The Japanese restaurant chain Ichiran 14 November 2026 unveiled an unusual invention for lovers of noodles and personal space. Now anyone can turn an ordinary desk into a tiny restaurant with partitions, a bamboo blind and even a real waiter call button. A journalist who decided to try the novelty in the office got so carried away that he began serving himself.
Imagine an ordinary workday. Colleagues all around, phones, endless emails, conversations and urgent tasks.
And you want only one thing β to have lunch in peace, so that no one distracts you.
In Japan, it seems, they have found a solution to this problem.
The popular ramen chain Ichiran has released an unusual set called the Taste Concentration Counter Kit β βa counter for concentrating on taste.β
It allows you to set up right on your desk a little personal space resembling a real Japanese restaurant.
And the most interesting thing is that it is not just a decorative toy, but a miniature version of the famous Ichiran restaurant booths.
A restaurant for one person β right in the middle of the office
The Ichiran chain is known for its unusual approach to serving visitors.
In its establishments, guests sit at separate counters divided by partitions.
In front of each visitor there is a small window with a bamboo blind.
Through it, the staff serve the food, after which the blind is closed.
The idea is that a person can fully concentrate on the taste of the noodles and not be distracted by those around them.
The new development brings this atmosphere straight home or to the office.
The kit includes side partitions, a front panel, a miniature sign and a bamboo blind that can be raised and lowered.
But the real highlight is the staff call button.
When pressed, it plays the very sound that visitors hear in real Ichiran restaurants.
The result is an almost fully fledged ramen shop, only without the queues, the neighbors and the waiters.
The journalist opened his own restaurant on his desk
One of the first to try the unusual kit was a journalist from the Japanese publication SoraNews24 named Ahiruneko.
Having received the box, he decided not to limit himself to an ordinary review and to stage a real gastronomic adventure right in the editorial office.
First the journalist assembled the miniature structure.
He set up the partitions, attached the sign and hung the bamboo blind.
Then he placed it all on his desk.
The result was a small enclosed space in which there was barely room for a bowl of noodles.
But the journalist was pleased.
He even came up with a name for his establishment β Ichiran SoraNews24.
True, the restaurant had one peculiarity: it had only one visitor, who was at the same time the cook, the waiter and the owner.
His own waiter, his own customer
After opening his mini-restaurant, the journalist went off to cook the noodles.
Then he returned to the desk, raised the bamboo blind and solemnly served himself a hot ramen.
The bowl passed perfectly through the small window.
Ahiruneko sat down behind the partitions and set to eating.
According to him, the atmosphere really did resemble a real Ichiran.
Thanks to the side walls, he practically stopped noticing his colleagues and was able to concentrate fully on his lunch.
From the outside it looked rather comical.
An ordinary office employee sat at his desk, hidden behind a miniature structure, happily eating noodles while the others carried on working.
βWaiter, another portion!β β and he himself ran off to the kitchen
The funniest part of the experiment began when the journalist finished his noodles.
There was still broth left in the bowl, so he decided to order an extra portion of noodles β in Japan this kind of refill is called "kaedama".
Ahiruneko pressed the waiter call button.
The familiar restaurant signal sounded.
But since there were no other employees in his establishment, he had to serve the order to himself.
The journalist jumped up from the desk, went to the kitchen, prepared an extra portion of noodles and returned to his booth.
Then he raised the blind again and served the food through the window.
The result was a full-fledged restaurant service in which one person played every role at once.
And judging by his impressions, it gave him enormous pleasure.
How much does the pleasure of hiding from your colleagues cost?
The unusual Ichiran kit was released for the tenth anniversary of its souvenir product β Ichiran Ramen Hakata Thin Straight Noodles.
Customers were offered two configuration options.
The first includes a mini-restaurant and five portions of noodles. Its price is 3850 yen β roughly 25 dollars.
The second set contains ten portions of noodles and costs 4980 yen.
The larger set is available only in the company's online store.
The set with five portions can be purchased both online and in the chain's physical stores in Japan.
Sales are limited to available stock.
Why do the Japanese love unusual inventions so much?
Japan has long been known for its attention to detail and its desire to create comfort even in the most unexpected situations.
From individual booths in cafΓ©s to compact household devices, solutions often appear here that at first seem amusing but then reveal a quite practical meaning.
The Ichiran mini-restaurant is precisely one of those inventions.
On the one hand, it is an unusual souvenir for fans of Japanese cuisine.
On the other, it is a way to create a little personal space even in a small room.
Especially if a person works in a noisy office or lives in an apartment where it is hard to find privacy.
Of course, the partitions do not provide full soundproofing and do not free you from work duties.
But for a few minutes they let you feel like a visitor to a small, cozy ramen shop.
The smallest restaurant with the busiest staff
The experiment of a SoraNews24 journalist showed that the novelty can give not only convenience but also a good mood.
After all, it is far from every day that you can open your own restaurant without leaving the office.
Moreover, without renting premises, renovating, hiring staff or dealing with complicated permits.
All you need is a small kit, hot noodles and the desire to take a little break from everyday bustle.
And although Ahiruneko had to cook the food himself, serve the customer and clean up after lunch, he remained pleased with the unusual experience.
Perhaps the only drawback of such a restaurant is that there is absolutely no one to complain to about slow service.
After all, if the waiter takes a long time to bring the order, you have only yourself to blame.
And if the noodles are cooked perfectly, you can safely leave yourself a tip!
And most importantly: now the phrase "I'm having lunch at a restaurant today" may well mean that the person has simply closed themselves behind a little bamboo curtain right at their desk.
