From the Washington Post via Yahoo News, August 17:
TOKYO - Ramen is an affordable comfort dish in Japan, where a bowl of warm noodles in hearty broth rarely costs more than 1,000 yen, or about $6.80. It’s a quick and reliable meal during a work lunch break, for teenagers hungry after school and salarymen taking a late train home.
But as Japan experiences inflation after decades of falling or stagnant prices, one of the country’s favorite cheap meals is taking a hit. Ramen shops are closing at a record pace this year, as owners face the dilemma of raising their prices beyond the “1,000-yen wall” to cope with rising costs or shutting down.
As of July, 49 ramen shops filed for bankruptcy, on pace to set a record for most closures in a single year, according to Teikoku Databank, a corporate research company based in Tokyo. The cost of ingredients, labor and electricity making ramen has increased by 10 percent over three years, the company found.
“Prices have been rising over the years, but the last three years or so have been unbelievable,” said Tetsuya Kaneko, 44, who last year raised his price by 50 yen to 1,000 yen for a standard bowl at Mendokoro Isshou in western Tokyo. “I think everyone in the industry is struggling.”
Of course, ramen culture in Japan isn’t going anywhere. The 49 bankruptcies represent a fraction of the 21,000-plus ramen eateries in Japan. Even on a humid 95-degree day, aficionados queued outside ramen shops at lunch time for a steaming bowl....
....MUCH MORE
