one meal a week

This is a tale about a middle aged man who strives his way in a foreign land to build a better living for his family. He has been in Japan for a few decades, working as an office worker. Now he is in his late 50s, trying his luck at opening a new Muslim friendly restaurant around Ota-ku district. The past few years have shown an influx of inbound tourists to Japan, so that the demand for Halal cuisine ¹. That was as far as a man could see - everything went well until Japan was closed in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus.

He came from Myanmar, a Muslim who speaks fluent Burmese, Chinese, and Japanese. He dreamt of opening a Lanzhou-style beef ramen ² restaurant, a store that serves a generous portion of soup noodle cuisine. When customers came to his store, they were able to see for themselves the process of making handmade noodles through the open kitchen window. It was always an impressive show put up by the Chinese local chefs - some of them were Han Chinese, but there were also a few Uyghurs ³.

The first year of opening was very successful. I was one of many repeat customers who always showed up every other week. I was often given free yogurt as a dessert when I came to visit. The place is big — a perfect place to gather with colleagues after work. It has a different vibe from a typical Japanese restaurant. This restaurant celebrates human interactions, a perfect spot for a big group gathering. This is where people make connections with others after a long workday.

The Coronavirus has caused many small businesses to die, especially places where people used to come to gather and meet other people. The store still survives but at a very suffering state. There were no foreign visitors allowed to enter Japan. Foreign workers in this country were also slowly leaving Japan for good, trying their best to reunite with their loved ones, not knowing when this pandemic would end. Most restaurants were empty, not only on this street - eating out with friends was the last thing people wanted to do right now.

He looks tired most of the time. I once asked, why doesn’t he stop doing two jobs and just focus on his business? He responded that he still wasn’t able to do so - he couldn’t risk his retirement pension while the business wasn’t making any money. He said he had to hold on as long as he could. He looks worried - I know there is something else bothering him. Earlier, he told me he couldn’t get in touch with his family in Myanmar. The army had cut all telephony connections outside of Myanmar after the coup.

The suffering I saw was excessive. I could see through his eyes that too many people were depending on him. His success was expected by these people, not optional. There was no freedom to fail for him. Conversations between men are usually full of silence, much like this one. There wasn’t much I could do to make him feel better. So I decided to have a meal here at least once a week, or more if possible. If words couldn’t give him comfort, let sincerity do.

Post-script (Feb 2025): I am still in this town after all these years. In winter 2025, the business has thrived through all kinds of difficulties. He expanded the business to another location, which is now doing much better than his first ramen store. He is now two years away from his office job retirement before he can fully focus his time on these two restaurants. The journey has justified the end.