Unlike in many countries, new restaurants in Japan have continued opening throughout the pandemic. Here are 9 excellent shops that opened in the Tokyo area over the last 12 months and are awaiting the return of foreign visitors.

Michelin awarded stars to two Japanese ramen chefs this year, and handed out Bib Gourmand honors to 22 others. The Ramen Beast team sat down to discuss what Michelin gets right and wrong about the contemporary ramen scene. 

From cooking and accounting to noodle-making by hand, Kouki Kokubun works over 100 hours a week at his west Tokyo ramen shop Anaya, handling every aspect solo. The Ramen Beast team recently paid him a visit to learn about the everyday grind of a neighborhood ramen master.

From legendary shops dating to the origins of tsukemen culture to cutting-edge innovators, here's where to go for the finest dipping noodles in the Japanese capital.

Follow these basic etiquette tips to blend in and show respect instead of disturbing the shop's harmony and flow.

Decades-old and rich in atmosphere, these legendary shops offer nothing less than history in a bowl.