Is It Worth It Owning a Ramen Shop in Japan? 

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Brilliant video! Very interesting as always - keep up the great work

You don't get rich by working...

Is the owner of the place you did the mini-doc on still working in his shop?

This is great, I wish it was longer!

Agreed on all all accounts! Unagi… a bit higher-end so the situation could be quite different. (But something I’d be interested in as well.)

Seems very close to me as well. Ramen shop owners are a different breed many are obsessive. The long apprenticeships are only as good the guy teaching though. There’s no real legit schooling in cookery in japan that’s why staff and even chefs are a big hit or a miss. I’ve seen guys in the business here in Japan for many years who wouldn’t last a day in a real kitchen. A lot of bad training by unqualified people is to blame.

@@RealRuralJapan You raise some interesting points. Can you elaborate on what skills the cooks are missing? Thanks!!

Slurp their noodles loudly!! 😆 💕

Damn right.

@@cathhl2440 ayooo 🤨

respect doesn't pay rent

hard work is for suckers

Great to hear!

where do most Japanese in brazil live and is it safe in that area?

@@rocketman3770 Sao Paulo

@@LifeWhereImFrom He is from Sao Paulo, which has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan and Sao Paulo is the 2nd largest city in Brazil

@@rocketman3770 Mostly in Sao Paulo and Parana. But that are many japanese descendants in Bahia (northeast of Brazil) as well. People have a misconception that its crazy dangerous here but it really isn't that bad.

You should also watch Paolo from Tokyo's Day in the Life series.

@@experience_point6233 thank you for the suggestion! Will surely check them out now :)

It absolutely destroys your body as well. Many of my family have their own small restaurants and like a lot of restaurant owners they need to be working there to make the margins worth it. My uncle had his restaurant for 20 years and worked as a cook/manager. He's only 45 now but he says his body feels 80. He did alright for himself but at the cost of his health.

it's not worth it, like you said. If people want to learn as a hobbie, then it's okay. Only as a hobbie though. I'm sure there is other stuff people can learn, that makes more money and at the same time have lots of passion for. The risk is not worth it

@@fearless6947 I wonder if that will change after the pandemic ends (if it ends). A whole bunch of people going outside and returning to work en masse in a thinned out restaurant landscape. Maybe the survivors or new restaurants will make the most of it.

That alone just tell everyone the type of person you really are. At least your parents thought outside the box and not working for someone else for life.

@@deus_ex_machina_ To be honest, I'm not sure what would happen. I think small shops will close. Even if they do survive, it will be hard to maintain a restaurant on there own. Every 5 years, a business owner will sell there business. A lot of restaurants have small profit margin, there too many restaurants and cafe around. You can go on youtube, learn to cook and set up a business. If you have $30,000. You can open up something on a lease. Some restaurants don't treat there staff properly and feel like they are disposable, these staff will never be loyal to there boss, which is understandable. The staff knows, there is no such thing as job security in this day and age, you have to at least treat them right and not cut hours. Like the Raman shop. The issue for the boss is profit margin. I noticed in McDonnals, they have systemised the opporation where the staff is working so hard, they are always business, the work is non stop. The one's that survive will have good systems in place and the food is consistently good. In general people with no business skills will not survive

If you want to become a millionaire, you need to own multiple ramen shops at the very least.

Or Automate as much of the process as possible, to where you could surpass places like Nagoya Robot Ramen easily. Go in the miligrams with how much and which ingredients are used for each variation of soup, use sensors for precise temperature control, real wood fire to sear the meat slices, etc

@@klappstuhl4370 That sounds terrible though! I think there's a few things about Ramen that make it interesting: 1. The dish itself is very versatile, delicious and nutritious. 2. As above: ""Shokunin", a Japanese word for "craftsman (or woman)". But if you feel joy in perfecting the details of your own perfect ramen, then it's worth it." - it's something MADE FOR YOU BY SOMEONE WHO CARES. 3. It's "Cheap & Cheerful" without ridiculous pretentions just like how food should - small independent Ramen Shops. There's something good when someone really wants to be doing what they do and providing the output of that as service/product. I think 2. is fascinating and possibly explains a big reason why someone would want to run a Ramen Shop for a living while working long hours doing so.

