Japan Hour: It's Lunchtime
Today we are visiting Minamiaso Village, at the foot of Mount Aso in Kumamoto. Today, I'm visiting Minamiaso Village in Kumamoto Prefecture. (Yu Yashiro) I was told that this village has many beautiful springs.
I'd like to investigate what people eat in a village with such great water. Let's go! Ms Yashiro takes the Minamiaso Railway, a popular local line. (Kumamoto Prefecture, Minamiaso Railway) There are many station names related to water, as this is a land of great waters. There's also Minamiaso Mizuno-Umareru-Sato Hakusui-Kogen Station, which is the station with the longest name in Japan.
This time, we'll investigate what people eat in a village with great spring waters. Here? She starts from Nakamatsu Station. (Nakamatsu Station) I'd like to take the train first.
Where can I get tickets? They also don't seem to support transportation passes. Excuse me. Sorry, where can I get tickets? -Excuse me, where can I get tickets? -We don't sell tickets. Please get on the train from the back, and take a numbered ticket. Okay, thank you. The train looks very cute.
Is there only one train car? Excuse me. Here is the numbered ticket. Here it is.
Let's take one. It doesn't say anything. -Thank you for riding with us. -This looks really cute. -This train is... -What is this? They're teruterubozu (sunshine charm dolls).
So cute. They're from a preschool. As they wanted many people to ride the train even in the rainy season, they had this train specially decorated by preschool kids in the village. Hello. This is great. Are you all tourists? We're from Taiwan.
You're from Taiwan? That's great. I wonder how they greet people in Taiwan. (They are all tourists from Taiwan) Is it ni-hao? Ni-hao. We'll investigate what people eat in Minamiaso Village, a village with great waters in Kumamoto Prefecture. The train has left the station.
Here we go. (10:04) The Minamiaso Railway runs from Tateno Station to Takamori Station, and is about 18 kilometres long. Due to the earthquake in Kumamoto in 2016, they currently operate between five stations, from Nakamatsu to Takamori. -The mountain on your left -I'm happy to be here. is Mount Aso.
That mountain? Mount Aso. Is that it? It's pretty. (Mount Aso) There are many rice fields and vegetable fields. I bet they produce amazing rice.
We're stopping at Aso Shirakawa Station. Okay. Hello.
-Excuse me. -The train is leaving in a minute. Do you live in this area? -Yes, I do. -Okay. -I heard there are many springs here. -Yes, there are quite a lot. -So water springs out everywhere? -Yes. Really? -Aso Shirakawa-Suigen Station. -Suigen? Get off here if you want to go to the spring sources.
Really? -Here? -Yes. I will get off here because I want to see the spring sources. -Thank you. -Get off in front. Oh, yeah. Thank you. Bye.
Bye. Yeah! Bye. -Thank you. -Thank you. -What should I do with this? -Please put it in the box. -Okay, thank you. -Thank you. Here we go.
(Minamiaso Shirakawa-Suigen Station) That was a cute train. Excuse me. It's the station. Minamiaso Shirakawa-Suigen Station. It means "spring source". There must be many spring sources around here.
This is incredible! It's beautiful. Wow, look. There are mountains all around me. There are many rice fields too. I wonder if there are spring sources.
Where are they? Let's find one. Let's go find a spring source. (After walking for 20 minutes...) I see someone. Hello.
Hello, excuse me. What were you doing just now? I'm visiting different springs. I like haiku poems, -so I'm hoping I can write some poems. -Impressive. -I was just taking a break. -Wonderful.
-Where are you from? -Kumamoto City. Kumamoto City. There's a place called Koike Suigen here, and if you go down, there is a pond. There are trees and it feels cool there, so I was sitting there for a while.
-Really? -It felt good, but I couldn't come up with poems. -When I was sitting there, I wrote this. -Okay. Sitting, surrounded by water in the shade of greenery. -Very nice. -I tried to say that I was near the water. I'd be embarrassed if a haiku master sees this.
No problem at all. Thank you very much. I'll go look. Thank you. Let's go to the spring source. Koike Suigen.
Wow, look. A spring source that makes you want to write a haiku poem. What kind of place is it? It's pretty. It's incredible. Amazing.
This feels like a little-known spot. The water surface is moving because of the wind. It looks very pretty. Wow, this is beautiful.
Incredible. Koike Suigen is fed by subterranean water from Mount Aso. It had been used as an irrigation pond for many years, but it was turned into a park in 2004. The park is loved by the locals.
