Ramen's late-19th-century origins are traced to which Japanese Chinatown?

Ramen’s late-19th-century origins are traced to Yokohama Chinatown.

Chinese immigrants in Yokohama introduced noodle-soup traditions that eventually developed into modern Japanese ramen. Yokohama’s port opened in 1859, attracting Chinese residents and creating the commercial and cultural setting for Chinese-style noodle dishes to spread.

Early ramen was not simply northern Chinese lamian, despite the similar name. Historians generally connect Japanese ramen more closely with southern Chinese noodle soups, especially Cantonese traditions. The noodles used in ramen are typically cut and made with alkaline kansui, rather than pulled in the style associated with lamian.

Ramen remained closely tied to Chinese communities and inexpensive food stalls before becoming a nationwide Japanese staple. A major landmark followed in 1910, when Rairaiken opened in Tokyo and employed Cantonese cooks from Yokohama Chinatown. Later, postwar wheat supplies and the 1958 invention of instant noodles helped propel ramen around the world.