Japan, a country that refuses to limit its innovation capability, has taken its prowess in building hi-tech trains and cooking up sumptuous ramen and merged them to create a train powered by ramen broth – all in the name of sustainability.

The Japanese are credited with ideating and executing the bullet train, the walkman, quartz watches, blue LEDs, the floppy disk, QR codes, camera phones, emojis, karaoke and many more. Now, a broth-powered tourist train joins the extensive list.

Reminiscent of Victoria’s own Puffing Billy and dressed in white and Barbie-esque bright pink, the Amaterasu Railway traverses through some of Japan’s most lush landscapes, giving tourists a ride to remember and conventional fossil fuel a run for its money.

Capable of pulling the weight of up to 60 people along for a duration of at least 30 minutes, the train runs on a biodiesel made from leftover ramen broth and other resources recovered from local restaurants.

The idea of ramen-based biofuel occurred to Masumi Nishida, chairman of shipping company Nishida Logistics, ~10 years ago when his friend and restaurant owner told him about the expenses associated with properly disposing of ramen broth left behind by customers.

‘Eureka!’ or more likely ‘Yūreka!’ Mr Masumi thought, presumably.

Nidisha Logistics fitted the restaurant with equipment that could separate the lard content from leftover broth and use it to formulate the biodiesel that could even power the quasi-literal gravy train uphill and across Japan’s highest railway bridge.

The company took the initiative forward, combining the ramen-based fuel with biodiesel made from used cooking oil to run half of its fleet of 170 trucks. Nishida has also made the blended biofuel commercially available to other businesses.

In terms of cost, biodiesel matches the price of conventional fossil fuels. Emissions-wise, biodiesel is known to produce less smoke and bystanders may develop a case of hunger from sniffing aromas of fried rice or ramen being prepared.

While in the US and Europe, biodiesel is typically produced using vegetable oils, Japan’s biodiesel industry prefers to repurpose used cooking oil and food leftovers in a bid to avoid competing with the food industry for resources.

So, if you find yourself travelling through Takachiho Town and feeling a hint of guilt from being unable to finish your delicious bowl of tonkotsu ramen, worry not – Japan’s ramen broth-powered train has you covered.

Source: Australian Circular Economy Hub