population grew to over 90,000. The owner of this dining bar, Kikuchi Yuko, remembers the vibrant pace of life in those days. Ramen, still a rarity at the time, was something the workers who came from all over the country enjoyed. Ramen shop owner, Konno Tokyo, used to work in the steel mills himself. His father was also a steelworker. Gradually, the number of shops serving ramen in Kamaishi grew. When Konno was 29, he started selling ramen from a converted van. But Kamaishi's economic boom didn't last long. The steel industry was in decline by the mid-1970s, and blast furnaces were dismantled to scale down production. The number of workers, which had been over 10,000 at its peak, gradually diminished. For the ramen shops of Kamaishi, it was a mess. Kamaishi's Chamber of Commerce and Industry is near the fishing port. The Ramen Association searched for a way to help revitalize the declining city. This is a ramen map they created at the time. It lists all 43 of the local ramen shops. With the map complete, the shop owners gathered to prepare a press release. It was the evening of March 10th, 2011. Saijo Shop was around 600 meters from the coast. As the tsunami encroached, they evacuated to the roof. The tsunami in Kamaishi reached nearly 20 meters high. The ground floor of Saijo Shop was completely flooded. This clock hung on the kitchen wall at the... Of the 43 shops on the map, 25 were destroyed by the wave. The worst of it occurred in the Unosumai area. Half of the Kamaishi residents who lost their lives had homes here. Tobashi Kazushi of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry was born and raised in Unosumai. Two of the shops lost their owners. It was a very popular ramen shop. I was born and raised in Unosumai, so I remember the owner's face. The missing and dead from Kamaishi totaled almost 1,000 souls. Not long after the disaster, Saijo found something in the wreckage of his shop front. I found a stain under the rubble. It was a stain that had been washed away. My father was very angry. I thought, maybe my father was protecting me. We talked it over and decided to do it. More than six months after the disaster, in November of 2011, headed by Saijo, the Kamaishi Ramen Association was rebuilt with 23 member shops. He also set out to rebuild his own shop, which had been damaged in the disaster. Until then, I was happy just to wait and work. The play ball is about to start. Let's welcome the customers with a smile. Nine months after the disaster, Saijo's shop reopened. Present day Kamaishi, Unosumai. At the invitation of his friend, Konno's shop, which was also hit by the disaster, relocated here three years ago. Ramen lovers from the area all came. This man was born and raised in Unosumai. His mother, one of the victims of the tsunami, was never found. Thirteen years have passed since the disaster. The latest ramen map has been completed. On it, all the current local ramen shops, now 33 members strong. Wouldn't you like to try some yourself? Come pay a visit for the best bowl of ramen you've ever had.