Ms Yashiro also tries to write a poem. Spring source is very nice, but my bigger concern right now is how hungry I am getting. -Thank you. -Thank you. (Good luck with the investigation) Wonderful. I wonder if there'll be people.
(Noon) Oh! Shirakawa Suigen. The signboard says that it's that way. I found it. Is this it? She goes to Shirakawa Suigen, which was in the station name. I see a torii.
So I guess this is a shrine. I wonder if it's in here. Let's go look.
Thank you for having me. Is this it? I wonder if it's drinkable. Incredible.
What? It's incredibly clear. It's very clear. Amazing. Everyone is taking the water home. Wait. Hello.
Hello. Where did you come from today? I'm from Kagoshima. -From Kagoshima? -Yes. How often do you come here? -It's my first time. -It's your first time here? I see. I have always wanted to visit. -Did you drink the water? -Yes, I did.
It's very clear and tastes good. What are you going to do with the water you take home with? What should I do? -You don't know? -I will drink it with care. She's curious about her lunch, but it'd be difficult to follow her to Kagoshima. I'll try it too.
Let's try it. It's very cold. It's great. It's very cold and smooth. Shall we ask someone at the store? It'd be great to see lunch made with the great spring water.
They're doing something. Hello. Can I talk to you? I'm on a filming trip with TV Tokyo. -Are you a local resident? -Yes, I am.
Were you born and raised in this village? -Yes. -These spring sources... -Have they always been here? -Yes, they have. They've been here since the old days. When the earthquake hit and tap water was cut off, it was great to have those water springs. I see.
Even when the earthquake hit, -the water continued to spring out? -That's right. Of 11 spring sources in the village, Shirakawa Suigen is the biggest one. About 60 tons of water springs out per minute and water temperature is 14 degrees C all year round. In recent years, it has also become a popular spot as a spiritual site.
What is on that banner? -That is called Mizutama. -Okay. It's a type of mizu manju, and is a new product launched last summer. So it's mizu manju made with water from Shirakawa Suigen. That's right. -I'd love to try it. -Go ahead.
-Can I? -Sure. -It's written here. -That looks nice. Look at that. It's mizu manju with coarse sweet bean paste.
We serve it with strawberry agar jelly. -It's sweet and sour. -Okay. Mizu manju is kudzu starch cake made with the water from Shirakawa Suigen and inside is coarse red bean paste. Thank you for it.
It's good. The starch cake around... -It's chewy, isn't it? -It's jiggly and chewy. The bean paste tastes sweet, -and the jelly is a bit sour. -That's right. -They go together well. -Yes, perfectly well. -I have a favour to ask you. -Okay.
Please show me your meal. My meal? -You mean my lunch? -Yes. I didn't bring lunch today. I was going to get something at the local speciality shop. I see. Okay, I will keep trying.
She is not going to have a meal made with the great water. (Sorry to bother you suddenly) I now have energy because of the water, so now let's go find a meal. (One o'clock in the afternoon) There are many houses in this area.
You see... There are many traditional houses. I wonder if people have lived here for a long time. Oh! I see some people. Over there.
There are two people. There they are. Hello. Yes? -Excuse me. -What's going on? What are you guys doing? We're on a filming trip right now. -Can I ask you questions? -Sure.
Thank you very much. Even if I want to run away, I can't. Were you chatting with your friend? Yeah, she pickled some plums. She rubbed perilla leaves and pickled plums. -I see, she pickled some plums. -Yeah.
-That's great. -With perilla leaves. Did you do it too? No, she did it. Not me.
-Can I take a look? -Sure. She had them pickled a while ago, and she showed them to me today. Great. Look at the pickled plums. Yeah.
They look great. Aren't they big? They're probably larger than ones that you get. Yeah, they're big. The plums also smell great.
Where did you visit? I visited a few spring sources. I see. But I didn't get to meet a lot of local people. Are you a local resident? Yes, I am.
Is there a spring source near here too? If you go a bit farther, there is one called Kawajigo. -Kawajigo. -There's also one called Terazaka. I see. The springs in this area provide more water to rice fields than to people. Do you eat rice grown in this area? Yes, I do.
-It's... -Does it taste good? -Does it taste good? -Yes, it tastes great. -Rice from here is becoming famous. -Amazing.
