In late June, at a ramen shop called Mame Deppo in Abiko City, Chiba Prefecture, part-time worker Kumiko Takehara was taking orders from customers outside. She travels about 30 minutes by train from her home in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, four times a week to work there.
Takehara used to work at a convenience store near her home, but she switched jobs about five years ago because this ramen shop offered over 100 yen more per hour. Now she earns ¥1,150 an hour and makes over ¥70,000 a month. She likes her coworkers and says she doesn’t plan to work anywhere else.
Out of the 9 part-time workers at the shop, 3 commute from Ibaraki. They even have a group chat called the “Ibaraki crew.” For Takehara, the extra travel time is worth it because the higher pay makes a big difference. This pay gap is tied to the difference in minimum wages between Chiba and Ibaraki.
by MagazineKey4532