Ordering Ramen in Japan: Ticket Machines, Queues and Finishing Your Meal
The ticket machine is often the first thing that stops a visitor in a Japanese ramen shop.
There is a queue behind you. Lots of buttons. Sometimes no photographs.
Trying to read everything only adds pressure. Start with the basic ramen and the payment method.
You do not need to read every button
Many ramen shops ask you to buy a meal ticket at the machine by the entrance before ordering.
On a first visit, choose the name and price of the basic ramen from the menu outside before approaching the machine. The biggest button is not necessarily the basic option. Eggs, chashu pork and seaweed may have separate buttons as extra toppings.
After buying your ticket, hand it to the staff member when you are shown to your seat.
Buy a ticket or join the queue first? Follow the shop
This part varies between restaurants.
Some ask you to buy a ticket before queuing. At others, you queue first and use the machine when staff direct you to it.
Follow any instructions at the entrance. If nothing is clear, watch briefly to see what the customers ahead are doing.
You can also ask staff, “Should I buy a ticket first?”
Cash, card or IC: check the machine
Some machines take cash only. If there are no card or IC-card logos, ask staff whether those payment methods are accepted. Before paying, check which banknotes the machine takes and how to collect your change.
Omori or kaedama: when do you want more noodles?
Omori means a larger portion of noodles from the start. Kaedama is an extra serving of noodles added after you have begun eating, and not every shop offers it. Follow the shop’s instructions on whether you need a ticket or can order it at your seat. If you want kaedama, leave some broth in your bowl.
Eating the noodles and broth
You may hear the people around you slurping their noodles, but you do not have to copy them.
Slurping is not rude; neither is eating quietly.
Eat in whatever way is comfortable for you.
Leaving some broth is not impolite.
Plenty of customers finish the noodles and toppings and leave the rest.
In a small shop with a queue, avoid lingering at your seat once you have finished. This frees the seat for the next customer.
Check for your belongings and change before leaving your seat.
Also see how much cash to bring to Japan and travelling with food allergies.
Official information before you go
Information last checked and edited: September 30, 2026. Prices, services and opening hours may change. Follow official guidance for your travel date and local signs.
Photo credits
- An additional-order form on a table at a ramen restaurant: Chi-Hung Lin / Photo source / CC BY-SA 2.0. Photographed: 2016-09-03 10:24. Resized for display only.
- Meal-ticket machine with ramen photographs and purchasing buttons: Nesnad / Photo source / CC BY 4.0. Photographed: 2020-11-27 11:27:03. Resized for display only.
.jpg){kind=link}
Structure and selected guidance updated: October 12, 2026.