Highlighting Ramen: How is Ramen Constructed Within Japanese Digital Journalism Platforms?

Ramen is a multifaceted noodle soup dish that is often highlighted as a global dish, an unofficial national dish, and a marker of regional distinction within Japan. Although ramen is an iconic culinary symbol within Japan, it is also widely recognised that the dish originated from and is largely influenced by Chinese noodle dishes. This context reflects how food serves as a means for constructing a sense of identity on multiple levels. This research investigates ramen-related content released in English on Japanese digital journalism platforms between 2023 and 2026, to explore how ramen is constructed within media, focusing on the construction of identity and semiotic mythologies. This research was analysed within a bounded, real-world context, adopting a multiple embedded case study design, using the November 2024 issue of Highlighting Japan and NHK World-Japan’s Ramen Japan as central cases. The data is then analysed with qualitative methods, using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis process. The data analysis identified five main themes within the cases: gastronomic structurisation, international audience connection, national food identity construction, regional ramen identity construction, and dynamic continuity of regional ramen identity. This research observed that the content would construct ramen as a structured dish comprised of dashi/stock, tare, noodles, and toppings. These structural components varied amongst different styles of ramen and were used to distinguish ramen styles from each other. A regional ramen identity was then constructed around a distinct ramen style with a group following that identified with the dish within a regional perimeter. The content would then strengthen regional ramen identities through historical storytelling, positive identity reinforcement, and regional branding, and by highlighting the distinctiveness of the regional style. Additionally, the cases would mythologise each regional ramen identity as being classical or one that changes with trends. It was identified that the content would construct ramen as both an unofficial kokuminshoku national food, and as a global dish. This research provides a potential framework for analysing how content constructs umbrella dishes (a category of dish, for example pasta) at a structural, regional, and national level.