BODY: For a country with an estimated 35,000 ramen shops, dedicating an entire magazine issue to the dish might seem redundant. BRUTUS would disagree. The famously eclectic lifestyle magazine released its newest special issue today, May 15, titled Ai to Yokubō no Rāmen ("Love and Desire: Ramen") — and it's already moving fast at Tokyo bookstores.
The centerpiece feature, cheekily branded "It's a RAMEN TIME," gathers four notable figures from Japan's entertainment world to talk about the bowls they cannot live without. Actress Yuki Katayama, known for her work in independent cinema, appears alongside character actor Yuma Yamoto, comedian Mogura Suzuki of the duo Kūki Kaidan, and veteran actor Eiichiro Funakoshi — a lineup that spans generations and genres.
Each contributor walks readers through a personal ramen pilgrimage: the shop they return to between shoots, the bowl that reminds them of a particular neighborhood, the broth they crave after a long day on set. The magazine pairs these confessions with full-page photography of the dishes in question, a BRUTUS hallmark.
Magazine House priced the issue at standard newsstand rates, and copies are available at major retailers and convenience stores nationwide starting today.
The insider take
BRUTUS ramen issues are practically a cottage industry at this point — they reliably sell out, get resold at premium prices on Mercari within a week, and quietly reshape which shops have lines down the block by the following weekend. The choice of Funakoshi is especially fun: at 65, he's better known for prestige drama than food media, and his appearance signals BRUTUS positioning ramen as something beyond a young person's obsession. Expect at least one of these endorsed shops to suddenly require a two-hour wait by Monday.
Originally reported by 映画ナタリー - 最新ニュース (Japanese).