Ramen at a Tokyo Counter

A bowl of ramen fills the near side of a wooden counter. Noodles curl through brown broth beneath two slices of meat, half an egg, dark nori and a mound of green onions. The pale bowl sits directly on the counter, with chopsticks resting on a small stand to the right.

Stacked ceramic dishes occupy the shelf behind it. Their repeated rims form a quiet background to the mixed shapes in the bowl. The egg's round yolk, the dark square of nori, thin curls of onion and strips of bamboo shoot each sit in a different spot on the broth. Warm light runs across the counter and picks out the grain of the wood.