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A Documentary on the Wild Passion of Ramen Obsessives It’s not sushi, not tempura, and not even washoku−the traditional Japanese cuisine recognized as a UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. The most beloved Japanese food in the world is something else entirely: ramen. “There’s no other dish with fans as passionate as ramen,” says Osamu Tomita, widely considered the King of Ramen. “And to win over these ramen fanatics, the people making it have to be even more obsessed.” Tomita is a four-time consecutive winner of Japan’s highest ramen honor, the TRY (Tokyo Ramen of the Year) Grand Prize. At first, there were doubts about how much of his craft Tomita would be willing to share, but those doubts quickly faded. With striking honesty, he opens up every part of his process. When asked about shops that guard their recipes, he replies firmly, “They’re just not doing anything worth hiding.” The film captures Tomita’s extraordinary attention to broth, noodles, toppings, and service−and the rigorous training he gives his apprentices. His daily life resembles that of a monk devoted to ramen: strict, detailed, relentless. Even meals out with his wife and three children end up at ramen shops. To mark the 10th anniversary of his shop, Chuka Soba Tomita, he plans a special event. Joining him are two of the ramen world’s top talents: Shota Iida of Ramen Iida Shouten, known as the number one ramen shop in Kanagawa, and Yuki Onishi of "Japanese Soba Noodles Tsuta," the first ramen shop to earn a Michelin star. It is true gathering of the ramen world’s "big three." Together, they aim to create the dream ramen limited to 200 bowls per day. But bringing three fiercely talented and passionate chefs into one kitchen is no easy task. There are moments when opinions clash, yet Tomita, in true champion form, draws out the best in each, refining the final creation to perfection. By 10 p.m. the night before the event, 200 people have already lined up for tickets to be handed out the next morning at 7 a.m. And at dawn, in a small shop in Matsudo, the three masters step into the kitchen. What kind of ramen will they create? This film covers “Chuka Soba Tomita” and its enthusiastic customers over 15 months. It also highlights the work of seven unique ramen shop owners who are symbols of Japan’s ramen world. Through their stories, the film vividly captures the spirit of Japan’s ramen culture, while unraveling the unknown history behind its evolution.