Shops in Japan Serving Foods to Give Stressed Students Bit of Luck; Specialty Foods Help Students Get Through Entrance Exam Season

By Akiko Tsuruta / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:50 JST, February 6, 2025

In the midst of entrance exam season, stressed students seeking a short respite look to eat foods that are believed to bring a bit of good luck.

The town of Togitsu in Nagasaki Prefecture is known for Saba Kusarakashi Rock, which is a boulder that appears as if it is perfectly balanced on top of a protruding stone feature on the side of a mountain.

Kawabayashi Manjyu in the town has been selling Gokaku Kigan Manju sweet buns for ¥90 each since last autumn. “Gokaku” means “pass”; “kigan” is written using the kanji “ki” for “pray” and “gan” for “rock”; and “manju” refers to a sweet bun.

As the Japanese word for “fall down” has several meanings, including “fail,” the town sees the rock, which has not fallen, as a symbol of not failing.

It is believed that Saba Kusarakashi Rock was named after a folktale about a fish merchant who stood all day by the rock with saba mackerels, thinking that “The rock is inevitably going to fall, so I’m going to wait until that happens.” His mackerels went bad in the end.

The town began promoting itself using such characters as the rock-themed character Tsugiishi Bozu around 2018. The town sells various items, including original canned mackerel and clear file folders, and has also made an anime and a song related to the rock.

The Gokaku Kigan Manju, which is sweet bean paste wrapped in a bun fermented with sweet rice malt, has an image of Tsugiishi Bozu on it with the words “gokaku kigan.” The manju can be shipped to other areas and is a thank-you gift from the town under the furusato nozei hometown tax donation system.

“[Students] taking the exams can use the sweet manju as energy to get their brains fully functioning,” said Kazuhiro Miyahara of the shop.

The ramen chain restaurant Ichiran has been selling Gokaku Ramen for ¥980 since 2016 at its Dazaifu Sando store in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture. As the Japanese word for “five” is “go” and the word for “nine” is “ku,” the ramen is served in a five-sided bowl and uses 59-centimeter-long noodles, which are more than twice as long as standard ramen noodles. The Gokaku set comes with ramen topped with various ingredients, including a soft-boiled egg. The set costs ¥1,410. The reason for the price is that if a customer pays ¥2,000 for the meal, they will receive ¥590 in change.

When the Gokaku Ramen is served, a staff member will say such things as “You pass” and “You’ll get in.” When a customer finishes the soup, they will see the word “kettei,” which means “approved,” at the bottom of the bowl.

The shop tries to display as many signs of good luck as possible, so it uses taller water glasses, as the word “tall” in Japanese sounds like the word for “pass.” About three years ago, the shop also changed its chairs to ones with pentagon-shaped seats.

The ramen shop is located near the entrance of the road leading to Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine, and many students visiting the shrine also eat at the shop.

“Students preparing for entrance exams are busy studying every day,” said Sumire Nakashima, an official in charge of public relations. “We want them to eat delicious ramen and make the final push.”

Katsudon, a bowl of rice topped with a pork cutlet, is often eaten before important exams, as “katsu” sounds like the Japanese word for “win.”

As Miyakonojo, Miyazaki Prefecture, is known for its minced meat cutlets, the city uses the meal to support students preparing for their exams. Every year, the municipal government serves minced meat cutlets to third-year students at all 19 city-run junior high schools.

Kannonike Pork Honten in the Takajo area of Miyakonojo has been selling minced meat cutlets for about 20 years to get its customers to eat pork parts that are difficult to use in main dishes. Every January, the shop sells its Gokaku Oen set, which comes with five products including minced meat cutlets, for ¥800.

An altar and a small torii gate have been set up in front of the shop, where students can pray to pass their exams. The shop intends to keep the altar in place until mid-March.

“Pork is said to be good for reenergizing people,” said Makoto Yukizaki, the general manager of the shop. “We hope students will eat minced meat cutlets so that they will overcome the cold weather and win.”