Eat

Musashibō (武蔵坊)

Musashibo is a chain restaurant in Hiroshima City that sells “shiru-nashi tantanmen,” or Dandan noodles without soup. Originally a Chinese recipe, Dandan noodles became a hit in Japan, and countless restaurants toiled to perfect their own twist on the Sichuan classic. Hiroshima’s variant has amassed its fair share of fame with its lack of soup and abundance of piquant spices, and the Musashibo branches are never far from any shopping center downtown.

Moment of Joy

Customers order their noodles from a vending machine before giving the ticket to a store employee and sitting down. The vending machine not only lets customers order noodles, side dishes, and beer, but also allows diners to select the level of spiciness at no extra charge. Select one that you feel comfortable with, and you are guaranteed to keep coming back for more, as well as to continually challenge yourself with increasing levels of spice until eventually conquering the highest level: death.