Ramen Jiro Kanda Jinbocho

English instructions on timing your arrival, lining up, choosing your food, and ordering below.

A very famous and delicious ramen joint, said to be the birthplace of jiro-style ramen which is popular all over Japan, making it a sort of Mecca for ramen lovers. The food was as massive and delicious as rumors said, but its fame mostly comes from its origins rather than the food being that much better than other places.

When to Come, Lining up:
On a Saturday, people begin lining up around 8:30AM. You could probably get into the store at 11:00AM when it opens if you arrive by 9:00AM. Any later, and you'll wait much longer. The line is fragmented and strange, so follow the lead of everyone else there. If you need to go to the restroom while in line, leave you stuff in your spot, stick your head into the restaurant, and politely ask to use the restroom to the right of the entrance (the unmarked white door).

How to Choose and Order Food:
This place is has ridiculously huge portions. Its "small" ramen is equivalent to an average ramen joint's "massive" portion.
While you're lined up, the ramen man will come out to ask what quantity of noodles you'll be ordering. "Half noodles (han-bun)" is probably a little more than an average restaurant's normal amount, and "small (shou)" is probably double a normal restaurant. "Normal (futsuu)" will probably get you about 2 kilos of food, so don't make that mistake. Just tell the ramen man one of these portion sizes when he comes around and buy the corresponding ticket from the ticket machine once inside (half is the same button as small).
For each size, you can choose between normal ramen (left button) and extra pork (right button). The sliced ginger was a nice palate cleanser, so I personally recommend getting that, too.
Once you have your tokens, place them on the counter in front of you and sit quietly until the ramen man addresses you. You'll be expected to stay fairly quiet while inside. He'll ask you what toppings you want once it's your turn, so don't try to say them until you're asked. There are 4 types of toppings you can customize: vegetables (yasai), oil (abura), soup strength (karame), and garlic (nin-niku). When the ramen man asks you your toppings (he'll actually only ask if you want garlic or not, but you tell him everything at this point) tell him if you want none (nashi), less (sukuname), normal (fustuu), or more (mashi) of each topping. The picture attached to this review is of more of everything (zen-mashi). It's taboo to leave any food behind, so make sure to only order as much as you can eat.

Eating the Food:
After a couple of minutes, the ramen man will hand you your bowl of food with whatever sides you ordered (the sides may have been handed to you earlier). This store doesn't provide soup spoons (renge), so bring your own if you need one. It may be difficult to get down deep enough under the vegetables to get to the noodles, but you'll want to eat them together so do your best to poke the vegetables down until you can grab both noodles and vegetables at once. Every few mouthfuls, take a bite of the sliced ginger to clear your palate so the flavor doesn't get old. You can add red pepper flakes or black pepper from the jars on the table to change it up.
Once you finish eating, throw away any tissues in the bins behind your seat, put your dishes up on the counter, thank the ramen man for the food (gochisou sama deshita), and leave quietly. If you become full and can't finish your food no matter what, put your dishes up with the remaining food on the counter, apologize to the ramen man (gomen nasai), thank him for the food, and leave quietly.

Additional Notes:
Photography of the food is allowed, but taking videos inside of the store is strictly forbidden.
There is a single paid parking space immediately next to the restaurant.
The home location for this restaurant is in Mita, under the same name.

I cannot speak Japanese but one of the staff helped me a lot and I had not problem with language. The atmosphere is old and cosy and the ramen is very good.
Broth is oily and the bowl is huge ( I ordered regular size). Regular size costs 700¥

Very large portions, I got a half size and only ate half of that. Great pork based broth, nice crunchy veggies on top with garlic. The pork was a bit dry so didn’t eat it but the food was very filling so it didn’t matter. Friendly staff. Super popular location. Going during a downpour was a great idea, only a 30 min wait compared to 1-2 hours on a sunny day.