Tokyo’s Ramen Jiro

Pure Unadulterated Gluttony

Donny Kimball
8 min readMay 18, 2018
The front signage at the Mita Honten Ramen Jiro shop in Tokyo

Are you on a diet or trying to eat more healthy? Well then, let me be frank, and say that this post is DEFINITELY not for you! Instead, I’ll direct you to this one which details how I lost over 10 kg eating foods purchased only at Japanese convenience stores. For all the little piglets who are still here though, you’re in for a real treat. We’ll be investigating a crash course in overeating that is known as “Ramen Jiro” or just “Jiro” for short. These days, a few choice ramen shops have been lauded with the prestigious Michelin star yet today’s post topic is about as far on the opposite end of the spectrum as you can get. The English language media

Tokyo Weekender eloquently describes this cacophony of grease, fat and carbs as:

Pure unadulterated junk food, the kind of thing that would be at home in an American carnival or flea market near the deep-fried Twinkies.

In many ways, Ramen Jiro can be said to be the earthly incarnation of gluttony itself. This physical embodiment of one of the seven deadly sins has roots that date all the way back to the 1960’s. The noodle bingefest likely began as a means of providing overworked salarymen with the requisite caloric load required for day-long marathon…

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Donny Kimball

I'm a travel writer and freelance digital marketer who blogs about the sides of Japan that you can't find in the mainstream media. https://donnykimball.com/