Pictured: Todai Ramen, in the closed position

There’s a ramen shop near my school called Todai Ramen. Their hours of operation baffle me. They are open from 7pm to 4am (except for Mondays, when they’re closed).

Sometimes I’ll leave school at 6:30pm and want to grab some ramen on my way home, but I can’t because they aren’t open yet. Couldn’t they be open from 6pm to 3am instead? You could argue that 6pm to 7pm isn’t a prime dinner hour, but are there really more people that want ramen at 3:30am? Like, on a Wednesday?

I guess I could understand if the nightlife in the area was thriving, but it’s pretty dead. The only other businesses nearby that are open past 9pm are a convenience store and a karaoke joint, both of which already sell food. There’s also a university dorm nearby, but they have a 10pm curfew, so no late night business from them.

This area has even less going on at night.

They’ve been around for years, so I guess Todai’s proprietors know what they’re doing. But still… I don’t get it.