Watch: the economics of a Japanese ramen shop

You know how they have those fantasy football camps and rock and roll camps where rank amateurs get to live out the dream of being a pro football player or rock star? I would pay to attend a fantasy ramen camp where I and other amateurs would train with an experienced kitchen crew for 10-days and after that work for a day at a real ramen restaurant. I never thought such a place existed, but after watching this video, I discovered there's a ramen school just like this in Tokyo! My bucket list has increased by one line.

This video interviews the owner of the ramen fantasy camp, called Ramen Adventures. He discusses the operation and economics of running a ramen shop. In Japan, people refuse to pay more than $10 for a bowl of ramen, so shop owners don't get into the business for the money. They usually work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, and make under $15 an hour. It's also difficult to find and keep staff because a lot of them want to learn how to make ramen so they can leave and open their own ramen shop. (Tokyo alone could have as many as 2,000 ramen shops).

Side note, if you are hungry, watch this video at your peril. My mouth was watering as I watched ramen being made and served.