It’s good to have reopened in Mabi. Interview with Iwama Katsunori, manager of Nyudogumo
It has been nearly two years since the July 2018 disaster. Please tell us how you felt about the disaster and reopening your restaurant.
Iwama
Thinking back to what happened, I’m amazed we managed to get back to where we are now in just two years after all that. It almost feels unreal that we’ve come back.
I can only feel grateful to everyone who supported us, including the volunteers and the Self-Defense Forces.
Actually, right after the disaster, I thought about leaving Mabi. I was considering reopening somewhere else.
At our previous location, local people used the place like an izakaya, you know. I thought it might be difficult to keep going in Mabi if there were so few people around at night.
So what made you decide to reopen your restaurant in Mabi?
Iwama
For about a year after the disaster, I worked for a construction company run by an acquaintance while also looking for a property in Tamashima and around JR Kurashiki Station.
While I was doing that, Sanuki Udon Kawahara, who had helped us out before, was among the first to reopen, and they also kept us (Nyudogumo) in mind.
Also, when I ran into regular customers at supermarkets and other places in Mabi, they’d say, “When are you reopening?” and “We’re waiting for you.”
Sanuki Udon Kawahara had been so good to us, and if there were people waiting for us in Mabi, I decided I’d start again.
How have customers responded since you reopened?
Iwama
Almost all of our regular customers from before have come back.
Some say there’s no tatami room or that they wanted to eat right off the griddle (laughs), but everyone’s happy to be here.
Customers living in temporary housing in Mizushima and Tamashima also stop by on weekends. Hearing them say, “I’m glad you reopened” and “I’ve been waiting,” makes me feel it was good to reopen in Mabi.
A lot of restaurants are opening around the new location.
Iwama
This was the only rental space in Mabi where a restaurant was allowed.
But having restaurants clustered together is helpful for us, too, because people think, “There’ll be something there.”
It’s better to have shops than to have the shutters down, right?
Most of our customers are from Mabi, so I think it’d be nice if they could go around and enjoy the different places.
Everyone from Mabi has been scattered, and there aren’t many places where people can sit and talk at their leisure.
We’re an okonomiyaki restaurant, but I hope we can be a place where people can talk about what’s been happening and let off steam.
So you hope that not just Nyudogumo, but this whole neighborhood can become a place for people in Mabi to relax?
Iwama
The temporary housing program has been extended, and some people have moved away from Mabi, too.
In that situation, I think it’s a good thing that new shops have opened, and that a cafe like the one next door (Cafe Bridge) has opened.
After all, everyone’s happy to see people they’ve known for a long time, and they want to see them.
I hope this can become a place where familiar neighbors can gather and talk, see each other face to face, relax, share how they’re feeling, and support one another.
A place to enjoy piping-hot okonomiyaki and a relaxing time
What left a strong impression on me during the interview was
“Everyone wants to talk to someone. If you’re providing a place for that, I think it could be anything—an okonomiyaki restaurant, a cafe, whatever.”
Those were the words of the manager, Iwama.
The restaurant is there to affirm the connections and bonds among people living in Mabi and keep them from fading away.
It may sound like an exaggeration, but I felt that reopening a restaurant in Mabi might have that kind of meaning.
As they tuck into piping-hot okonomiyaki, people share news about how they’re doing, encourage one another, and laugh together.
Nyudogumo is a restaurant imbued with the manager’s hope that it will become just such a place.
I hope you’ll take a look at what’s happening in Mabi today and pay the restaurant a visit.
Nyuudougumo Information
| Name | Nyuudougumo |
|---|---|
| Address | 94 Arii, Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-441-5144 |
| Parking | Available Shared parking lot |
| Hours | Lunch: 11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Dinner: 5:30 p.m.–10:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Tuesday |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 21 seats Tables: 3 four-person tables, 1 two-person table; counter: 7 seats |
| Smoking | Smoking permitted |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
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