Interview with Tanaka, Area Manager of Kurashiki Udon Bukkake-an Furuichi
We spoke with Tanaka, the area manager, about the products and his feelings about the restaurant.
Please tell us about the restaurant's history.
Tanaka (honorific omitted)
Furuichi was founded in 1948. Its founder, Chairman Furuichi Hiroshi, reportedly started out selling ice pops door to door, unlike the business today.
The history of Furuichi began with selling ice pops for 5 yen each.
Furuichi Hiroshi was adopted into the Furuichi family, but his birth family reportedly ran a business in Mabi milling wheat and making dried noodles.
Since his birth family handled wheat and could procure it, the next step was to start baking manju.
Those manju are said to have become a huge hit in the 1970s. It wasn't just Furuichi; apparently, they were popular throughout Japan.
After that, the business moved on to ramen and okonomiyaki, before beginning to serve udon.
One day, founder Furuichi Hiroshi was playing mahjong with current chairman Furuichi Ryoichi and told him to make some udon.
To make it easier to keep playing mahjong, Chairman Ryoichi put the udon in a bowl, placed the toppings on top, poured sauce over it, and brought it over.
After tasting it, Furuichi Hiroshi reportedly said, “Let's make this a product.”
That was apparently the moment “bukkake” was born.
How did “Kurashiki Udon Bukkake-an Furuichi” come to open?
Tanaka
It opened on November 20, 2023.
Until now, Furuichi has mainly served everyday food closely tied to people's daily lives.
However, “Kurashiki Udon Bukkake-an Furuichi” operates in the Bikan Historical Area, so it is geared toward tourists. We want people to enjoy delicious udon in a pleasant atmosphere and get a feel for Kurashiki.
The interior has a renovated traditional house style, but is designed to evoke a sense of nostalgia, even for first-time visitors.
We hope that dining at “Kurashiki Udon Bukkake-an Furuichi” will become one of your travel memories.
We also serve our udon in Bizen ware because we want it to leave a stronger impression on our customers.
We want people to enjoy the food, including the tableware, and get a feel for Kurashiki and Okayama.
What menu items do you recommend?
Tanaka
Personally, I recommend the “Wagyu Shabu-Shabu Bukkake.”
For this dish, customers shabu-shabu the meat themselves to finish the meat bukkake udon.
It's a dish that includes the fun of making it yourself.
We think wagyu is especially valuable to people visiting Japan from overseas.
Alongside sushi, soba, and tempura, which represent Japanese food culture, wagyu is also very important. We went through a lot of trial and error to arrive at this dish.
Normally, meat bukkake is made by simmering the meat together with the sauce. But the meat was so high-quality that the flavors didn't harmonize well that way.
What we settled on was shabu-shabu.
Shabu-shabu removes just the right amount of fat, making the meat delicious when added to the udon. It also lets you fully appreciate the tenderness of the wagyu.
In the end, serving it as shabu-shabu turned out to be the tastiest approach.
Is there anything you'd like to try in the future?
Tanaka
We'd like more people to learn about Kurashiki Udon Bukkake-an Furuichi.
If customers visit, the restaurant, food, and atmosphere will surely make for a wonderful Kurashiki memory. That's why I'm working hard to study marketing now.
On my days off, I often eat noodles, including ramen as well as udon.
From the Writer
“Kurashiki Udon Bukkake-an Furuichi” opened on November 20, 2023.
If the traditional Furuichi restaurants are part of everyday life, Bukkake-an Furuichi is an escape from the everyday. Its traditional-house-style interior and dishes served in Bizen ware will, I think, become unforgettable memories of Kurashiki.
Whether you're a udon lover or visiting Kurashiki, stop by if you get the chance.
Kurashiki Udon Bukkake-an Furuichi Information
| Name | Kurashiki Udon Bukkake-an Furuichi |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-1-16 Chuo, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-435-3900 |
| Parking | None Municipal parking available nearby |
| Hours | Hours: 11:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Irregular holidays |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 26 seats on the first floor, 48 seats on the second floor |
| Smoking | Non-smoking (smoking permitted only in designated areas) |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | Kurashiki Udon Bukkake-an Furuichi |
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