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Even if you're not a noodle fan, it's worth making the trek to Shin-Yokohama - on the subway or JR Yokohama line - to visit the Ramen Museum (daily except Tues 11am-11pm; restaurants till 9.45pm; Y300). This well-designed museum-cum-restaurant is devoted to Japan's most popular fast food, in its most basic form a noodle soup garnished with roast pork, bamboo shoots and dried seaweed. It's five minutes' walk northeast of Shin-Yokohama Station; walk straight ahead, to the left of the NTT Building, to the second set of traffic lights, then turn right and first left. The museum's first-floor hall delves into the roots of ramen, tracing them back to southern China, and then chronicles the moment in 1958 when instant ramen - chicken-flavoured - was launched on the world, followed in 1971 by cup noodles. There are some mind-boggling statistics: as a taster, in 1993 the world consumed an estimated 22.1 billion bowls of ramen. Once you've digested all of that, head for the basement, where you're transported into 1950s downtown Japan. Below you lies a city square at dusk: lights are coming on in the shops and pachinko parlours, as vendors call out their wares under grimy film posters. Walk round the mezzanine's dingy alley, complete with bars and an old-fashioned sweet-shop, before heading down into the courtyard, where each storefront hides a restaurant from Japan's most famous ramen regions. The local variety are available in the Beauty Salon, while other stalls specialize in ramen from Fukuoka, Sapporo, Kumamoto or Tokyo; buy a ticket (from around Y900, or Y500 for a half-portion) at the machine - ask for help, as it's all in Japanese - and then join the slurping throng at tables in the courtyard. Note that there's no smoking except in the bars on the mezzanine floor, and it's best to avoid the crowds at lunchtimes and weekends.
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