＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
Thanks to the popularity of NHK’s morning drama “Manpuku,” airing from October 2018 to March 2019, I have heard that Nissin Foods’ “Chicken Ramen” has become very popular and there have been many reports of sell-outs on social media. This is a typical example of the influence of television.
When Chicken Ramen was first introduced, our family used to eat it often, probably because the Nissin Foods factory was located in Takatsuki City. However, I remember that before “Chicken Ramen” came out, we usually called it “Chinese noodles” instead of “ramen.
Japanese ramen is extremely popular among foreigners, including Chinese people, but it seems that the Japanese are a nation that really loves ramen.
Ramen shops can be found all over the country, and it’s not uncommon to hear stories of ramen-loving celebrities opening “ramen shops” as a side job. However, you don’t often hear of them being “successful.”
By the way, the “closing speed” of ramen stores seems to be getting faster these days. This trend is also true for ramen stores that used to be “popular with a long line of customers,” which is strange.
The reality is that ramen stores are facing severe excessive competition to the extent that “40% of ramen stores close within one year and more than 70% close within three years.
１．Ippudo
My second son told me that when he tried Ippudo’s ramen, he was impressed by how good it tasted.
I have never been there, but it is a very popular chain of ramen restaurants, and the Chikara no Moto Company, the operating company that operates Ippudo nationwide, was listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in March 2017.
Ippudo was founded in 1985 by Shigemi Kawahara. Ippudo overturned the image of Hakata ramen in the 1980s, when it was considered “scary, smelly, and dirty,” and is said to be characterized by stylish, clean stores that are easy for women to enter alone, and homemade noodles in a soup that is rich and deep without the distinctive pork bone odor.
This Ippudo is still very prosperous today.
２．The Rise and Fall of a Ramen Restaurant in Takatsuki City
By the way, Takatsuki City, where I live, is said to be a “fierce battle zone for ramen stores. Many famous and popular ramen stores open their doors and then, for some reason or another, “close” their doors.
（1）Otori Ramen
It must have been about 30 years ago. It was called “the best ramen store in Takatsuki” and there was always a long line of people waiting for it, but it closed down before I knew it.
Otori Ramen was called “Takatsuki’s phantom famous ramen store.” However, when I looked it up on the Internet, I found information that it has recently been quietly revived as “Daido Ramen” in Shimamoto Town, Minase.
（2）Asu-ryu
About ten years ago, there was always a long line of people waiting in line at this restaurant, but it too has been closed for some time. It is listed as “closed,” but I am not sure how long it will be closed.
（3）Shu-tan
This restaurant is more of a Chinese restaurant than a ramen restaurant, but it tasted so good that our family used to go there often to eat, but it closed before we knew it. This was not a “restaurant with a line” and was always empty, so perhaps the location was not good.
（4）Nakamura Shoten
One of the most popular restaurants with lines out the door these days is Nakamura Shoten. This ramen restaurant has an old-fashioned name, but it is also a popular restaurant listed on “Eat Log.
３．Causes of the faster closing of ramen stores
In my opinion, the causes are as follows.
(1) Bad publicity on social networking sites, such as the food not being as good as rumored and making customers wait too long.
(2) Customers got bored and left to find a new, better restaurant.
(3) The restaurant became so popular that it became too busy and understaffed, making it difficult to maintain quality.
(4) The restaurant became so popular that residents in the neighborhood complained about noise, garbage, and other problems associated with waiting in line.
(5) Not only sluggish stores, but also prosperous stores have been quick to give up on their customers under certain circumstances.