Ramen Crisis: Japan's Noodle Shops Struggle Amid Soaring Costs

Taisei Hikage's Tokyo ramen shop faces price pressures due to rising costs in ingredients and fuel. Despite hiking prices for his popular Special Ramen, challenges persist, reflecting a wider cost-of-living crisis impacting Japan's economy and political landscape, with potential implications in the upcoming general election.

Taisei Hikage is battling a steep challenge at his Tokyo ramen shop, not in terms of attracting customers, but in keeping the price of Japan's touchstone comfort food manageable amid rising ingredient and fuel costs.

Since opening a year and a half ago, Hikage, 26, has raised prices three times at his shop in western Tokyo. The 'Special Ramen,' his bestseller, now costs 47% more, priced at 1,250 yen ($8). "Ramen was supposed to be affordable," Hikage noted, stirring broth and blanching noodles. "It's no longer cheap for the masses."

This struggle highlights a larger economic issue gripping Japan: a cost-of-living crisis that is influencing voter priorities as the nation heads into a general election. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, promises measures against rising costs but faces the risk of losing its parliamentary majority.

(With inputs from agencies.)