-I have a favour to ask you. -What is it? Wow, I'm shaking because you said you had a favour to ask. Yes, I have a favour to ask you. Please show me your meal. I have nothing to show you today. I mean it.
-I really mean it. -Really? I will help you too. I can't.
Sorry for the trouble. Thank you, ma'am. -Bye. -Bye. All right. (Three o'clock in the afternoon) This isn't good. It's way past lunchtime now.
What should I do? I wonder what this is. It looks like a rest area. Is there anybody? There is another spring source here. Wakisawatsu. It's a spring source. Of many spring sources in Minamiaso Village, 10 of them together were selected as some of the 100 Great Waters of the Heisei period defined by the Ministry of the Environment.
There's a ladle, which means that local residents probably often come here. I might run into some local residents if I stay here. Let's wait here. Here we go.
(After waiting for 15 minutes...) Oh, wait. (Someone is here) Excuse me. Hello. Aren't you an impressionist? -Yes, I am. -I thought so. Later, we will see some excellent dishes made with great water. Finished! It looks amazing.
We will investigate what people eat in Minamiaso, a home to great waters. Excuse me. Hello. Aren't you an impressionist? -Yes, I am. -I thought so. My name is Yu Yashiro.
-Are you a local resident? -Yes. That's great. Are you here to get some water? Yes. I come here almost every other day.
-I see. -I bring the water to my company. We take water from here, and make tea and coffee with it. I'm glad I waited here. Is water here different from other waters? Yes, and I've been drinking it for many years. -I see. -I live nearby. Do you take water like that? -Directly? -That's right.
I see. Are there other local residents -who come to take water from here? -Yes, there are. Some people come here to wash their vegetables. -I see. -Yeah. If you wash vegetables here, they'll be nice and cool. -You're done. -Yes.
-Nice. -Sometimes I take five to six bottles. -Really? -Yeah. Can I ask you a favour, ma'am? (Looking forward to a meal prepared with the water) Please show me your meal. I haven't prepared dinner yet. I am on my way home from work.
-Really? -Yeah. Good luck with work. Thank you. -I'm sorry. -No problem. -Thank you very much. -Bye.
Sorry. It's five o'clock in the evening, and she hasn't seen anyone's meal yet. I heard that there is another spring source near here. Let's go check. There's a rest area. The spring source must be near.
Is this it? Here? Look. They are for drinking. This is it. Wow, nice.
This one also looks pretty. The water is calm here. There's a house right next to the spring source. It looks pretty. Very pretty. I wonder what that is.
What is that? I want to ask someone. This family lives right by the spring source. I'm curious now. I think I'll go knock on their door. There it is. Sorry for visiting suddenly.
I'm with TV Tokyo right now, and I'd like to ask you questions about the spring sources. -Okay. -That's why I rang your doorbell. -Can I talk to you? -Sure. -Thank you. -Hello.
Hello. Has the spring source been here since the old days? -Yeah. -And your house too? That's right. At the spring source, I saw something round. It looked like something that would rotate.
Which one? I wonder if we can see it from here. Can I walk this way? This is it. -That? -What is that? That's for washing potatoes.
-Sorry? -Potatoes. -For washing potatoes? -Yes. Do you rotate it yourself? No, it rotates on its own with water pressure. -Water pressure. -I'll show you. Really? Sorry for the trouble. Thank you. Okay.
You put this over here. Nice, there's a specific spot for it. Sorry that your feet are getting wet. I see, when you dam up the steam... The water level goes up. That's right.
Here it comes. Yes! So you put potatoes in this to wash them. The potato washer is still being used. When taros are placed in, -the water flow peels off the skin. -Amazing.
Thank you very much, sir. Sorry. Your feet are now wet. Amazing.
Sir? I have another favour to ask you. Please show me your meal. What? What do you mean? I'd like to see what you will have for dinner tonight.
I don't know because my wife isn't here. -What is your wife doing now? -She's at work. Could you ask for her permission? Sure. Please. Hello? (Calling his wife) I'll let you talk to her.
Hi there. Sorry for the sudden call. It's a TV show where we ask people to show us their meals. You're okay as long as your husband agrees? Your husband is okay with it.
Okay. Okay, thank you. Bye.
Thank you very much! -Yes! -What time is she coming home? She said around 6 or 7. By the way, what do you do for a living? -I'm a farmer. -You're a farmer. Are your rice fields nearby? -Yeah, they are. -I see.
