The founder of Harukiya used to be a Soba craftsman and introduced his soba making skills to his ramen recipe. His ramen, combined of traditional Japanese taste and exotic Chinese taste, grasped the people's heart successfully. In fact, Harukiya has been playing the leading role in this ramen Mecca since its foundation right after the World War II.
Harukiya's ramen best characterizes itself with its aroma of dried bonito
and dried small sardine, both of which are usually used fo soup stock of
traditional Japanese cuisine. It is no longer sticking out among several
thousand of shops in Tokyo, since this type of soups are ubiquitous, as
a result of late comers' imitating.
People are always forming a line in front of Harukiya. It seems you do not
have any chance to avoid waiting in a line to experience the legendary
ramen. Accustomed to a long waiting line, Harukiya has applied an ordering
system to shorten customers waiting time. You will be approached by a shop
clerk with the menu in his hand (in Japanese, of course) when you are around
the top of the line. All you have to do is to name your order. Since ramens
with extra toppings such as Chashu or Wantan are pretty expensive at Harukiya,
my recommendation is to start with standard ramen unless your pocket is packed with yen bills.
