Interview with Manager Okada of Kurashiki Udon Bukkake Furuichi Nakamise
Furuichi’s Bukkake udon is a taste close to the hearts of Kurashiki residents.
It has also attracted attention from tourists and others from outside the city and Okayama Prefecture.
We interviewed Masakazu Okada, manager of Kurashiki Udon Bukkake Furuichi Nakamise.
This article presents information from the initial interview conducted in August 2019.
Furuichi’s origins lie in a flour mill in what is now Mabi
Furuichi is a familiar name to people who live in Kurashiki. Does it have a long history?
Okada
Furuichi’s origins go back more than 100 years.
Its roots are in Nima Village, Kibi District (the Nima area of what is now Mabi, Kurashiki City).
It began with the establishment of a flour-milling business in Nima.
The present-day Furuichi was founded by its first president, Hiroshi Furuichi.
The present-day Furuichi began with postwar ice-pop peddling
When did Furuichi open a shop at its current location?
Okada
After the war, in the early 1950s.
Hiroshi started peddling ice pops by bicycle, and that was the beginning of Furuichi as a shop.
But ice pops are a summer treat.
He wondered what to sell in winter, and came up with fuman (sweet buns).
He opened a fuman shop at the site of the current Furuichi main store.
At the time, the business operated under the name “Furuichi Shoten.”
The fuman became very popular, and the name “Furuichi” quickly became known throughout the area.
So you were selling fuman at the same location as today even back then!
Okada
Actually, the main store back then was much larger than it is now.
But we gave up some of the land when the old National Route 2 (National Route 429) was widened, so the store became what you see today.
The story behind the birth of Kurashiki’s famous Bukkake udon
When did you start serving udon?
Okada
We started serving udon around the mid-1960s.
We stopped selling ice pops once the fuman business was doing well.
So sales would drop in the summer.
We wanted to sell something that was easy to eat even in summer, so we started serving udon around the mid-1960s.
Around that time, Senichi Hoshino, who was from Kurashiki, often came to Furuichi to eat udon, too.
We also used to sell okonomiyaki.
There’s an okonomiyaki shop called Furuichi very close to Nakamise; it was once spun off from Furuichi.
Did you start serving your signature “Bukkake udon” around then, too?
Okada
We didn’t have Bukkake udon when we first started serving udon.
We introduced Bukkake udon in the late 1960s.
Back then, Hiroshi enjoyed playing mahjong after work.
He would eat udon while playing.
He especially liked zaru udon, and would have his son, Ryoichi Furuichi, who was still young at the time and is now the company president, make it for him.
But eating zaru udon while playing mahjong was a hassle.
So Hiroshi told Ryoichi to pour the dipping sauce and toppings for zaru udon over the noodles before serving them.
While eating this udon, Hiroshi thought, “Why not put this on the menu?”
The very next day, he put it on the menu as “Bukkake udon”.
That was the moment Bukkake udon was born.
After that, it was gradually refined into the Bukkake udon we have today.
So Bukkake udon came from a little idea in everyday life.
Okada
But at first, we only sold about five bowls a day.
Bukkake udon became popular when Ryoichi was in high school.
At the time, he was passionate about weightlifting and music, and had a wide circle of friends.
As a result, many of Ryoichi’s high school friends started coming to Furuichi.
Before long, word spread among high school students that “Furuichi’s Bukkake udon is delicious”.
That sparked the popularity of Furuichi’s Bukkake udon, and people of all ages from across Kurashiki began coming to eat it.
Care is taken in selecting ingredients so the flavors of the dashi ingredients come through clearly
What makes your Bukkake udon special?
Okada
For our dashi, we want to serve something that lets you really taste the ingredients.
That’s why we use high-quality ingredients that we select with care.
At Furuichi, we source our dashi ingredients from a long-established shop in Kyoto.
Historically, all kinds of goods from across Japan have gathered in Kyoto.
That shop’s strength is that it can provide all sorts of excellent ingredients.
We carefully select and use bonito, Rishiri kelp, shiitake mushrooms, and more.
By the way, we also put a lot of care into our udon served in broth, so I recommend trying it.
First, enjoy the different kinds of Bukkake udon. Once you feel you’ve tried them all, I hope you’ll try udon in broth as an “advanced course.”
Sanuki udon often uses iriko dashi, so it’s interesting to try ours and compare the difference.
What about the noodles?
Okada
If you want udon noodles with strength and a firm bite, domestic wheat is a good choice.
But the noodles that go best with Furuichi’s Bukkake udon are supple and springy.
For Furuichi’s udon noodles, we mainly use Australian wheat.
Australian wheat goes best with the sauce for Bukkake udon.
Nakamise deliberately retains its old-fashioned atmosphere as the “holy ground of Bukkake udon”
Does Nakamise have any features that set it apart from Furuichi’s other shops?
Okada
Nakamise is known for retaining its old-fashioned atmosphere.
We originally served udon at the main store, too, but shortly before the old National Route 2 was widened, we separated it into a specialty udon shop at the current location.
The building has remained as it was back then.
That’s why udon fans across Japan cherish Nakamise as the “holy ground of Bukkake udon.”
