VOA新闻杂志2024--Japanese Ramen Restaurants Struggle to Keep Costs Down

Japanese ramen restaurants are famous for providing high-quality food at a reasonable price. But continuing inflation -particularly affecting food products and fuel - is making it difficult for ramen sellers to keep costs down.

One of those owners is 26-year-old Taisei Hikage. He opened a ramen restaurant in Tokyo about a year and a half ago. Hikage told Reuters he has already raised his food prices three times. The price for his top-selling "Special Ramen" is up 47 percent since he opened, now selling for $8.

But even after raising his prices, Hikage still struggles with rising costs. "Traditionally ramen shops were supposed to offer something cheap and tasty," he said. "It's no longer cheap food for the masses."

The issues facing Japanese ramen restaurants are similar to inflation-linked problems experienced by businesses around the world.

In Japan, it became a big campaign issue in the country's recent general election. Major political parties promised during the campaign to enact¹ measures aimed at reducing rising business costs.

Hikage told Reuters that even though his prices have gone up sharply, his noodles are still in demand. Long lines form in front of his shop all day long.

Research by Japanese credit advisor² Teikoku Databank shows that 49 Japanese ramen restaurant operators with large debts filed for bankruptcy³ in the first seven months of this year.

Rising import costs for businesses bringing goods into Japan have worsened the problem. In addition, the country's currency hit a 34-year low against the dollar this year and has struggled to rise again.

Experts told Reuters the issues facing Japan's ramen restaurants are part of wider economic difficulties in the country. Nationwide bankruptcies⁴ in one six-month period this year rose 18.6 percent over the same period last year to 4,990 cases, Teikoku Databank said. A record number of those were caused by inflation.

Toshihiro Nagahama is the chief economist⁵ at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. He told Reuters, "Just like ramen shops, companies offering goods and services that are in demand are transferring costs to product prices and seeing their sales grow." But he noted⁶ that many businesses struggling to pass on higher costs are not making it.

For now, restaurant owner Hikage said he plans to keep centering on serving quality, tasty food and hopes the election result will lead to some business improvements.

Words in This Story

cheap - adj. costing less than usual

transfer - v. to move something from one place to another

1 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

2 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

3 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

4 bankruptcies   

n.破产( bankruptcy的名词复数 )；倒闭；彻底失败；（名誉等的）完全丧失

参考例句：

• It's a matter of record that there were ten bankruptcies in the town last year. 去年这个城市有十家破产是事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Business bankruptcies rose 50 percent over the previous year. 破产企业的数量比前一年增加５０％。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

5 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。