Niigata Negi Ramen

**Eating technique:** The negi mountain seems daunting but becomes manageable: use chopsticks to mix half the onions into the hot soup (this slightly wilts them and mellows the raw bite), eat the mixed portion with noodles, then add the remaining fresh negi for textural contrast. Locals finish by drinking the remaining onion-infused broth directly from the bowl. **Yamato alternatives:** Niigata City has 50+ negi ramen shops. For a different approach, try Menya Kamonegi (麺屋 かもめ亭, near Furumachi) which offers a shoyu (soy sauce) version with grilled negi instead of raw — less photogenic but more complex flavor. **Seasonal variation:** Winter negi (December–February) is sweetest due to cold-weather sugar conversion. Summer negi is sharper and more pungent. The shops serve negi ramen year-round but winter is peak quality.