A man faces a bowl and sates his hunger in silence. While ramen restaurants used to be part of such a “man’s world”, there is currently a surge in the number of women eating at ramen shops! The term “girls’ ramen” has frequently appeared on television and in magazines, and it seems that the ramen restaurants popular with women have different characteristics to traditional ramen shops.

Kiyori Matsumoto, director of 　“Girls’ Ramen Department”, says: “When ramen is mentioned, the first thing women are concerned about is calories. Vegetable-oriented healthy ramen is popular among women. Vegetarian ramen has become a hot topic recently. Pasta-style ramen in tomato soup with cheese is also popular among women, and the level of expectation dramatically increases when ramen is being made by a native Italian or French chef.”

Ms. Matsumoto, a freelance producer whose “Girls’ Ramen Department” publication has instigated this boom, writes and blogs about ramen restaurants that she and her female friends find appealing.

“Women don’t think shops are fine just because the ramen is good,” says Ms. Matsumoto. “Normal ramen shops have an atmosphere where you just go to eat and then leave as soon as you’ve finished, but women also enjoy after-meal tea and conversation. We’re happy if there’s a relaxing café-style atmosphere. If there are sweets on the menu, the post-meal time is richer.”

“Kugatsudo Ramen and Sweets Café” has earned rave reviews from Kiyori Matsumoto, who describes it as “Just like a hidden café - a space where women can really relax, whether on their own or in groups.” As customers recline in the comfortable seating and look out at the surrounding greenery, any stress simply disappears. The comfortable, calming ambience instilled by the young shopkeeper and proprietress almost lets you forget that you are in Shibuya, a crowded town full of young people.

Of course the shopkeeper’s pride - her natural ramen - is also superb. No chemical seasoning is used, and while the soy sauce soup has a gentle taste at first, the flavor gradually becomes deeper. This ramen also has many fans among male ramen connoisseurs.

Another of the attractions of this shop is its menu of sweets, which for a ramen restaurant is most unusual. Girls who have a sweet tooth should definitely try the proprietress’s carefully produced Japanese sweets!

Ms. Matsumoto introduces “Gold Salt Ramen Due Italian” in Ichigaya, a calm yet central location, as “a shop where one can encounter a new ramen wonder, with a customer base that is 80% female”. The owner of this establishment is chef Kazuo Ishizuka, whose career spans 25 years in Italian cuisine.

This inventive ramen uses Italian ingredients such as tomatoes, dry-cured ham and cheese, and has a delicious flavor that is unlike any traditional ramen or pasta. In line with the chef’s notion of wanting to “put a full course inside a single bowl”, the inherent flavors of the ingredients blossom one by one inside the mouth.

Starting from the simplest item on the menu - “Gold salt ramen” (780 yen), which is also mentioned in the name of the restaurant - none of the items taste strange or pretentious, but rather benefit from excellent consistency. Once you try this invention of ramen, you will no doubt recommend it to others - “Just try it!”