Ramen without pork?

yeah there's a few spots that do pork-free ramen, just gotta know where to look. ippudo and ichiran are out obviously because they're all tonkotsu. try mensho tokyo in kagurazaka, they do a lamb shio ramen that's pretty wild and totally pork free. also check out nakiryu in minami aoyama, they have a tantanmen made with chicken and sesame that's spicy and rich, no pork at all. just be prepared to wait since both places are tiny and popular with locals

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if you're okay with dipping noodles, tsukemen at tokyo style often uses a separate broth and you can find fish or chicken based ones. fuunji in shinjuku does a thick fish tsukemen that's totally pork-free, just get the regular not the special. also worth checking out soba house konjiki hototogisu in shinjuku, they do a shio ramen with clam and chicken broth that's really light and has zero pork in it

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honestly, most ramen shops in Tokyo use pork broth as a base, but there are a few spots that specialize in chicken or fish-based ramen. try Afuri in Ebisu or Harajuku - they do a yuzu shio ramen with chicken broth that's super clean and light, no pork at all. another option is Kagari in Ginza, their tori paitan is a creamy chicken broth that hits different, just be ready to queue for like 20-30 mins during lunch

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if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping

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kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.

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tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.

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