Taste-testing Japan’s murky, mysterious “bathroom ramen” soranews24.com

Part of the reason Japan has so many ramen restaurants is because the country has so many different kinds of ramen.
The primary way to classify ramen is by the broth, and in addition to soy broth ramen restaurants you can find eateries that specialize in miso, tonkotsu (pork stock), and gyokai (fish stock) ramen.
The name might have you thinking benjo ramen was developed by convicts who made ramen in their prison cells, or perhaps secretly by people in their homes during some sort of ramen prohibition.
The truth, though, is that benjo ramen traces its roots to Omuta’s coal mining boom following the end of World War II.
After a short wait, the waiter set our bowl of “benjo ramen” down in front of us.