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 rests on a matching saucer, with chopsticks placed 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 sits beside a pointed sheet of nori and thin curls of onion. Warm light runs across the counter without obscuring the food at the center.