They were a late-night home away from home for the reporter on a stake-out, the student with an essay to write and the denizens of Tokyo’s demimonde. At a 24-hour “family restaurant”, a few hundred yen would pay for soft drinks and a safe, well-lit seat to while away the night.

No longer. At the end of January, the Royal Host restaurant chain closed its last 24-hour famiresu, as the cultural staple is called, in the Tokyo suburbs. Shortly afterwards, restaurant chain Skylark group closed 310 of its restaurants during night hours, leaving just 100 that still stay open around the clock. 

The end of 24-hour service is partly because there are fewer students in Japan’s ageing society. But the main factor is the growing shortage of casual staff — a big issue after four years of robust economic growth — that makes it hard to operate profitably during late-night hours.