(Rice farmer, Kazuyuki Fujimoto, 68 years old) -Hi, ma'am. -Then... Wait. Sorry for the trouble, ma'am. Thank you very much.
My name is Yu Yashiro. (Wife, Mrs Fumiko, 68 years old) I'm nervous. I'll do whatever I can do to help. -Let's make something with what we have. -Sure.
Thank you very much. Thank you. Mr and Mrs Fujimoto is going to show us their meal. Mr Fujimoto is a rice farmer, and Mrs Fujimoto is a salesperson at an electronics store.
Thank you. I'm coming in. Thank you for having me.
Amazing. It's very spacious. Thank you for having me.
Thank you for having me. Are you going to start now? -Okay. -Mrs Fujimoto is going to cook dinner now. Where is she going? She went to the storage room behind the kitchen. This is Koshihikari rice that we harvested. It's rice that grew in spring water. Three scoops.
Do you get spring water in the kitchen? Yes, it's from a spring source. We can switch back and forth. But this water tastes better. Amazing. This is rice grown in spring water. You're now rinsing it with spring water. We don't pay anything for water.
Nothing? That's great. Rice grown in the subterranean water of Mount Aso has a sweeter taste. -So you cut it in thin strips like that? -Yeah. Cool.
Do you cook this often? Yes, I do. We often have people over to have drinks. -Okay. -We always have about 10 guests. -Really? People in the neighbourhood? -Yes. She is cooking her speciality dishes for parties for Ms Yashiro.
Thank you very much. Here are the potatoes. Wow, that looks great. Here comes the cheese.
This will be incredible! Impressive. You have a platter like this because you often have people over. Potato and bacon stir-fry, which she always makes when she has people over. Their friends love this because it's a good dish to drink with. You're putting perilla leaves.
(Homegrown perilla leaves) What's this? This is leftover food from yesterday. Is it a simmered dish? Yes. I simmered locally produced chicken, potatoes, konyaku, shiitake mushrooms, burdock roots, and carrots.
Is that soy sauce? Nekobudashi? It's a seasoning made with Hidaka kelp from Hokkaido. She orders for them to be shipped to her. She uses the simmered dish, which is what they had for dinner yesterday, and adds Nekobudashi, soy sauce, and tofu to turn it into a soup. (Sumashijiru) She does this often to make sure they eat all the vegetables that they had grown. What is this, ma'am? Pickled vegetables. -Pickled vegetables. -Cucumber and seaweed.
It looks great. -Did you prepare it yesterday? -Yes. I see.
(Pickled cucumbers and seaweed) What is this, ma'am? This tastes very good. -Seasoned steamed rice. -Seasoned steamed rice. A guest brought it yesterday. This was from a neighbour who came over the day before.
She and her neighbours often give each other food. It's cooked. It looks pretty! It's glowing. It smells great. All white.
It will be very good. Okay. It's finished. Finished! Yes! She prepared 10 different dishes. They usually have many dishes because they like to drink at night. (Mr and Mrs Fujimoto's dinner) Bamboo shoots simmered in miso, which they got from a neighbour.
Salad with cucumber and cabbage harvested from their own garden. She even prepared a locally harvested melon. Thank you very much! (Home Run Melon) Sir! Where did he go? -Where is he? -He was here earlier. Sir? His car is here, so he probably went out to have a drink.
-He went out? -Yes. -Really? -Yes. Rice farmer's dinner made with great water. Where did my husband go? Where is he? His car is here, so he probably went out to have a drink. -He went out? -Yes.
-Really? -Yes. Does it often happen? Him leaving while you're cooking dinner? Yeah, it does. It often happens. Let's start without him. Really? Should we eat? Sorry, sir, they'll go ahead and eat without you.
-Please start. -I'll try the soup. This used to be a simmered dish. -It's good. -It's good? It has a good flavour.
I'll try it, too. You're right, it has a great flavour. Very good.
-What is this? -Stir-fried takana (pickled mustard green). That looks good. -Put this on white rice. -Okay. Try it. Did you make it yourself? Thank you.
-Did you make it yourself? -Yes. Stir-fried takana? This rice was cooked with spring water. I'll eat it with stir-fried takana. The stir-fried takana has a very sweet flavour. The rice is very chewy. -It's incredible! -It's good, isn't it? I'll try this one now.
-I'll eat it with bacon. -I didn't put a lot of salt. It's unique that you added perilla leaves in it. It's good! The potatoes are very soft. Very good.
