Roger OngHere in a quiet neighborhood of Beppu city in Oita prefecture, a cyan awning shelters anticipating guests queuing in sunset. On it, writes the name of the ramen restaurant “Yume Wo Katare”. This is where 17-year-old manager, Ryoma Kamikubo, gives out free ramen to children and teenagers who are willing to share their dreams.
Yume Wo Katare (which means “Share Your Dreams”) is founded by Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and has 20 stores currently open or in the works. Kamikubo is the second generation manager of Beppu, Oita branch, the very first branch, after taking over from Nishioka.
0 yen menu: Yume Wo Katare (Share Your dreams)
The concept is simple. The child or teenager orders “Yume Wo Katare” on the menu, and prepares to share their dreams. When ready, they ring the call bell. The friendly staff, acting as the emcee, starts preparing the rest of the customers. The dreamer will then announce their dreams.
And that is why we should not be deceived by the modest interiors. Because this is eye of the storm for a revolution in inspiring youths to dream. After the youths have shared their dream, the encouraging audience will give a lively “Good job!” cheer for the youths.
“Till now, we’ve had countless individuals who have shared their dreams,” shared Kamikubo. “And each time they received the wholehearted support of the customers. We’ve even had one who wanted to live on the moon! We also had one customer who recently shared with us that he completed his dreams of studying medicine.”
The beginning of a virtuous cycle of happiness for the dreamer
“Dreaming should be a fun activity,” manager Kamikubo stated. “And when they think it is fun to share, it provides the youths with a sense of happiness. That is the kind of environment we want to create, to show them that dreaming is important.
“It is not always easy to dream in Japan, because the young are constantly told otherwise.” We can liken this to how often we are bombarded by ideals of realism and practicality from society. On the other hand, Yume Wo Katare provides a safe place for the young to continue to feel inspired to chase dreams.
This creates a virtuous cycle for the young. They share dreams, find sincere support, feel a sense of happiness, and become more confident in the next sharing. This reinforces the ability to dream.
Many adults can only afford such inspiration as an indulgence. However, it is not so at Yume Wo Katare. While they don’t get free ramen, any adult is free to ring that bell too. The other customers will show the same support.
The other half of the dream equation: supporters
There are those who share their dreams, but there are also those who support those dreams. It’s easy to mistake that elementary students and teenagers are Yume Wo Katare’s only audience.
“There is another important aspect to why we have the youngsters announce to the rest of the customers.” Kamikubo shared. “While showing support for them is important, there might be someone among the customers who has the network or specialty to give the youngsters a boost. For example, if a child wants to become a pro basketball player, there might be a customer who knows a basketball coach. That helps the child take their first step towards achieving their dream.”
This reflects a common theme of the support from adults for the next generation (for example as we see in the marches of the youths of Fridays for Future). Most of the customers are between 30~40s, who are steadfast in their careers and have amassed their own networks. The ramen restaurant is also located near universities like Beppu University, and attracts students. One may even say that Yume Wo Katare is also an accelerator hub for dreams.
Customers are big supporters of Yume Wo Katare, in spite of the pandemic
We have talked before of how purpose-driven businesses are getting support from their fans during the coronavirus pandemic. Yume Wo Katare is another example that has rallied support from around Japan.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit businesses, many food and beverage businesses turned to online sales and takeouts. Yume Wo Katare did the same, and orders have been coming from all over Japan for their ramen. This minimized the pandemic’s impact on the ramen restaurant. It also shows how supportive people are for Yume Wo Katare’s concept and mission.
“What is your dream?”
Kamikubo was not going to let me off, and asked me the key question, “What is your dream?” While I was prepared for the question, it still took me by surprise. Because it was a stark reminder of how we are treating our children and youths.
How often have we given ourselves excuses to why our dreams cannot be achieved? How often has people around told us that they are not realistic or practical? And imagine, how we have been killing off the dreams of our children and youths, right after we rob them of a planet on fire?
“We’ve had customers who did not understand the concept that Yume Wo Katare was built upon. They in turn found the experience uncomfortable.” It is a reflection of a side of Japanese society that has not realized the impact of that attitude, nor deliberated the cause of that discomfort.
Yet, every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around. For the young, and for ourselves.
Yume Wo Katare’s dream to keep the young dreaming, wherever they are
Although this interview was conducted in view of the social good coming out of Oita prefecture, Yume Wo Katare is obviously aiming further than a local impact; it is aiming for an impact of an international level. It wants to put its ramen store in all 47 prefectures and in every country by 2030, and already has a store in Boston in America. Things are only getting started for Yume Wo Katare.
And it is already drawing the manpower for expansion. For example, the staff at the Beppu branch are drawn by the dream to create a place where youths can share their dreams. Not only are they working in the store itself, they are planning to startup their own stores in other prefectures. This will speed up the expansion of Yume Wo Katare. But more importantly, this will encourage more and more children, teenagers and even adults to dream.
Writer’s note
Yume Wo Katare is a symbol for youth’s dreams. The staff are so clear and focused, driven by a mission that inspires. Never once was profit mentioned, because there was no need to. Free ramen was mentioned, but forgotten by the time we began talking about dreams.
Yume no Katare measures themselves by the youths who are willing to share their dreams. Their definition for success aligns with the success of these dreamers, and thereby the success of their future, and the success of Japan’s future. Yume no Katare has me as one more fan, not just for their ramen, but also a supporter for the dreams of the youths in Japan.
[Related Link] Yume Wo Katare Beppu Twitter
