Looking ahead five years and doing what you can yourself: An interview with ICHI owner Ichiro Omori.
ICHI owner Ichiro Omori is from Mabi, Kurashiki City.
He continues to work hard for his hometown, which was hit by the July 2018 Heavy Rains, serving on the organizing committee for the Kibi-sama Reconstruction Fireworks Festival, held on August 17, 2019.
We interviewed Omori about his activities so far, what lies ahead, and his thoughts about his hometown of Mabi.
This article presents the interview conducted during our first visit in September 2019.
I heard that you worked together with people from nearby shopping streets for the Kibi-sama Reconstruction Fireworks Festival held in August 2019.
Omori
Yes. I think we were able to hold it thanks to the cooperation and donations of many people, including the shopping street community.
I’m especially grateful to the fireworks technicians. They made it possible by donating more than 80% of the costs.
For the next five years, I hope to continue supporting the area, focusing on keeping the fireworks festival going and collecting donations at the restaurant.
Isn’t it difficult to do this while running your restaurant?
Omori
I just do what I can.
Even now, I volunteer about once a month.
There’s a LINE group for my classmates from Mabi, and every week someone posts, “Meet at [place] in Mabi at [time],” so I try to join whenever I can.
When we volunteer to clean the irrigation channels, we find lots of pieces of glass in the mud.
It’s been a year since the July 2018 torrential rains, but I feel that the damage is still extensive.
It feels like media coverage has gradually decreased now that a year has passed since the July 2018 torrential rains.
I want more people to know that volunteers are still very much needed.
Omori
I think a lot of people have at least thought, “I’d like to volunteer if I could.”
I’d like to think about how to make it easier for those people to take part, and how to lower the barriers to volunteering.
I have the restaurant to run, too, and even if I can’t do anything on a large scale, I hope to keep steadily doing what I can as an individual.
We also use vegetables from relatives in Yakage Town and Mabi, so I hope you’ll come and try them.
Delicious burgers in the Bikan Historical Area—right here
“I want as many people as possible to discover how delicious this hamburger is!”
As a burger lover, I thought so the moment I took a bite.
It would be a shame not to know how delicious it is!
Omori uses vegetables from Yakage Town and Mabi, and still goes out to volunteer.
As I listened to him, I felt that there must still be things I can do myself.
Be sure to try this one-of-a-kind “authentic burger in the Bikan Historical Area.”
ICHI Information
| Name | ICHI |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-21 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-442-8482 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | Lunch (Wednesday–Sunday) 11:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Dinner 6:30 p.m.–11:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Irregular holidays |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 32 seats Counter seats: 10 on the first floor, 8 on the second floor Tables: 1 on the first floor, 3 on the second floor |
| Smoking | Completely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
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