チリペッパ~
Around 8:00 pm on a holiday. After drinking since noon, I was starting to crave some noodles to finish off the night. There are various noodle shops in the Shinsaibashi area, but when I searched online, I found hits for tonkotsu, family-style, tantanmen, etc. Hmm, none of those really fit my mood. After some thought, I decided on this shop. I felt reassured by the name "Kanza," so I headed to the shop. There were about 4-5 customers in front of the ticket machine, all of them foreign tourists. I was struggling with the ticket machine, so a staff member came out to assist. I pondered for a moment on what to order and eventually purchased a ticket for the "Delicious Ramen for 740 yen, Bean Sprouts for 130 yen, and a Highball for 350 yen." Oh, the only thing I debated was whether to have the Highball or not (laughs). The interior of the shop felt about half full. I couldn't see well towards the back, so I wasn't sure. Everyone started to look like foreigners to me. Maybe they see me as a foreigner too. Well, I guess to foreigners, I am a foreigner. I took a sip of the Highball that arrived first. Hmm, maybe because I've been drinking since noon and my taste buds are numb, it tasted a bit light. If this were my first drink, it would probably feel different. After a short wait, the delicious ramen arrived. As the finishing touch to my drinking, I boldly added garlic, bean paste, and leeks. This is the real deal. I slurped the noodles enthusiastically. More customers arrived later, all of them foreigners. I decided that all the previous customers must have been foreigners too. Let's go with that. Thank you for the meal.