Hozoin Temple, in Kyoto prefecture in southeast Japan, boasts a rich history that dates back to 1669, and the temple’s abbot shared with Yomiuri TV that volunteers had begun to sell vegetarian ramen to fund the management and maintenance of their collection of 60,0000 wooden planks.

The thin wooden strips are used for writing classic texts, and 48,000 of the tablets have been designated as “important cultural properties” by the Japanese government.

However, the tablets are piled in a storage room that is over 60 years old and has no cooling or heating system.

The manual labour required to maintain the wood in these conditions was expensive, and the temple needed a creative strategy to make some money. The income from traditional offerings falls far short of covering the temple’s financial needs.

“The owner of cultural properties must bear the responsibility of management. We must carefully manage and maintain these classics so they can be passed on to future generations,” said the abbot.

“But after more than 350 years, the classics stored here are prone to mould and worms. Therefore, sufficient funds are needed for preservation. Altogether, the cost is at least 500 million yen (US$3.5 million), possibly even 1 billion yen.”

In October 2022, the temple started offering vegetarian ramen to the public, available only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The soup is affordable, at 600 yen (US$4), and the cooks usually make 30 servings that sell out quickly.

The ramen is prepared by temple volunteers, who dedicate significant care to preparing each delicious vegetarian serving. Beyond its affordability, it is now famous for being quite tasty.

“I’ve never had ramen like this. It sinks deep into my soul,” said Fukuko Sudo, 79, from Kyoto.

The temple abbot said that selling vegetarian ramen helped the temple make some money and generated buzz, attracting more people to explore the temple’s collection of Buddhist classics.

While the ramen certainly helps Hozoin Temple cover some of its operational costs, the actual revenue numbers were not made public.

Chinese netizens have shown significant interest in this new measure, engaging in lively discussions online after Chinese media outlets reported the news.

One online inspector joked: “Do they have a food licence? A health certificate? Has the ‘restaurant’ passed fire inspections?”

Another asked: “Isn’t it believed that Japanese temples are secretly very rich?”

A third added: “I still prefer domestic Chinese ramen.”