Japan is awash with a wide variety of noodle dishes.
Even ramen alone comes in so many varieties, with each shop using different soups, toppings, and noodles, giving you a sense of just how deep the world of noodle dishes is.
The people who run these shops serve up dishes that are unique to their establishments.
For the people making them, how they divide their efforts between preparing the soup and making the noodles can greatly affect work efficiency.
One company supporting the world of noodle dishes is Fujimenzu Kobo, based in Okayama City.
In June 2023, Fujimenzu Kobo, which has been in the noodle-making business for 76 years, launched two new products: Junimen-tai and Hatayarin.
I attended the new product launch and the inauguration ceremony for the company’s third-generation president.
The information presented here is as of the article’s publication in May 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Fujimenzu Kobo
Fujimenzu Kobo was founded in 1947.
The founder was the grandfather of the company’s third-generation president.
In the postwar years, when food was scarce, he apparently wanted to “give the people in the neighborhood something warm and delicious to eat.”
A turning point came when a fellow soldier returned from China.
After learning how to make Chinese noodles from his fellow soldier, the founder began serving ramen.
The Chinese noodles soon became popular, and the company began manufacturing and wholesaling fresh Chinese noodles.
Today, the company makes pasta and soba as well as Chinese noodles.
Fujimenzu Kobo’s specialty is making and wholesaling custom-made noodles.
Making the noodles a shop wants must take time and money, and it takes strong passion and commitment.
I’ll tell you more about that passion and commitment later.
Retailers in Kurashiki City
Fujimenzu Kobo supplies many businesses, not only in Okayama Prefecture but also outside the prefecture.
Let me introduce two of its clients in Kurashiki City.
One is Kurashiki Kama to Minami Italia Ryori Hashimaya, located in Higashimachi in the Bikan Historical Area.
Housed in a renovated traditional home, it serves Southern Italian cuisine made with seafood and vegetables from Okayama Prefecture.
Italian food brings one thing to mind… That’s right, it uses pasta made by Fujimenzu Kobo.
The other is Okonomiyaki Gama.
This okonomiyaki restaurant in Kazuyama, Kurashiki City, also has a wide selection of à la carte dishes.
At Okonomiyaki Gama, you can enjoy Fujimenzu Kobo noodles as yakisoba or as the soba topping in okonomiyaki.
Third-Generation President Inauguration Ceremony
After many years in the noodle-making business, Fujimenzu Kobo changed its executives in April 2022.
Second-generation president Hata Shinji became chairman, and Hata Yuya became the third-generation president.
On May 14, 2023, a press conference to announce the appointments of the chairman and president was held, along with a tasting event for the new products.
Chairman Hata Shinji
Hata Shinji joined Fuji Men Industry Co., Ltd. in 1975 and became its second-generation president in 1984.
After serving as president for about 40 years, he apparently decided to hand over the reins to the third-generation president, who also makes pasta and other products with fresh ideas.
President Hata Yuya
Hata Yuya spent his university years in Tokyo.
His love of ramen led him to explore different restaurants, and he says those experiences became the foundation for what he does today.
After graduating from university, he returned to his hometown and joined Fujimenzu Kobo.
At the time, the company handled only about five types of noodles.
As he worked there, he developed a variety of noodles out of “a desire to meet customers’ needs.”
Today, the range has grown to about 100 types.
He also began making pasta noodles because he wanted to “make the pasta I want to eat.”
“Our mission is to bring the kind of ‘deliciousness’ that sparks conversation and stays in people’s memories to restaurants and homes,” says Hata Yuya.
His motto is fueki ryuko (meaning: valuing what remains essentially unchanged while also embracing new changes).
Rather than chasing trends, he approaches his work each day in pursuit of the essence of delicious food.
Tasting Event
At the tasting event, we sampled dishes made with the new noodles by three chefs.
The new product is a hybrid noodle combining Chinese noodles and pasta.
It’s a feat made possible by Fujimenzu Kobo’s experience making all kinds of noodles.
Three freshly prepared dishes were brought out one after another from the kitchen at the venue.
Junimen-tai
Hiroshi Ono, founder of Mensake Isshoan, works with Junimen-tai.
It is a hybrid Chinese noodle developed during the creation of Fujimenzu Kobo’s pasta brand, Hata Fresca.
Its defining feature is its cross-shaped cross-section, designed to express irregularity.
They arrived at this shape to create a random mix of chewy and soft textures.
When I slurped the Junimen-tai, I was a little confused by these noodles unlike anything I’d ever eaten before.
Their chewy texture felt closer to pasta than Chinese noodles.
The idea of making the soup cling well to the noodles and dance around in your mouth is more characteristic of Chinese noodles.
As I ate what felt like pasta and ramen at the same time, the simple soup, rich with clam broth, seemed to tell me, “This is ramen.”
To create an uneven texture, Junimen-tai is made with a mixture of floury sections and sections with a high water content.
They say the noodles are made so that their irregularity will linger somewhere in your memory as “somehow delicious,” and come back to you later.
Far more than “somehow delicious,” these noodles were a new sensation I’d never encountered before, and one that left a strong impression on my memory.