Yes? -He's here. -Sir! Welcome back, sir! (He's home!) I wanted to eat dinner with you. I had an errand to run. -Where did you go? -I went to see a friend. That's good.
-I had a drink. -You had a drink? -Let's eat. -Yeah. I'm glad you're back, sir. -Is it good? -Yeah, it's good. You shouldn't be so quiet.
-Right? -You need to tell them how the food is. -She's yelling at you, sir. -Yeah. -Eat! -Thank you. You changed the subject. I haven't had enough to drink. -Sweet potato shochu. -Sweet potato shochu.
Okay. Wait, wow. This looks great. Where did you get it? We had them specifically made for our wedding anniversary. Really? Back in 2014? My name is Kazuyuki.
It says "Only for Kazuyuki". Your wife has one, too. It says "Only for Fumiko".
That's great. -Is this good? -A bit more. -That's good. -Okay. -Here you go. -Nice work today.
Nice work. Thank you and sorry for the sudden visit. Do you drink a lot? -I love to drink. -Do you? I'm sure this area was heavily affected by the earthquake.
-When it happened... -Our house was partially destroyed. What? Our fridge fell down. Really? This fridge? Do you see the dents? Yeah, I see them. We had a shelf here, but it was destroyed. Is that so? All of our rice bowls fell out.
It must've been a lot of work to clean up. -Yes, it was. -Everything was a mess. -Everyone helped each other to clean up. -That's right. The whole village was badly damaged during the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. (Mrs Fumiko) To get back to their daily life, neighbours helped each other, and cleaned up household goods that were scattered everywhere. The bond between the neighbours has always been there.
We see each other on a regular basis, and I can communicate with them well. You're right. It's one of the good things about living in the countryside. Thank you very much. I'm leaving now. Goodbye.
Thank you. We're going to Aso-Uchinomaki Onsen, 40 minutes away from Shirakawa Suigen by car. There's a store near here with a Kumamoto speciality. I heard it's a very popular store where people line up to eat their product. A popular store in a hot spring town? It's here. I see people lining up.
I wonder what kind of store this is. It says that it's a restaurant. I wonder what people come here for.
(Opens at 11:00 am) It looks like a regular restaurant, but what's so popular about it? People are taking selfies. We get permission to film and go inside. They just opened the restaurant and it's already full. I wonder what everyone is eating. Excuse me, I'm filming a show called "It's Lunchtime" on TV Tokyo.
What are you eating? -What is that? -It's champon (noodle soup). Champon. The restaurant was originally famous for its champon. -Is that so? -Yeah. I've wanted to try it. It's good.
-Let's eat. -Go ahead. At this table, people are sharing champon. Apparently, the restaurant is famous for its champon. Welcome! Satoshi.
Is he the manager? Sorry, but can I take a look at your kitchen? (Manager, Satoshi Imamura, 44 years old) Sure. Let's see how they cook their champon. They use 11 ingredients including Chinese cabbage, cabbage, shrimp, and clams. To keep the texture of the vegetables, they quickly fry them over high heat. -What is this? -Soup stock. What makes their champon popular is the restaurant's original Japanese broth.
Though champon is commonly served with pork bone soup, their soup is made with kelp and dried small sardine. It has a nice seafood smell. (Champon 780 yen) Recently, however, there's another dish that is even more popular than champon. -Hello. -Hello. What's this? What are you eating? -This is Aka beef bowl. -Aka beef bowl.
-Is that what everyone is having? -Yes. Where did you all come from? We came from Fukuoka. -From Fukuoka? -Yes. -We came specifically for this. -To eat Aka beef bowl?
-Yes. -I see. Aka beef bowl is the restaurant's most popular dish. -It looks great. -That looks good.
It's good. It's good. What are you eating? -Aka beef bowl. -Aka beef bowl. -So good. -It's really good. Very good.
I knew this would be good. What is Aka beef? Aka Beef is Japanese beef originated in Kumamoto in the Taisho period. They're known for its lean and tender meat. They use 120 grams of red thigh meat for the rice bowl. The sauce is soy sauce-based, and simmered with five kinds of vegetables including onion and radish.
They then let the sauce rest for one month. The rice is Tsuyahime, grown in the spring water of Aso. They mill the rice in the restaurant every day.
The rice is topped with radish and mizuna. Once Aka beef is placed on top of the rice, it's done. Actually, it's not finished yet. When we cut meat like this, we get some scrap meat. I chop these scraps and make meat miso with them. I see.
