Interview with Yasuhiro Makino, owner of Kasaoka Ramen Yatai
We spoke with Yasuhiro Makino, owner of Kasaoka Ramen Yatai, about what led him to open the business, his approach to ramen, and his aspirations for the future.
It began with a food stall project by the Kasaoka Chamber of Commerce and Industry
What made you start Kasaoka Ramen Yatai?
Makino
In 2005, the Kasaoka Chamber of Commerce and Industry launched a project called the “Kasaoka Ramen Yatai Project” and was looking for a stall operator.
I applied and was selected, which is what got me started.
The idea was to set up a food stall in front of JR Kasaoka Station and sell ramen there.
I wasn’t a ramen enthusiast, but it sounded interesting, so I decided to apply.
The food stall project was planned to run for six months, but once I started making ramen, I wanted to explore it further, so I opened a ramen shop in 2006.
At the time, it was a fixed-location shop, not a food stall.
Actually, I became interested in coffee before ramen, and I was particular about coffee.
So I set it up like a coffee shop where you could also eat ramen.
But after actually running the shop, I gradually realized that the food stall format suited me better…
So I took the plunge, closed the shop, and started up the food stall again.
Since then, I’ve mainly sold ramen at events.
By the way, I also run a coffee stall alongside the ramen one.
Lately, I’ve been setting up the ramen stall more often, but during the July 2018 Heavy Rain Disaster, I took the coffee stall to disaster-hit areas such as Mabi and helped out.
Food stalls are more fun than fixed locations because they have a “live” feel
What is it about the food stall that made you start it up again, even after closing the shop you had worked so hard to open?
Makino
Selling from a food stall has a “live” feel to it.
You’re closer to the customers than in a shop, and it’s fun interacting with them.
You get to experience the essence of customer service, or something like its roots, and I really like that.
Having experienced both a shop and a food stall, I realized that the food stall really suits me.
Also, my main job isn’t running a ramen shop; I’m a mechanical engineer.
When I had a fixed-location shop, I couldn’t be there on weekdays, so I left it to the staff.
That meant I had even fewer opportunities to interact with customers.
Since I mainly set up my stall at events, I only operate when there’s an event, which means I can be there myself.
Thankfully, at events where I’ve been setting up regularly for many years, the number of regular customers has gradually grown.
I always greet my regulars, and that often leads to all kinds of conversations.
I’m happy to have these kinds of interactions.
I also like the atmosphere at events such as morning markets, where all the vendors work together to make things lively.
We make an effort to communicate with one another, too. I find that another appealing part of setting up at events, and it’s fun.
Pursuing his ideal Kasaoka ramen
What makes the ramen at Kasaoka Ramen Yatai distinctive?
Makino
The biggest distinguishing feature is the green onions!
We serve them sliced into rounds, using Kujo green onions shipped from Kyoto.
We can also accommodate requests for extra green onions.
The ramen I’ve enjoyed most in the past all had one thing in common: “the green onions were delicious.”
That’s why my ideal ramen is ramen with delicious green onions.
The green onions I like best are Kyoto’s Kujo green onions, so I use them even though shipping costs extra.
Including shipping, you could say that green onions are the ingredient we spend the most on. That’s how particular I am about them!
The second distinguishing feature is the soup.
Like typical Kasaoka ramen, our ramen has a soy sauce-flavored soup made with chicken stock.
But at my shop, we don’t use chicken stock alone.
We make the soup by blending chicken stock with Japanese-style dashi.
I think that’s something you won’t find in other Kasaoka ramen.
As with the green onions, I took inspiration from Kyoto-style ramen I enjoyed in Tokyo, which used Japanese-style dashi.
The flavor of Kasaoka Ramen Yatai today is the result of bringing my favorite, ideal taste to life.
I’ve also tried all kinds of things with the other elements.
He wasn’t particularly passionate about ramen to begin with, but…
When did you start liking ramen?
Makino
Actually, I only started liking ramen after joining the Kasaoka Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s food stall project (laughs).
Of course, I ate ramen from time to time, but it wasn’t anything special to me.
So I wasn’t particularly passionate about it.
I applied for the food stall project simply because it sounded like fun. I didn’t give it much thought.
But once I actually started making ramen, I got more and more absorbed in it…
Before ramen, I liked coffee.
I got into coffee after making a coffee grinder (a machine that grinds coffee beans) as part of my engineering work.
When I actually ground coffee beans with the grinder and tried drinking the coffee, I got more and more hooked on it.
Ramen was much the same.
When I find something fun, it’s in my nature to enjoy it to the fullest (laughs).
Not having a mentor is his strength
Since you started without any interest in ramen, I imagine you did a lot of research?
Makino
I’ve done a lot of trial and error.
The ramen has changed quite a bit since I first started.
But I enjoy experimenting with different things, so I had fun doing it.
When the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s food stall project began, the other members learned from people who ran ramen shops.
But I did a lot of research on my own.
Looking back, I think that experience was important.
That’s because when you have a mentor, you inevitably end up being influenced by their methods.
I think my own flavor today came about precisely because I wasn’t influenced by anyone.
I try to pursue my ideal flavor within the framework of “Kasaoka ramen.”
I was born and raised in Kasaoka, and I want to give back to the city.
That’s why I want to preserve the flavor of its signature ramen.
I hope you’ll think of the ramen at Kasaoka Ramen Yatai as my own interpretation of Kasaoka ramen.
He still wants to take on fun challenges. Next, he wants to develop a new product as an engineer
What would you like to do in the future?
Makino
It’s been 15 years since I started making Kasaoka ramen.
I’ve continued to improve it while pursuing my ideal flavor.
I think I’ve gotten quite close to the form I had in mind.
Of course, it may continue to change.
But I’ve spent a long time researching both coffee and ramen.
Since both have gotten fairly close to my ideal, I’d like to try doing something in my main line of work as an engineer next.
Actually, I’m currently experimenting with a view to creating a new product.
I want to bring a new product to the world as an engineer!
People often worry that I work as an engineer on weekdays and run the food stall on my days off, and ask whether I ever take a break.
But both engineering and running the stall are fun, so they don’t feel like a burden.
Running the food stall gives me a change of pace from engineering, and working as an engineer gives me a change of pace from the stall.
I’m the kind of person who wants to keep doing things I enjoy.
So besides ramen and coffee, I want to find more fun things to try.
From the Writer
Makino has stayed committed to the food stall format while pursuing his ideal flavor of Kasaoka ramen.
It’s a bowl that makes you think, “This is Kasaoka ramen,” while also giving you the sense that “there’s something deliciously different about it compared with other shops.”
Why not try Kasaoka Ramen Yatai’s take on Kasaoka ramen, preserving its traditional flavor while adding his own personal touches?
In Kurashiki, Kasaoka Ramen Yatai regularly sets up at the Kurashiki Sansai Market, held on the third Sunday of every month.
Kasaoka Ramen Yatai details
| Name | Kasaoka Ramen Yatai |
|---|---|
| Address | Sets up at events such as the Kurashiki Sansai Market |
| Payment methods |
|
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a word to search articles on this site
