Peernovo
Cooks

How to become a Ramen Cook

Prepares ingredients and cooks ramen at ramen restaurants and similar.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. Some people gain the licensed cook (chorishi) licence after starting. When you start, you mostly do support work such as preparing ingredients, washing dishes, serving and cleaning. Through guidance from senior staff and experience, you develop a feel for the work and master the restaurant's flavour. Where the restaurant makes its own noodles, many people gain the national noodle making skills qualification to build their knowledge and skills. Learning the skills takes a fair number of years, depending on the restaurant. After learning business know-how, you can open your own restaurant. A spirit of hospitality towards customers and a love of making and eating ramen are important. The work is done standing, so a certain level of fitness is needed. Ramen varies greatly in flavour by region and restaurant, so people who want to go independent in particular often train at several restaurants to find their own flavour and aim to build a restaurant with its own character.

Ways in

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

Related jobs

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How do I become a Ramen Cook?

No particular education or qualifications are needed to start. Some people gain the licensed cook (chorishi) licence after starting. When you start, you mostly do support work such as preparing ingredients, washing dishes, serving and cleaning. Through guidance from senior staff and experience, you develop a feel for the work and master the restaurant's flavour. Where the restaurant makes its own noodles, many people gain the national noodle making skills qualification to build their knowledge and skills. Learning the skills takes a fair number of years, depending on the restaurant. After learning business know-how, you can open your own restaurant. A spirit of hospitality towards customers and a love of making and eating ramen are important. The work is done standing, so a certain level of fitness is needed. Ramen varies greatly in flavour by region and restaurant, so people who want to go independent in particular often train at several restaurants to find their own flavour and aim to build a restaurant with its own character.

How much does a Ramen Cook earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥3,790,800 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Food and drink preparatory workers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Ramen Cook?

Usually not. In this job's census occupation group, only 10% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: National trade skills test (技能検定); Vocational college (専門学校) course: Cooking.

Will AI change the work of a Ramen Cook?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026