Ramen Beast Profiles: Tsukemen Mastery at Michi in East Tokyo

Kouya Nagahama, the young creator of Tsukemen Michi in Kameari is one of Tokyo's most innovative tsukemen masters, with ramen heads typically waiting over 2 hours to score a seat at his counter. Included in Michelin’s Bib Gourmand list, Tsukemen Michi is all about refinement — and it’s rated highly among Tokyo’s most elite tsukemen establishments. Through innovations in both preparation and presentation, Nagahama-san brings a heavy dose of Omotenashi, or Japanese hospitality, into the ramen shop experience. His tonkotsu gyokai soup is deep with umami but sweet and drinkable, and it comes paired with rope-thick dipping noodles and an array of elegant toppings that are presented almost kaiseki style. Something of a phenom, Nagahama-san launched Michi when he was just 23 years old. Ramen Beast dropped in to chat with him about how he invented his rarified approach to tsukemen.

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Video shot & edited by Victor Queiroz