We've gotten quite used to stores being perpetually open, be it fast food chains or supermarkets.

The deal with capitalism is that the more you stay open, chances are, the more you will earn.

Going against the grain of that rather established rule is one Noboru Niida.

Niida is the chairman of Korakuen, a ramen chain with 533 outlets in Japan.

He decided to close all 533 outlets to ensure that all his employees could enjoy the holidays.

In fact, he made New Year's eve a half-day as well.

200 milllion reasons not to

The sheer amount of outlets mean the revenue lost for a single day of closure could go up to 200 million yen (S$2.5 million).

According to Sora News, who translated the chairman's post, that doesn't seem to be an issue at all.

"Revenue is, of course, very important for a business. Stock prices are also very important. But there’s something else that’s far more important than either of those.

It’s the emotional well-being of our employees, and I want to make protecting that the first action I take as the new president of this company, even if it means losing 200 million yen."

And perhaps even more relevant to our culture, Niida had this to say about the concept of the service industry.

"Working in the service industry doesn’t mean working while everyone else in the country is taking time off. People who work in the service sector have families too, and it’s fair for them to have time off at New Year’s too."

He also hoped that this would be a catalyst towards improving working conditions in Japan.

Image from Korakuen