Hatayarin
The other new product, Hatayarin, is featured by Fumio Yonezawa, of NoCode Inc., which has a restaurant in Tokyo.
These thin, 1.66 mm fresh pasta noodles are made with egg yolks from Awa Sodachi chickens raised in Tokushima and Kitahonami wheat flour from Hokkaido.
Using Chinese noodle-making techniques, they achieve the firm bite and texture favored by Japanese people, rather than a soft texture.
A dish that looked like pasta was brought to the table.
The sauce uses Middle Eastern-style spices, giving it an exotic aroma.
I took a bite, and once again, my mind was thrown into confusion.
It lacks a chewy texture, and its clean bite makes it seem more like pasta leaning toward Chinese noodles.
It also has the feel of mixed noodles, so the Middle Eastern-style spices were a perfect match.
Maltagliati
We also sampled a dish made with maltagliati, a pasta made from the same ingredients as Hatayarin.
Maltagliati is made from sheets of dough, then deliberately cut into irregular shapes.
The dish was prepared by Yoshiyuki Okuno of Signal Inc., which has a restaurant in Tokyo.
A pasta dish tossed with basil sauce from the Liguria region of western Italy was brought to the table.
The flat noodles are more elastic than Hatayarin, but they too lack a chewy texture.
Their smooth mouthfeel is unlike Hatayarin's, making it hard to believe they are made from the same ingredients.
I felt the depth of the world of noodles.
Chefs’ thoughts on Fuji Mens Factory
After the tasting, Hata Yuya and three chefs held a cross-talk session.
All three serve dishes made with noodles from Fuji Mens Factory at their own restaurants.
We were able to hear why they choose Fuji Mens Factory’s noodles from among the many noodle manufacturers.
Ohno (honorifics omitted)
We have been using noodles from Fuji Mens Factory since it was founded in 2018.
What I like is their versatility—they go well with any kind of soup.
When I tasted the Twelve Noodle Forms, my reaction was “???”—in a good way.
There was no word to describe their texture, shape, or the way they danced in my mouth.
“A new, fascinating noodle!” It struck me directly in the heart.
They are high-hydration noodles with a clean flavor, so I thought they would pair well with a light clam broth, and served them with clam broth at the tasting.
Okuno (honorifics omitted)
I’m an Italian chef, and I’ve cooked in Italy as well.
In Italy, making pasta in-house is considered important.
Based on my experience there, I initially thought outsourcing noodles to make pasta was improper; I felt I had to knead and make them myself.
I met the people at Fuji Mens Factory at an event.
They let me try their noodles.
In Italy, when a mamma makes pasta, she cuts it by hand, so the pieces are uneven and irregular.
There’s a deliciousness that comes from that unevenness.
When I tried the noodles from Fuji Mens Factory, which values irregularity in noodle-making, I thought, “This works! It’s delicious!”
As I sampled them, I wanted to use them myself.
What I value most is connections and encounters, and meeting them at the event was what started it all.
Also, they’re flexible when I ask for adjustments down to the millimeter or say I want to use rice flour.
They fulfill my requests every time.
Tearing maltagliati by hand helps it cling to the sauce even better.
There aren’t many noodle makers willing to change how they handle the noodles.
They’re also willing to take on all kinds of challenges.
That makes me want to work with them again next time.
Yonezawa (honorific omitted)
Like Okuno, I was thinking I might make my own pasta noodles.
But it takes time, and while I was wondering what to do, Okuno introduced me to Fuji Mens Factory.
Many of my customers work in the same industry, and they often ask, “Where do you get your pasta?”
Then they ask me to introduce them.
I’ve connected customers with Fuji Mens Factory several times.
There’s a view that handmade noodles are the best, but from a business perspective, you also have to consider the time and effort involved.
Fuji Mens Factory ensures quality, so I can feel confident using their products.
The main reasons I do business with Fuji Mens Factory are our connection, their character, and the quality.
Hata asks, “How were the noodles?” and responds to our requests.
They accommodate my small restaurant, too.
From the Writer
After hearing from chefs who actually use noodles from Fuji Mens Factory, I was deeply impressed by how they flexibly meet requests regardless of the size of the establishment.
It takes a strong passion and commitment to do this for their customers and for the “delicious” experience of the people who eat their food.
I realized that this thoughtful, attentive service may be why the business has continued for three generations.
The hybrid noodles we tasted at the tasting event were unlike anything we’d had before, with a surprising new texture.
Junimen-tai and Hatayarin went on sale online on June 1, making them available to the general public, not just restaurants.
Fuji Mens Factory continues to create new kinds of noodles.
We’ll be keeping an eye on what they do next.
Fuji Mens Factory Information
| Organization | Fuji Mens Factory |
|---|---|
| Industry | Noodle manufacturing |
| Representative | Hata Yuya |
| Established | February 1947 |
| Address | 1-41 Shimoi Fukuhonmachi, Kita Ward, Okayama City |
| Contact | 086-254-4448 |
| Website | Fuji Mens Factory Co., Ltd. |
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