So basically you have to be autistic about ramen to want to do this long-term.

@@noseboop4354 No, in Japan they have a culture of dedication to work or path chosen. You don't seem to have any familiarity with their culture saying such a thing using a medical psychological/neurological term for such behaviour where such a technical term is misused and not even needed. There's innumerable examples of this in diverse array of activities and jobs.

That movie’s an absolute masterpiece. 👌 They don’t make films like that anymore.

Why people eat at certain shops is a personal thing and it’s not always the taste. Some ramen shops just have a good feel when you step inside. It’s not an exact science why some fail and some succeed. Some bad ramen places do well talking from a culinary perspective.

I love that movie

That was a great movie! I was inspired to make my own ramen after I watched it. 😊

It's not as glamourous as they make it out to be on TV and RU-vid, that's for sure....

exactly

@@salt_lake yes sir, food stall is a good introduction, and I’d say education, for those whose family is not millionaires, who are looking to enter the realm of business and entrepreneurship

I remember the first time I was shocked to have to pay more than $1.00 for a hotdog, and that was only about 20ish years ago. People got used to it though, so I don't know if that wall is as solid as the 1.000 Yen wall for Ramen in Japan.

mmm no not really hotdog stands aren't ubiquitous and they're known as garbage food (except in Toronto where you can have some great polish sausage stands) Ramen shops equivalent in Canada would be sandwich shops (especially where they make them fresh to order). Same deal with price ceilings, chain vs independent, and convenience

Interesting, I'm seeing all these 5 dollar and above dogs in US and people are gobbling them up.

Hotdogs in Sonora are like 50 cents to a dollar, so even cheaper, and there’s like always 20 stands all next to each other so that really creates competition

japadog avg $6 for one hot dog.

I’d love to try making my own broth someday, but I don’t know where to start. Any advice?

Even hamburgers and hot dogs are difficult to make if you’re making everything from scratch. Do you know if any stands that make their own buns, condiments, etc.? There aren’t many.

the reason for this I believe is the word "saturated". The competition is so stiff that the owners can't raise their prices significantly. The same as other industry. But this is so low to be honest. Some salary man seems to earn more than ramen shop owners.

I’m working at a spot now and already having some difficulties with coworkers after three weeks. Not gonna allow someone else to make me quit though. It’s sad that adults can’t just go to work and be decent human beings.

@@numbaoneg101 nah, performing at high standards (typically what we asian practice everyday, be it in school or working place) in order to making our life better is much more important than those stupid decency/lives matter/feeling consideration bullshits practiced by the westerners. unable to fulfill the expectations , unable to perform, not happy, then just FO to somewhere else and begone from our sights (this is the reason coworkers will make the weaklings leave the job him/herself. pretty common in Asia here)

You won't even know unless you ask if they have anything other than the table water :D

I sell at 1400¥ because selling cheap to attract cheap customers will only get you cheap customers who don’t respect the work the put in.

They do have "Otoshi" though which is a kind of like a forced appetizer or table charge. It's usually under $5 but don't be surprised when your check comes and you see that the small salad or little dish of pickles they brought to your table without asking was not complementary

@@nateg5505 Not for lunch, nor ramen at any time. That is an izakaya thing. Susukino here in Sapporo has plenty of shops with otoshi but that is purely an evening deal.

@@RealRuralJapan Exactly this. It's a balance for sure but if you go too cheap, you're gonna get people like the original poster who go out to eat, barely spend anything and expect these businesses to continue to run.

Fett fedt!

@@salt_lake You know I wasn't talking about quality but quantity, so being a smartass isn't really gonna cut it.

@@salt_lake No worries.

😂😂

Facts but some bakery will change some ingridients from cheaper one and they will taste almost desame.

