Ok to order multiple bowls of ramen in Japan?

Hi. I LOVE RAMEN and was wondering-

Is it okay to order multiple bowls of ramen at ramen shops in Japan? Or is it considered rude/greedy/gluttonous??

I ask because I have a BIG appetite and would also like to try different types of ramen at many of the shops I spend hours waiting in line for rather than having to get in line again. I also know that ramen noodles change quite a bit in consistency depending on how long they are left in the bowl for. So assuming it is okay to order more than one bowl of ramen at ramen shops- would multiple bowls of ramen get served at once or would they serve one bowl of ramen at a time?

Thanks!

It'd definitely look gluttonous. I'm not sure that people would find it "greedy," but yeah, people would think "Whoa, that guy is eating a ton." It'd be like if you walked into a restaurant and ordered right off the bat, two steaks.

As for whether it'd be rude, that would sort of depend on the circumstances. A lot of ramen restaurants have very small interiors where you sit at a counter with strangers next to you, and ordering two bowls at once would mean needing twice as much counter space, which could be seen as impolite.

If you're worried about portion sizes, almost all ramen restaurants allow you to order an extra-large bowl (called "omori") or extra toppings. You can also usually get a refill of noodles (called "kaedama") which are dropped into your bowl when you order the refill, so that they don't get soggy.

Just order first one, if you still in the mood to eat another than you can just order a different ramen.
It would be more impolite to leave the ramen unfinished.

Ordering multiple times is not strange, they may just think you must be really hungry :).
I am also a big ramen lover and also sometimes order two.

I second the suggestion to order more noodles when you run out and therefs still a lot of broth in your bowl. Unless youfre looking for variety and really want different types of ramen at the same time. Still, I wouldnft order them at the same time. Ramen is meant to be eaten quickly, not sitting around.

If you love ramen, therefs no chance youfd order two bowls at once.
If you want to try lots of different ramen, there are plenty of gramen alleyh or gramen museumh places to go with multiple options.

It possibly depends on the establishment.
One place I visited last year they had HUGE servings and I managed to get through 2/3rd (maybe). The guy along from us not only had his 1st bowl, but had ordered a second bowl of noodles that he then added to the first once he had finished the noodles in that one (it was a single order - double noodles).
Some shops allow small or large serving sizes - as I said, depends.
One option is to go with someone else and try two ramen between two - that is common.
Alternatively, head to a ramen festival or place that does small servings. There are lots of places where multiple shops group together.
And another point - shops where you have to queue for hours are not necessarily better than walk-in places. I have been to some supposedly "great/famous" shops where the noodles were so-so, certainly not worth an hour-plus wait.

It would not look gluttunous.

You can order whatever you want. Just so you know, some ramen shops do offer larger bowl sizes too, so you wouldn't need to keep ordering the same size bowl. I believe some chain ramen places like kamakura does this.

Just check online about the place you want to eat at and see if they offer different sizes, which they should. I even ate at a ramen shop that you can select to have unlimited noodles and you just pour the liquid into your own bowl that is in front of you. It should't be greedy.

I think it really depends. Most places, I do not think will mind, especially the chain shops. But if you go to a shop like Tomita in Matsudo, Chiba, then they might. It's the kind of place where the number of bowls served is limited, per day and you have to get in line in the morning, just to get a ticket that tells you what time to come back to get in another line. Do some research and you can probably figure out which shops are like that.

If it makes you feel better, go during off hours. Shibuya and Shinjuku have 24 hour shops. Go early morning or late night. I have eaten at the Ichiran in Shibuya at 5 am, just because I was wide awake, due to jet lag. The place was empty. Another option is to go to the Ramen Museum in Shin Yokohama. Each shop in the museum offers mini bowls and you can try as many as you want. I surrendered after three mini bowls.

Thanks for the great advice guys. I appreciate the reminders that space is often limited so not to take up too much room at a counter and also that ramen is meant to be eaten quickly!

It definitely makes the most sense to me to either order a single bowl of ramen with more noodles or additional noodles or order one bowl of ramen at a time. However regarding the latter, as many ramen shops utilize self serve ticket machines-

How would you order multiple bowls of ramen using a ticket machine?

Would you buy tickets for both bowls together and hand them to the staff together and assume that they will bring out one bowl at a time? Or would you buy one ticket and eat one bowl of ramen first, and then get up and go buy a second ticket for a second bowl of ramen after?

Both seem kinda weird to me...

Why not just order a bowl, eat it, then decide? Or better yet, try portion control for a change. Eating too much food is very unhealthy.

uHow would you order multiple bowls of ramen using a ticket machine?

Would you buy tickets for both bowls together and hand them to the staff together and assume that they will bring out one bowl at a time? Or would you buy one ticket and eat one bowl of ramen first, and then get up and go buy a second ticket for a second bowl of ramen after?

Both seem kinda weird to me...v

The second: after you eat one bowl, get up and buy a second ticket. You're right in that both are "weird," in the sense that they're both unusual, but since buying two separate bowls of ramen is something hardly anyone does, if you give the staff two tickets at once they might think you bough one of them by accident and simply refund you the price of one of them.

I'd recommend leaving some sort of personal belonging at your seat (jacket, notebook, etc.) and perhaps having your money out as you walk to the ticket machine, to lesson the chance that the staff thinks you've finished your meal and starts cleaning up the seat for the next customer.

If you have a big appetite and one bowl is simply not enough, some restaurants allow you to ask for additional noodle only (provided you have enough broth), this is called gkae-dama.h Some places have bigger servings – goh-mori.h

If you want to try different gtypesh of ramen at one establishment, and if you are sure from the beginning that you will finish two bowls,
- If it is a place you sit down at the counter and give your order, you can order the second one after you finish the first one.
- If it is one of the ticket-vending machine type of establishments, you buy two tickets at once at the beginning, but give them just one first. Only after youfve eaten the first and are ready to proceed to the next, you give them the second ticket. They are extremely busy (too busy to think probably who ordered which, they just cook them in the order the tickets are presented),

The above is for the normal ramen places. I would not know what should be done at special places where they only limited quantity per day, and things like that.

This is quite the dilemma! Lol. If it were me, I would buy the tickets all at once and hand the staff only one of the tickets. After I finish the first bowl or maybe before I finish, I would then hand the staff the other ticket. But, that's just me. Ultimately, the shop wants a constant flow of patrons to maximize sales. You are like two customers in one. I am sure the shop will not mind.