Leftover scraps are finely chopped and simmered with barley miso and sugar. This brings the perfect accent to Aka beef bowl. At the end, they pour sauce used to cook the meat.
At times, they serve up to 600 meals a day. (Aka beef bowl, 1,740 yen) Thank you for it. (Meat-lover, Assistant Director Hosokawa, 21 years old) It looks great. I'll try the egg. It looks good. Thank you for it.
It's so tender! The meat has less fat. It has a light taste. The sauce is rich. They go well with the rice. It's time to ask that question.
I'd like to ask you something. Please show me your meal. Sure.
Do you eat lunch at work? Yes, we take turns and eat lunch past 1 pm. You take turns? He agreed to show us his meal. Founded in 1910, Imakin Shokudo is now famous for their Aka beef bowl. It's 2 pm and there are less customers now. Where are you going? What is this building? This is our second kitchen.
-Kitchen? -This is where we make our sauce. I see. Thank you.
What's in the back? In the back... Okay. Is this your mother? -Yes. -I cook lunch. I've been cooking lunch for many years now. (Mother, Sawako Imamura, 77 years old) Yes. -You're in charge of meals for employees. -Yes.
What is this? -It's potatoes. -Potatoes. Potatoes with spicy cod roe. -Do you often cook this? -Yes, everyone loves it. -Do you cook their lunch all by yourself? -That's right. There are many employees, right? Normally, there are about 14 workers.
On weekends, I cook for 20 people. First, she stir-fries ginger and garlic in sesame oil. I'm adding Aka beef. This is Aka beef. I use scraps of Aka beef meat.
I use good parts and chop them finely. She then adds seasonings such as soy sauce, miso, and chicken broth. What kind of Aka beef dish is she making? What are these? They're aubergines from Kumamoto. Aubergines from Kumamoto.
Here are slender aubergines, a speciality of Kumamoto. They're about 40 centimetres long. -They're deep-fried. -Deep-fried aubergines? You're adding all that? This type of aubergine has soft flesh which helps the flavour to soak in when stir-fried. I'm adding bitter gourd instead of green onion.
-Bitter gourd instead of green onion? -Yes. Here's yellow zucchini. -Yellow zucchini? -Yes. It's a meal for employees, so I want them to eat as much vegetables as they can.
Aubergine cooked with spicy chilli, local summer vegetables and Aka beef. For the employees' health, she tends to cook dishes made with a lot of vegetables. I'll serve in a specific order. Just like that.
So it'll be all equal. Now, I'll work on the soup. Soup? This? What kind of soup is this? A soup with lots of ingredients, including bamboo shoots, chicken, carrots, and tofu.
It uses the same soup stock as champon, made with kelp and dried small sardine. Employees find a space in the kitchen to eat lunch. (Imakin Shokudo, Imamura family's lunch) Tomomi, the wife of the fourth generation owner, will also eat. (Wife, Tomomi, 44 years old) Thank you for it. Thank you for it.
Here. It's good. Aka beef...
It's very good. Do you usually eat Aka beef for lunch? -Yes, we do. -I sometimes make curry with it. We often eat the scraps of Aka beef from the restaurant.
We eat it more than other types of beef or pork. Aubergine cooked with chilli sauce goes very well with rice. -It's good with rice? -Yes. Have you always served Aka beef at your restaurant? -No, since 15 years ago. -When he took over the restaurant.
-Did you come up with the dish? -Yes. Was there a specific reason behind that? In the Heisei period, towns and villages started to get merged together. Our town hall and agricultural cooperative all moved to the neighbouring town. Our restaurant was popular with the locals. But I thought we needed to change, and came up with a dish that was more targeted to tourists. Imakin Shokudo started as a restaurant for local workers.
Due to a merger of municipalities in 2005, the town hall moved, which halved their sales. To keep the restaurant with almost 100-year of history going, the fourth generation owner, Satoshi, targeted the tourists and decided to serve a hearty meal made with Aso's speciality, so he came up with Aka beef bowl. Where do you want to go from here? I am a part of the history of this restaurant. I have four sons, so I hope to pass down the tradition to my kids as much as I can.
The restaurant is 100 years old. We want it to continue for another 100 years. For it to be 200 years old. That's what my late husband wanted. Aso is full of charms. Why don't you also visit Aso this summer? Subtitles: Iyuno-SDI Group
2021-11-28 12:18
