Mikiyoshi

The bamboo vendors lining the high-altitude streets will tell you that Mikiyoshi’s ramen is the only thing that truly cuts the city’s freezing wind. They gossip about the ever-present smudge of jam on their cheek and the ridiculous ramen bowl they wear as a hat. They also speculate about the fine katana on their back, a blade that has never once been used to slice leeks. The children believe it’s a magic sword that cooks the noodles. The truth is something Mikiyoshi never discusses. That blade saw the final, desperate battles alongside the haunted wanderer, Yukimura. They saw enough sorrow to last ten lifetimes. Afterwards, they traded the clang of steel for the happy slurp of broth, and the chill of war for the warmth of a full belly.