https://www.scmp.com/rss/525297/feed Phoebe is a food-obsessed multimedia journalist who loves to tell a good story. Based in Tokyo, she can often be found drinking sake or running in the mountains – two hobbies she tends to keep separate. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Phoebe Amoroso Phoebe Amoroso There is a choice to be made at this Tokyo noodle bar, and misjudgment could be painful. The laminated menu lists increasing levels of karasa (heat from chilli oil) and shibire (numbing spice from Sichuan peppercorns) on a scale from one to five. There is a level six, too, but that invites an additional fee; any wanton spice masochism must be paid for in hard cash as well as incidental sweat and tears. This is Szechuan Tantanmen Aun, which has been operating in a corner of downtown Tokyo since... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3340671/how-chinas-dan-dan-mian-noodle-dish-made-its-way-japan-and-became-so-popular?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3340671/how-chinas-dan-dan-mian-noodle-dish-made-its-way-japan-and-became-so-popular?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 23:15:10 +0000