this is behind the counter at a local
Japanese set Meal Restaurant for
University students
[Music]
good morning everyone we are up early
for this one I'm just right by the
University of Tokyo and I'm taking you
behind the counter at this local
Japanese Sentinel shop just right behind
me it's a fourth generation shop so I'm
super excited to get this one started
here we go I'm taking you behind the
counter and deep inside the kitchen of a
local family-owned Japanese taishoku
restaurant called shokudo morikawa
nestled within walking distance from
Tokyo University the oldest university
in Japan it's been a staple nourishment
for students for more than 120 years the
shop originally started selling Bento
boxes on campus Distributing them with a
carrying pole AKA milkmaids yolk and
later grew into a taishoku restaurant
meaning it serves a Japanese set meals
where all of the dishes in the course
are served together often consisting of
a main dish of rice soup and sides today
the shop serves not only students and
professors but also locals and salarymen
alike all lining up to enjoy their
delectable and affordable set meals
good morning he's the fourth generation
owner matsukawa-san you're so early
the shop opens at 11 30 but his morning
starts as early as 6 A.M
do you always watch the news cool
[Music]
the first thing he does is to start the
dashi broth which serves as the base for
many of his dishes
various sauces
so how long have you been doing this
wow how old are you damn you look young
while he waits for everything to heat up
it's part of his morning routine to make
his morning coffee
oh this is mine thank you so nice
[Music]
oh my boy yeah he's three oh yeah thanks
what about you
how about your daughters
so how did you meet your wife
damn apparently they got married 10
years later at 26.
an honest man
so did you think you were gonna take
over the family business
apparently he officially started at the
age of 19 but voluntarily helped around
the shop when he was in elementary
school as he enjoyed being there he says
that he always had a passion for cooking
ever since he could remember even
reminiscing about watching TV cooking
shows after school and testing out the
recipes in their busy restaurant kitchen
for him he always knew in his heart that
his life staff would take him here
[Music]
pre-cut vegetables aren't
anywhere in fact the shop Cuts them the
night before to minimize the morning's
prep time knowing that they're as many
as 35 taishoko menu items in addition to
side dishes the shop needs to be very
efficient in their preparation
do you have a hobby
that's hard really
it's actually been his hobby for a while
even riding motorcycles around Tokyo in
his Wilder teen years so what do you
ride
cool do you also wear a Biker's outfit
okay do you ride in a group
he says that he and his wife love riding
together to search out new food spots I
guess having a common hobby is one of
the secrets to their happy marriage I
thought you don't really take days off
I like it work hard play hard
oh
[Music]
she's making kobachi there are small
side dishes that accompany typical
Japanese set meals his father made it a
point to teach him to always consider
the meal's nutritional value in addition
to its taste and volume coincidentally
if many of his regulars have told him
personally that they attribute their
health to the Shop's food
[Music]
foreign
but none of them over time could endure
the tough and long work hours he adds
though that he really doesn't blame them
as he knows firsthand how grueling it
can be on top of competing with all of
the Temptations and distractions
available now to the younger generation
Ah that's a tare sauce for the boiled
fish it smells so good
don't you get tired working all day
that's awesome
well I really hope they'll be able to
find that perfect candidate one day who
has the same passion he does for serving
his customers so that his legacy can
continue on who knows maybe it's someone
who is watching this video
nice the fish delivery straight from
toyosu Fish Market
[Music]
when his father was the owner he used to
be the one that drove down to the fish
market but nowadays he relies on the
wholesaler his family has built a long
and trusting relationship with to make
the delivery
oh his wife is here hello what's up with
a diaper ah it's the same one that my
son uses I heard you two have been
together since you were both 16 so what
do you like most about him
oh that's sweet
okay see you in a bit
that's another side dish
it's sweet and savory Aroma fills the
air
hey guys I wanted to quickly tell you
about my Paolo from Tokyo premium
kaminari hot sauce it's handcrafted
exclusively by a small batch producer in
Japan's nigata prefecture made with an
original blend of Premium kanzuri AIDS
six years locally grown Carolina Reaper
and show you a lot of love has gone into
each bottle and I'm telling you that
there's no hot sauce in the world that
has this level of umami and fire all in
one and it all begins at the base of
Mount miyoko in a process called Yuki
sadashi where locally grown red chilies
are spread over snow fields to develop
their natural Umami for over three to
