In Japan, Ramen Jiro is practically legendary. This iconic ramen chain is famous for its massive portions, thick, wavy noodles, rich shoyu tonkotsu broth, and generous mountains of bean sprouts, garlic, and back fat – a true paradise for anyone craving a hearty, filling meal.
Recently, the owner of Ramen Jiro Kameido (@jiro_kame) took to X to express his frustration. He's been seeing too many company seniors bringing their new hires to the shop and forcing them to order huge bowls of ramen. Witnessing these struggling newbies unable to finish their meals is clearly distressing him, and he's urging people to stop this "hazing" practice, sparking a major discussion online.
The owner explained that with the new school year starting, more fresh faces are entering the workforce and visiting his shop. While it's less common than before, he still sees new employees being coerced by their seniors or bosses into ordering large bowls of ramen (often with extra veggies!), only to suffer through the meal while their seniors just watch and laugh. Talk about awkward!
"From our perspective as a ramen shop, this is genuinely uncomfortable. Please, everyone, stop doing this! Newcomers aren't familiar with Jiro-style portion sizes, so please show some consideration and don't turn their meal into a painful challenge. Your cooperation is appreciated!"
Many netizens chimed in, agreeing that this kind of workplace "tradition" is all too common. They criticized seniors who only want to see their juniors squirm, disregarding the shop's feelings and essentially "playing with food" in a bullying manner. Not only is it disrespectful to the restaurant, but it also makes other waiting customers uncomfortable, calling the behavior "disgusting."
Some users even drew parallels to Japan's workplace drinking culture, noting that "nothing has changed since the Showa era when new hires were forced to drink even if they couldn't."
Interestingly, Ramen Jiro Kameido is quite a popular spot, and the owner himself is well-known for his love of ACG (Anime, Comics, Games) culture, even attending Comiket!
▼ He once even cosplayed as Shima Jiro from "Chiikawa"!
The owner also added that if seniors genuinely guide their new colleagues to enjoy the ramen properly, he'll be all smiles.
(Just look at that friendly face!)
While such workplace cultures are deeply ingrained and likely still exist across various companies, the owner's willingness to speak out against this practice has earned him widespread praise from netizens.
via： togetter