Traditionally, men tend to make up the majority of customers in ramen shops. Because it’s high in calories and sodium, and low in vitamins and fiber, ramen is often looked on by women as a naughty treat. But new styles of ramen that feature a lighter stock and healthier ingredients are proliferating, and this has had the knock-on effect of attracting more female customers.

According to Nikkei Woman Online, one of the driving forces behind the trend is Italian ramen. Taiyo no Tomatomen Next, in the Shinjuku MyLord shopping complex, specializes in making a ramen with a light tomato and chicken soup stock. In Ebisu there’s a little mobile ramen stall that serves up Genova Ton Shio Ramen, which has basil and cherry tomato on top of a salty soup stock. Both shops appear to be extremely popular with women: 90 percent of Taiyo no Tomatomen’s customers are female.