four days forming the foundation of
kanzuri's distinctly delicious flavor
you can get it at Paulo from
tokyohotsauce.com or just click on the
link below and if you're in Japan I have
shops listed on the website such as
skiji Fish Market Fair Warning these
handcraft bottles are produced in
limited batches and we've already sold
out once so get it as soon as you can
and avoid a one to two month wait
now that he's finished several dishes he
takes a short break
sandwich looks pretty good
so why morikawa and not matsukawa
ah so it was named after the area
and it was later shortened that makes
sense
while he eats his breakfast he works on
accounting orders and everything else to
run his business making the most of his
time
[Music]
oh a part-time worker is here
[Music]
so do you have any hobbies
you don't watch TV
seriously
oh really I like happy shows
what about your husband
I see thank you for sharing your story
she's actually been working here for 10
years and is the longest serving worker
matsukawa-san told me that he has a deep
appreciation for dedicated workers like
her without them it's almost impossible
to run his business after all at its
core their business revolves around
people
how do you like working here
that's nice
no cap
every morning it's his wife's
responsibility to update the specials
for the day on the sign board based on
what matsukawa-san decides to make
what's that
um
good morning have you been working here
a long time wow then you're the second
longest worker here so what did he do
before this place
what kind of business oh that's
interesting
I want to film it
why did you close down
oh that sucks good morning have you been
working here a long while too yeah
oh are you a student hi what do you
study
I see what do you want to do in the
future
that's amazing she's actually from the
neighborhood and grew up loving their
food which led her to work here so tell
me what's your favorite menu item
Fried Chicken makes me smile too
[Music]
30 minutes before opening everyone works
diligently to get ready for the
customers
are those bentos
it's amazing to see that they also make
Bento boxes for delivery on top of their
lunch prep they're working so
efficiently
[Music]
oh no it looks like the rice cooker
isn't working anymore and they won't
have rice ready for their customers no
rice means that they have to shut down
for the day
oh it looks like an issue with the
electrical outlet and they can
temporarily fix it with an extension
cord let me give you a hand
it worked awesome it's working now
[Music]
at 11 45 the shop finally opens just a
few minutes late due to the issue with
the rice cooker despite the delay their
loyal customers occasionally waited in
line
[Music]
right after the door opens matakawasan
goes into full gear as the shop takes
orders and payment before exceeding the
customers so no time is wasted
[Music]
I thought
hey okay
[Music]
fried chicken smells so delicious it's
the top seller and they even offer it as
a combo with a hamburger patty and most
of their set meals are between six to
nine dollars
[Applause]
[Music]
look at him go it's like he has a
thousand arms seeming to effortlessly
fill each order we're fully knowing that
in the back of my mind that it's as many
years day after day working in the
kitchen that has allowed him to make it
look so easy he says that he draws
wisdom from his father who would tell
him give it your all and the customers
will keep coming back and to this day he
pours his heart and soul into each and
every dish he creates further adding
that it's not the money but the eclectic
Buzz of the shop filled with customers
that feels and bored oh that's his
daughter
[Music]
wow as they deal with all the different
orders the shop offers the workers
continue to prepare Bento boxes for
delivery as a kitchen moves at a frantic
Pace the whole stuff also work in sync
to serve each set meal to the correct
table
foreign
[Music]
it's quite busy in the kitchen so let's
talk to a customer hi can I bother you
you come here often what are you eating
today so what's your recommendation here
and what's your favorite menu
thank you
cool thank you
[Music]
almost done with lunch
oh you gotta keep going huh how are you
holding up
yeah it sure was busy
sold out during their lunchtime rush so
now he prepares fresh cuts of meat for
their evening service and he uses the
smaller pieces he cut out for their
makanai the free lunch provided to the
workers apparently nothing goes to waste
in this shop
I guess today he's making the workers
kushiyage fried skewers
what's your favorite muffin ideas
personal chef
another one in the books if you want to
visit this shop for yourself I'll be
sure to leave a link in the description
okay so that's behind the counter at a
local Japanese set Meal Restaurant for
University students and the salarymen if
you guys like this video definitely help
me out and hit that like button if you
guys want to help support the channel
then definitely check out my hot sauce
go to Power from tokyohotsauce.com and
if you guys want to see more videos like
this or anything related to Japan hit
that subscribe button and the bell
button I'll catch you guys in the next
one