Interview with Shingo Kanemitsu, Representative of Aidoen
Aidoen is a long-established restaurant that also actively suggests new ways to enjoy its food.
We interviewed Aidoen representative Shingo Kanemitsu.
This article presents the interview conducted during our first visit in September 2019.
Aidoen was founded in the 1950s and is now run by the third generation
Aidoen is a long-established restaurant. When was it founded?
Kanemitsu
Aidoen was founded in 1955.
It was started by my maternal grandparents.
In 1985, we also opened a kushikatsu restaurant.
My parents took over after that, and I am the third generation.
We renovated the restaurant in 2017, at which point we stopped serving kushikatsu and focused exclusively on yakiniku.
He initially had no intention of taking over the yakiniku restaurant and pursued Italian and French cuisine instead
Was there something that made you decide to take over the restaurant?
Kanemitsu
I was originally from Kyoto.
When my parents decided to take over Aidoen, I came to Kurashiki with them.
But I had no intention of taking over a yakiniku restaurant.
I was interested in cooking and wanted to pursue a career in food, but I didn't like yakiniku (laughs).
So I decided to pursue Italian or French cuisine, and after graduating from school, I started working at a restaurant in Okayama.
However, my grandmother became too old to work, so I started helping out at the restaurant.
That was around 2007.
Around that time, friends my age were opening their own businesses, and I also met people who already owned restaurants and were working hard.
Seeing them inspired me to put my own effort into the restaurant.
After that, I gradually started to enjoy it. Now I'm the third generation.
The appeal of yakiniku restaurants is the connections that form between customers. That hasn't changed after the renovation
After you started working at a yakiniku restaurant, what did you find appealing about yakiniku?
Kanemitsu
I think the appeal of yakiniku is that it creates a space where “communication and connections naturally develop between customers.”
Aidoen's old premises were the very picture of a “Showa-era yakiniku restaurant,” with smoke billowing through the air.
The interior was also cramped and cluttered, with customers' shoulders bumping against those of the people next to them.
But that's exactly why customers could become friends.
It was a fun place where conversation flowed as people grilled meat.
However, times have changed, and we need to attract new customers as well as our longtime regulars.
So we first renovated the second floor in 2013, then the first floor in 2017, giving the restaurant its current look.
It has become a stylish place where young people and women feel comfortable visiting.
But even after the renovation, our concept of “a space where communication and connections naturally develop between customers” has not changed.
Bars and similar places are also where customers connect with one another.
So we adopted the concept of a “meat bar”—a yakiniku restaurant where customers connect with one another, like they do at a bar.
The appeal of Manyo Beef is that you can see who raises it
Aidoen promotes Manyo Beef. Could you tell us what makes it appealing and how you first learned about it?
Kanemitsu
After the renovation, a Manyo Beef sales representative came by, and his passion really came through. That made me think I might give it a try.
He worked for Hanafusa, a meat wholesaler in Tottori Prefecture, and his enthusiasm came through from my very first impression of him.
It's no exaggeration to say that if I hadn't met him, I wouldn't have discovered Manyo Beef.
Actually, unlike with vegetables and fruit, it's hard to know who produced beef.
But Manyo Beef has strong ties to its producers, so you know who raised it.
That gives me a sense of security and trust in Manyo Beef.
Customers must feel more reassured that way, too.
Manyo Beef is especially excellent in its round cuts.
It has beautiful, fine marbling, and when you eat it, it melts in your mouth and leaves a rich umami flavor.
The fat isn't greasy; it adds umami, which makes it delicious.
As of 2019, only two restaurants in Okayama Prefecture, including Aidoen, were certified Manyo Beef retailers.
By the way, we mainly serve Manyo Beef from Takuya Taniguchi.
I personally visited Mr. Taniguchi's cattle farm in Tottori, toured it, and spoke with him.
I was captivated by the principles and passion he shared with me about raising cattle.
He wants to offer new dishes and ways of eating that customers can enjoy
Are there any particular approaches or principles you follow in running the restaurant?
Kanemitsu
I think about dishes and ways of eating that customers can enjoy.
Right now, our theme is “meat and vegetables.”
For example, we've come up with ways to pair Manyo Beef's shin-shin cut with thick Tottori-grown shiitake mushrooms, or to eat meat with grilled eggplant tucked inside.
Another thing we pay attention to is explaining things clearly to our customers.
Yakiniku is finished by the customers themselves at the table.
So we carefully explain how to grill and eat our original yakiniku dishes and menu items.
We also focus on training so that the other staff can explain them, too.
Before working at a yakiniku restaurant, I worked at a restaurant, and I want to draw on that experience to keep proposing new ways to eat meat, while staying within the bounds of yakiniku.
Connections between local businesses can help revitalize the community
Aidoen is a long-established restaurant. How is it involved with the local community in Kurashiki?
Kanemitsu
I take part in Harenomino Kurashiki because I wanted to help revitalize the community.
What I like about Harenomino Kurashiki is that it gives customers a reason to visit places they've never been to before, or places they've been curious about but found hard to visit.
I also think it's great that it strengthens connections between local businesses.
Customers sometimes ask me, “I'd like to go somewhere after this. Do you have any recommendations?”
When businesses have connections with one another, we can recommend places and explain why they're worth visiting.
How did the “July 2018 Heavy Rains” affect you?
Kanemitsu
The restaurant was fine.
At my home in the suburbs, a drainage channel temporarily overflowed and became dangerous, but fortunately nothing happened.
During the 2018 heavy rains, a nearby elementary school served as an evacuation shelter, and we went there to help prepare meals.
Mabi was hit by the heavy rains, so together with a friend from Mabi, I asked nearby businesses to help sell “charity curry” at Aidoen.
The money raised was used to fund Mabi's fireworks festival.
Looking ahead, he hopes to train young staff and explore a new kind of meat restaurant
Finally, could you tell us about your future plans and anything you'd like to try?
Kanemitsu
First, I'd like to train young staff.
I'd also like to open a creative meat-cuisine restaurant separate from this one.
It would be a small place with just a counter.
To make that possible, I want to train a young staff member to take charge of running this restaurant.
I initially didn't like the idea of a yakiniku restaurant, but now I want to keep trying all kinds of yakiniku dishes.
From the Writer
Aidoen is one of Kurashiki's oldest yakiniku restaurants, yet it actively explores new ways to enjoy its food.
It has renovated its interior into a stylish, modern space while preserving its longstanding concept of “a space where customers connect with one another.”
I found it to be an appealing restaurant where old traditions and fresh ideas coexist.
Manyo Beef, which drew Aidoen's interest, is also a reassuring and trustworthy meat whose producers are clearly identifiable.
When you eat Manyo Beef, its melt-in-your-mouth flavor releases a gentle sweetness and umami that envelop you.
Visit Aidoen to enjoy Manyo Beef and spend a blissful time.
Aidoen Information
| Name | Aidoen |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-3-26 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-3115 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | 5:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. (Last order at 9:30 p.m.) |
| Closed | Mondays Third Tuesday of each month Open if Monday is a public holiday; closed the following Tuesday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted Call to make a reservation between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. (We may not be able to answer the phone after 5:00 p.m.) |
| Seating | 90 seats total [First floor] ・Counter: 6 seats ・Tables: 31 seats [Second floor] ・Tables: 49 seats (4 additional seats can be added with extra chairs) |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restrooms | Western-style toilet |
| Families with children | Strollers allowed Children's chairs, tableware, and small plates available |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair access on the first floor only |
| Website | Kurashiki Aidoen [Official Website] Delicious yakiniku restaurant |
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