UTSUNOMIYA -- "Ramen shop wanted!" -- is the catchphrase splashed across a flyer created by the town of Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture.
Motegi, which doesn't have a single ramen shop, is looking for a ramen entrepreneur.
The town called for candidates on social media by offering benefits such as providing a vacant property and subsidizing initial costs, and began accepting applications in late June.
After receiving positive responses from within and outside the prefecture, Motegi decided to bring its original end of August application deadline forward to the end of July.
According to the town's commerce and tourism section, Motegi has been without a ramen shop for about 10 years after an establishment near the municipal government office closed its doors.
As the subsidy for occupying a vacant house, which had been provided until last fiscal year, has not been used for several years, the town decided this fiscal year to narrow down the types of businesses for the subsidy and prepare properties to actively search nationwide for applicants.
Officials also changed the name of the program to "furusato entrepreneur support subsidy."
The first phase of the program will be used to open a ramen shop, with the successful applicant expected to receive 50% of initial costs to start business up to 1.5 million yen, and rent up to 50,000 yen per month for two years.
In the flyer, which has been posted on the town's website, Motegi humorously pleads: "There isn't even a single ramen shop in Motegi, and ramen lovers have lost their daily treat and cannot concentrate on their work. We are looking for someone who can start a ramen shop to save these people."
The detail was posted on social media with the support of the Tochigi yorozu support center in Utsunomiya, a free business consultation center set up by the central government.
By July 1, the post had been viewed about 30,000 times, and as of July 9, nine applicants from inside and outside the prefecture have requested to view the site allocated for opening a shop.
"We will have each applicant visit the site and submit a business plan. We hope this will somehow lead to the opening of a new shop," a chief of the section said.
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