@@jesalcasid1601 only problem is, changing ingredients still entail price changes (hopefully increasing), in a sane economy, but no...we couldn't change anything, not the price, not the ingredients.

Bay area ramen is average at best and way overpriced.

A few years ago, the Mitsuwa in San Jose had a shop selling ramen for $14 that had a long line. Next to it was a stand selling curry (I think) for $6. The going price in the Chicago metro for Japanese ramen used to be similar to the price in Japan, maybe a bit cheaper. (US$6 vs. 500-700 yen, 80-90 yen = US$1). It has doubled in the United States.

Little tokyo in LA is good enough. Closest to authentic ramen because of the culture and people there.

@@warreneckels4945 Yup, that place is still around and has a huge line. Years ago I thought it was good but I think there are better places now, one of which allows reservations so you don't have to wait. With remote work now a thing I'd be down to move somewhere with better food and cooler weather than the Bay, maybe Chicago is an option but I've never been.

San Jose is the problem. Things are too overpriced there; more than Midtown Manhattan. Give Suehiro Cafe in LA's Little Tokyo a try next time you are there. I wish we have them in New York

Industrial food vs craftsmanship food, i guess.

well, there's no way a person who went to ramen shop expects thing are same with soto/bakso tepi jalan...different spending different expectations...

not that much. even if you get the full toppings set, a bowl of tonkatsu broth ramen at ichiran is $23.90, which is the most expensive standard ramen restaurant here. $18 for a bowl of the same broth and toppings at ippudo, which I prefer over ichiran. the places that don't make the slow cooked tonkatsu broth are much cheaper, like setagaya, which starts at $11.

Interesting idea!

that isn't the problem. They move around to gain experience anyways, but to start their own shop - thereby being competitors and owners 'wasting' their time and teaching.

And what keeps these workers from opening their own shops?

@@afcgeo882 Capital, mainly. It does require a substantial investment! But also, a sense of loyalty, at least in some cases. There’s a very old tradition here defining the relationship between master and apprentice - not specifically for ramen but any skilled trade or art. You don’t just walk away when you’ve obtained the desired skills. There’s a typical dramatic scene where the apprentice very emotionally asks for permission to break away and set up on his/her own. The master may ask the apprentice to ‘wait’, and he/she is expected to oblige. (I admit though, I’m getting this from old ‘TV dramas’ and it may not apply to the real world here anymore. 😆)

@@Jordan-inJapan from what said in the video it's generaly not the case. They move around and open their own ramen shops.

Better lets not treat staffs like slaves wages

If I compare it so my country you are totally right. 11 seats is a very small restaurant, and he said that he does half of the cooking himself....here there would be at most one cook , one staff member + him. So wage cost of 17.000 would be very high. I think you would get 6 workers at least for it ? It is hard to tell because of our additional expensive for the social things....

@@blablup1214 But you got to also take cost of living into consideration. You gotta pay your staff enough that they can rent an apartment and rent is quite high in Tokyo. Also, there are no tips in Japan so you cannot cheap out on your staff's salary as much (but your country might not have tips either).

@@maxinoume I found following numbers, waiter is about 1600$ a month. I couldn't find what a cook gets ? But i think less than 3000 a month is realistic

Theres no tipping in japan. Plus rent is high in tokyo

I'm pretty sure he has the minimal amount of workers needed to run a shop. Like he said with a Ramen shop lining out the door there is a ton to do every minute. It would be impossible to reduce staff and also impossible to lower wages. Staff workers already make a little, any less, they wouldn't be able to maintain livelihood.

How is it stricter? I only know us so i can't imagine easier lmao

I like Chris Broad better .. this is boring and so factual it’s boring .. c’est vrai

Healthier work hours? Do you want to survive financially or go bankrupt?

@@doriswaddington2418 I want better lives for people! (And I realize that it may take a *lot* of change in the Japanese economy)

Yep that's it, but a lot of American places won't share either