Because it has retained its old style, it’s the only shop where you receive full table service and pay after your meal.
Furuichi’s other shops are generally self-service.
The menu is also a little different from those at the other branches, and Nakamise has some items unique to this shop.
As the birthplace of Bukkake udon, we want to preserve the old atmosphere as much as possible.
However, one drawback is that it’s difficult to accommodate people who need barrier-free access or those with small children.
If you need barrier-free access or have small children, there are Furuichi shops in the suburbs of the city, and we recommend visiting one of those.
Mabi is the home of Furuichi’s roots, so it actively helped during the 2018 heavy rains
I heard that Furuichi’s first president was from what is now Mabi. Mabi suffered extensive damage in the July 2018 heavy rains. How did you feel about that?
Okada
Mabi is where Furuichi’s roots are, but more than that, the disaster happened in a nearby area, and we strongly wanted to do whatever we could to help.
Three days after the disaster, Furuichi decided to provide udon to the affected areas.
In fact, after the Great East Japan Earthquake, we had formed a volunteer team with local volunteers, including Furuichi, to work alongside the government.
The volunteer team also responded to the disaster in Mabi.
We made udon at Furuichi Nakamise, and the volunteer team transported and distributed it at the site.
We continued providing udon until September, when temporary housing and other facilities had been set up.
We provided about 7,000 meals in total.
The appeal of Furuichi’s udon is that it is delicious enough to eat every day
From your perspective as manager, what are Furuichi’s strengths and appeal?
Okada
I think what’s good about Furuichi is that it’s “delicious enough to eat every day.”
I’ve tried udon at all kinds of other shops.
Some are incredibly delicious.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean I’d want to eat them every day.
But I think Furuichi’s udon is something you can eat every day, and it’s delicious every day.
Since I work at Furuichi, I eat udon every day I’m on shift.
And I think it’s delicious no matter when I eat it.
Udon you want to eat every day, and that tastes good every day.
That’s Furuichi’s udon.
Bukkake udon is not a Furuichi specialty but part of Kurashiki’s food culture, and we want to promote it more
Could you tell us about your future plans and what you’d like to do?
Okada
I think Furuichi has been able to keep going thanks to everyone in the community.
Furuichi started out peddling ice pops and selling fuman, and we’ve sold all kinds of things over the years.
Along the way, we began serving udon, and people appreciated it, so we became an udon shop.
Bukkake udon became popular and came to be known as a Kurashiki specialty thanks to everyone in the community.
Furuichi didn’t make Bukkake udon a Kurashiki specialty; the people of Kurashiki nurtured Bukkake udon into a local specialty.
We believe that Bukkake udon is not a Furuichi specialty, but a Kurashiki specialty and a food culture born in Kurashiki.
That’s why our shop’s name is “Kurashiki Udon Bukkake Furuichi.”
We believe Furuichi’s mission is to spread Bukkake udon, part of Kurashiki’s food culture, far and wide.
I think that would be a way to give back to the Kurashiki community, which has supported Furuichi all this time.
We want many more people to learn about “Kurashiki Udon Bukkake.”
That’s why we decided to enter the Udon Tenkaichi Championship.
Thanks to everyone’s support, we’ve achieved good results at every competition.
I think we were able to do something for Kurashiki.
We also want to promote it not only throughout Japan but overseas as well.
Fortunately, tourists from overseas look up Kurashiki’s food online and elsewhere, discover Furuichi, and visit the shop in large numbers.
There are still many unique local food cultures in Japan that people don’t know about.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if the fascinating food cultures of different regions became more widely known?
I hope Kurashiki’s Bukkake udon can be one of the things that helps make that happen.
From the Writer
For people who grew up in Kurashiki and the surrounding area, Bukkake udon is a familiar favorite.
I’ve eaten it often since I was a child, and still do.
It feels like “Bukkake udon” is now widely recognized as something to eat when you come to Kurashiki.
I was impressed that Furuichi, the creator of Bukkake udon, sees it not as a shop specialty but as “the food culture of the Kurashiki region.”
I believe that savoring a region’s food culture is a way to learn about the region.
When you visit Kurashiki, be sure to try the Bukkake udon at Furuichi Nakamise.
Also, why not enjoy the traditional “Fuman” at Furuichi Main Store in autumn and winter?
Kurashiki Udon Bukkake Furuichi Nakamise Information
| Name | Kurashiki Udon Bukkake Furuichi Nakamise |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-3-23 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-2389 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. |
| Regular closing days | Irregular |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Not accepted |
| Seating | 43 seats |
| Smoking | Completely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Child-friendly amenities | Children’s tableware and small plates available. However, if you need stroller access or a child’s chair, we recommend visiting the nearest location in the city (Nakajima, Horiminami, AEON MALL Kurashiki, Matsushima, Mizushima, etc.) ⇒Store details |
| Accessibility | If you require accessibility accommodations, we recommend visiting the nearest location in the city (Horiminami, Nakajima, AEON MALL Kurashiki, Matsushima, Mizushima, etc.) ⇒Store details |
| Website | Kurashiki Udon Bukkake Furuichi |
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