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From vending machines to Michelin-starred restaurants, Japan’s love of ramen noodles spreads far and wide throughout the country. So when an image of a new noodle eatery appeared on the Internet, ramen aficionados were quick to sit up and take notice. But it wasn’t what was on the menu that caught their attention, it was the unusual place where noodles were being served that sparked discussion online.
Popular noodle chain Tenkaippin had opened up a restaurant at a former gas station, and according to the person who photographed it, Twitter user @go_jerrodmustaf, the setup looked “totally weird”.
The gas station structure had all its petrol pumps removed and it was now decorated with the distinctive logo of the Kyoto-based ramen chain, with boards once used to advertise petrol prices now enticing customers with images of tasty noodle bowls instead.
After the image was posted on Twitter, other strange ramen stores also began appearing online, including another branch of Tenkaippin, set up in a former gas station at Tachibanacho in Hyogo Prefecture.
According to another Twitter user, a large number of shops in “Chibaragi” (Chiba and Ibaraki Prefectures) use former gas stations for their businesses, including a barber and boulangerie.
Despite the proliferation of businesses operating in former gas stations, when it comes to ramen, foodies were divided on the issue.
“It’s a good way to save money on demolition costs if you just use the old structure.” “It’s great for shaded parking, even for large-sized vehicles.” “I don’t known about filling up on ‘ramen fuel’ at a ‘ramen station’. Won’t it stink?” “I can’t help thinking they’ll serve up oily, greasy ramen.” “Can you get a full tank of ramen here?”
While gas stations are usually a good place to pick up newspapers and snacks in a number of countries, in Japan, they’re solely reserved for filling up petrol and washing and servicing cars, so the thought of purchasing any type of food at a gas station is totally foreign to most people. Still, with so many businesses choosing to "recycle" the distinctive structures, we’re sure this new ramen shop trend won’t be stopping anytime soon.
Source: Buzzmag
Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- This Tokyo ramen restaurant is the first to ever receive a Michelin dining guide star-- Japanese readers rave about new book illustrating differences between Kanto and Kansai regions -- The art of cooking ramen – Two foreigners find it’s a lot harder than they first thought 【Video】
© Japan Today
12 Comments
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Laptop_Warrior
"Eat here and get gas."
ifd66
Great story. retrofitting and reusing buildings is so much better than simply knocking them down and rebuilding, as is usually the case.
gogogo
Now what to do with the thousands of empty pachinko places all around the country side
MsDelicious
Are the large tanks removed from underground that held the fuels? In America they have to be removed due to environmental concerns.
nfijapan
while Im all for reusing old buildings, gas stations are very expensive to demolish, the large tanks need to be removed from the ground without spreading any of the toxic sludge still remaining in them. So its just a way to pass the costs onto the next owner.
Wakarimasen
Unusual for Japan where older buildings are seldom re-used but just demolished. You want some hi-octane ramen?
theeastisred
Filling station.
nfijapan
Why not, seems like a good idea and it sure looks better than the derelict stations with a fence around them that are just left to rot. that's the problem , stations go bankrupt and cant pay the cleanup cost of the station, if you rent an old station thats fine, but f you purchase one it almost always means you take financial responsibility to remove all the stations infrastructure, (which can become very expensive) A friend of mine was going to do just this a few years back, but when he got the price for the cleanup it actually cost more than what the station and land was worth, so basically worthless.
domtoidi
The reason for so many converted gas stations was a change in regulations a few years ago concerning underground gasoline storage tanks. The cost to replace the old ones was too much for marginally performing locations.
sensei258
We frequently pass an old gas station that was converted into a residence. And there's a one-yen panchinko place on the main drag in Hachioji that was gutted and the interior was turned into apartments, but the exterior wasn't changed.
ZENJI
COOL PLACE. This will do for a reason to come back for a visit