Buzz
Arrive silently. Eat silently. Depart silently.
Imagine yourself seated in a small dining chamber surrounded by black curtains, the scent of pork broth wafting through the air. Suddenly, a hand reaches through the darkness and places a steaming bowl of pork ramen before you. You begin to eat in silence, savoring the steam rising and leaving only after enjoying the meal without saying a word.
This is known as a 'flavor-focused dining booth' and is not for those who prefer noise and excitement. The Ichiran restaurant chain in Japan has popularized such low-interaction dining, allowing diners to order and enjoy their food with minimal human contact.
Established in Fukuoka in 1960, Ichiran believes that separate dining helps people concentrate on their meals. Aside from being a scientifically sound dining method, the most important aspect is that Ichiran helps customers avoid discrimination.
The journey of the 'solo-only' style
Japan's Struggle with Isolation Over Centuries
This led to a cultural introspection, focusing on practicality during this period, giving rise to iconic art forms still prevalent in Japan today, such as haiku poetry or kabuki theater.
By the end of the 19th century, with the fall of the Shogunate, Japan entered a modern era marked by significant political, military, and economic changes. Following World War II and amidst labor market instabilities, Japanese companies provided long-term employment for men while cultural norms encouraged women to stay home as homemakers.
All of this emphasized family formation, particularly nuclear families, creating a 'collective culture' that prioritized community needs and goals over individual ones.
However, as the economy declined in the 1990s due to competition from emerging world powers, the concept of Japanese families shifted. The number of single-person households has continued to rise to this day. The average household size decreased from 2.82 people/household in 1995 to 2.39 people/household in 2015.
As people began venturing into society in a state of 'lonely solitude,' discrimination against those who are 'family-less' or 'friendless' became pronounced. While restaurants like Ichiran nowadays actively encourage solo dining experiences focusing solely on the ramen bowl in front, it's undeniable that initially, they profited from the 'shame' of patrons dining alone.
A Variety of Solo Dining Experiences
The dining experience at Ichiran is quite straightforward. Once the customer has chosen the booth, they proceed to place their order. Customers have the option to customize the firmness and richness of the noodles according to their preference. A server will then bring a seasoned soft-boiled egg as an appetizer, followed by closing the curtain or window of the booth until the main dish is ready.
The dining booth comes equipped with napkins and a water pitcher, so patrons do not need to ask the restaurant for additional supplies. Then, a pair of hands quietly extends to place the ramen bowl on the table. There is always a curtain that obscures the faces of both the customer and the server. There is no communication, whether through eye contact or speech. Everything remains completely anonymous.
This solo dining style has become so popular that Ichiran has expanded to nearly 60 locations. Nowadays, the solo dining experience isn't limited to just ramen but includes various other dishes as well.
For those who still prefer not to dine alone, the Moomin Café in Tokyo is a decent option. The restaurant helps patrons sit opposite giant stuffed hippopotamuses to dispel loneliness. Alternatively, they can download the Dinner With My Boyfriend app for images of handsome men to dine with.
Another option is to play an old DVD series called Oshokuji no Jikan featuring videos of women eating, so no one has to eat alone anymore. In 2014, the PiaPia restaurant in Tokyo banned couples from coming on Christmas Eve. The reason was that they would 'cause serious harm' to those dining alone on this holiday.
Japanese society today is increasingly accepting the individual habits and preferences of everyone, and restaurants are reflecting that.
Travel journalist for The New York Times, Stephanie Rosebloom, wrote in 2015: 'Tables for two or more aren't the default arrangement anymore. It's not uncommon to sit across from a sushi chef and chat with them, or order a meal from a restaurant's ticket machine and enjoy the dishes on a stool alongside other solo diners'. Travelers can easily find meals for one in city centers, where menus feature bite-sized dishes.
The Ichiran model is also being implemented in the US. This restaurant chain opened its first branch in Bushwick, Brooklyn, in October 2016. The space here is divided between traditional dining areas and a room within a private booth - where only pork ramen can be ordered.
Food critics are not satisfied with the food quality as well as this new experience. Food critic Robert Sietsema calls the private booths 'tiny ramen jails' serving 'overly simplistic ramen.'
Nevertheless, hundreds of trendy diners still line up. Their purpose may be solely to post pictures on Instagram, even though the restaurant has signs inside each room requesting phones to be silenced so guests can focus solely on the flavors. But that's the difference in the less interactive dining style of today's Americans: They want to eliminate distractions rather than seek solitude and distance from others like the Japanese.
