Well, hello everyone! I was just thinking about this. Which are there more of in Japan, ramen shops or cafes???
Generally speaking, cafes (including tea houses) are thought to have more locations than ramen shops.
Let me look at some data.
Cafes and Tea Houses:
As of September 2023, statistics show there are 58,669 tea houses nationwide (according to Japan Coffee Association statistical data).
When you combine the store counts of major cafe chains, Starbucks Coffee has about 2,000 locations, Doutor Coffee Shop has about 1,000 locations, and Komeda Coffee has about 1,000 locations, and in addition to these major chains, there are many individually-owned tea houses.
Ramen Shops:
According to the Economic Census, there are said to be about 18,000 ramen shops nationwide (2016 Economic Census).
Looking at chain store data, the total for ramen and gyoza chains is about 7,440 locations (as of April 2024).
Comparing these numbers, we can see that cafes and tea houses have more locations nationwide.
However, as a note of caution, these statistics may differ in their collection methods and scope, so please take them as reference only. Also, “cafes” include various formats (self-service, full service, individually-owned, etc.), and “ramen shops” are equally diverse, ranging from chain stores to independent shops.
So I’ll briefly introduce some places I’ve visited recently.
Across the road there is Olive no Mori . Actually, I just found out about it the other day….
I just felt like taking a casual bike ride, so I stopped by. There I found Mutsuzawa specialty? Delicious grilled something? being sold, so I tried it. The chemical seasoning was well-applied and full of umami.
I also ordered iced coffee as a set, but…. After all, coffee and rice don’t go well together… or so it seems. I felt they should start a specialty using wheat instead (*´ω｀*)
Since it’s a weekday, there’s nobody here…. However, since there’s a DCM / Super Kasumi / Lawson / post office here, there is some traffic. Compared to my home and factory “Wow, I’ve come to quite the city” is what I felt.
The day I went to buy takoyaki!
Chiba is vast…. and the outer coast has no traffic lights and the roads are so empty it makes you worry. The road surface is surprisingly good, which is nice.
Searching for destinations on Google Maps has become my recent hobby. I’m enjoying it within a distance where I can return in about an hour round trip.
The storefront was quite sharp just like the photos on the map, which surprised me. There was only one pack left at that time, so I was lucky to be able to purchase it. The taste was just regular takoyaki.
Rice fields look picturesque no matter where you are.
Retro and tasteful “Akashichiya Shizuoka Oden” where you can drink sake and coffee
The parking lot isn’t very large, so I left my bike in front of the shop. *To give way to car drivers. Apparently there’s no problem at all with parking right in front of the shop.
ポチップ
