止まらないラーメン・焼きめしラッシュ！開店→即満席の大人気ラーメン店に密着

止まらないラーメン・焼きめしラッシュ！開店→即満席の大人気ラーメン店に密着

We go behind the scenes at a wildly popular ramen shop with lines forming before opening! The fried rice is perfectly fluffy, and the ramen has a rich depth of flavor. Man, it was seriously delicious. Kasuga City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Hakata Tonkotsu Ippo. Parking for 20 cars. Business Hours.
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
Dinner: 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM. Morning: 7:30 AM. Owner Mr. Moriyama arrives for work. He lights the stove for the soup. We use a method called “torikiri” for making our soup, This is soup that’s been extracted five times already, This is the sixth extraction. This one is finished, combining all five previous extractions. Finally, after letting this simmer for about an hour in the morning, we combine it here to complete the broth. The sixth soup. Adjust the flavor by adding water. Cook the rice that has been soaked. Is this rice for fried rice? Um, this is plain white rice. That’s not it! No, it’s not. The texture is different too. For fried rice, you add a little bit of oil to the rice, kind of to coat it, so it’s easier to make (the fried rice). Time for breakfast. Got some coffee! The soup’s boiling. Keep stirring every few minutes to prevent it from burning. After all, it doesn’t make sense unless it’s loved locally and lasts a long time, That’s the tricky part about the food and beverage business, isn’t it? (Our customers) used to be only locals, but YouTube and TV coverage brought in customers from all over the country. But we still have many customers who’ve been coming since we first opened. I really think that’s the most important thing. Of course, new customers are important too, but repeat customers are the most important. This is pork spine. Preparing the chashu. The cut is pork thigh. We use scraps like these for fried rice. Carefully trim off the excess parts. Is this enough for one day? Yes! (On weekdays) It’s about 12 kilograms. On holidays, I prepare 18 kilograms. I never forget to check the soup’s condition. When you slice and cut the chashu, right? When you do that, you always end up with scraps of meat, you know, at ramen shops. You use that for fried rice or something. Usually. But honestly, using fresh meat is way tastier. I think that way is way tastier, so that’s how I do it. It takes more effort, but I really want to serve the tastiest product possible, I trim the fat and cut everything by hand to make the pieces uniform in size. When did you start this ramen shop? We opened on December 8th, 2024. It’ll be almost two years soon. Were you working at a ramen shop before that? I worked for others for about 13 years. (When did you decide to open your own shop?) I made the decision around age 20. Since I was young, I vaguely wanted to start my own company, I just wanted to be the president. But I didn’t know what to do, and I really lacked the knowledge, so I agonized over what to do for a long time. From about 18 to about 21. I was agonizing over it, and then, really by chance, when I was about 21, there were tons of TVs in ramen shops. I saw the owner of a ramen shop on TV and thought, “That’s cool,” like, “I could do this,” in a really casual way. That moment of deciding was really the trigger. Weren’t there times after that when you almost gave up? Yeah, there totally were. That’s why I went independent at 38. Originally, I thought I’d do it (open a shop) in my 20s, But it ended up stretching out for about 8 years from there, so it definitely happened. How did you manage to overcome that? I just couldn’t give up. It’s that simple. Ramen was all I knew how to do, so it was the only thing I could do. (What’s the secret to realizing your dreams?) Ultimately, I think it comes down to truly believing in yourself. I think that’s the key. I kept saying it even before opening, to my wife, family, siblings, and close friends, I kept telling them that if I opened a shop, there’d be lines. And now there really is a line! Yeah, thankfully it has. I’m happy. People laughed at me at first, though. Man, they laughed. Even my brothers were like, “What’s your basis for saying that?” Of course they support me, but My dad passed away six years ago, and he was the one who looked forward to me opening my own shop more than anyone else. But then my dad passed away six years ago, I spent nearly two years searching for a property, but I couldn’t find the right one for what I wanted to do. Then, two years ago, I found this place. My dad’s grave is nearby. I felt a deep connection, and I believe my father guided me to this place. I believe this place is special for that reason. It really is all about timing, connections, and the support of those around me that brought me to where I am now. (Do you have any future goals?) Future goals, huh… When you think of Fukuoka, you think of Hakata Tenjin, so I want to compete right in the heart of it all, and create a shop that draws lines right in the center. That’s one of my major goals. Hakata tonkotsu ramen has a tremendous history, and it’s respected even by people overseas. I believe ramen is considered one of Japan’s great foods. To compete in Hakata and create a shop that draws long lines, isn’t easy, so I wanted to test myself there, or rather challenge how far I could go. (When we opened) everyone except me had zero experience. We had about 20 staff members, but they were all inexperienced. I was practically the only one with any. At first, we obviously didn’t make fried rice. We only served ramen and gyoza, The most surprising thing was—and this was totally my mistake— I’ve run ramen shops many times before and handled launches countless times, but I had this naive idea that anyone could fry gyoza. Then we opened without any announcements or promotions. We planned to start slow at first. Everyone was inexperienced. If customers came pouring in and we couldn’t handle them, it wouldn’t matter if they weren’t satisfied in the end. If the serving time is ridiculously slow and the operations are a mess, it’s pointless. Then somehow (on opening day) a huge line of customers forms. It’s great, but once we actually open, and then the gyoza timer goes off. When they’re done, it beeps, it beeps… and I’m like, “Alright, serve the gyoza!” “Sorry, I don’t know how to fry gyoza.” “Whaaaaaat?” That’s because we’ve always taken it for granted that everyone could do it, Everyone’s inexperienced, so it’s only natural they can’t do it. Oh man, this is bad. The tickets are piling up like crazy because we’re full. We were keeping customers waiting, operations were a total mess, We really inconvenienced our customers terribly at first. But now? Now we’re amazing. We handle it. I think we’re incredibly capable now. We handle over 200 customers in just lunch service, turning them over in 4 hours. That’s something you absolutely can’t do without skill. Everyone handles it with ease, which I think is really impressive. We made one person the manager starting in August. That person is 24 years old. So you mean you created a store manager instead of (Mr. Moriyama) being the owner and manager? That’s right. I wanted the staff to have dreams too. It wouldn’t be right for me to just keep doing everything myself. In that sense, I really wanted to give them their own shop, including the financial aspect, I wanted to create store managers so they could be satisfied in various ways. They’re really working hard. Of course, there are tough times, Two years ago, he had no experience. From zero experience to this in two years! That’s right. Of course, there are still plenty of areas where I fall short and get scolded, but I think the important thing is whether you’re positive or not. You’re bound to make mistakes, right? Whether you can stay positive in those moments shapes your future, and I think that’s the most important thing. Positive people grow. Absolutely. That kid has that. The other staff members have arrived for work. Transfer the cooked rice to the pot. Are you filming everything? Yes, I’m filming everything!! Is it cooking nicely? Yes! Perfectly! ✨ The older sister who’s been working here since opening. I heard everyone started with no experience. Why did you decide to work at a ramen shop? The main reason was that it was close to home. I was looking for work at the time, and I happened to find one opening nearby, I like ramen, so I thought it might be a good fit, and I decided to give it a shot. At first, I didn’t think I’d be making ramen; I figured I’d just be doing regular front-of-house stuff. But they offered me a full-time position, so I thought, “Why not give it a shot?” At first, Hiro-san was the only one making ramen, so the shop couldn’t run properly, right? That’s why I figured I had no choice but to do it. (Making ramen) How’s it going? The best part is it’s fun! Sure, it’s tiring, but it’s fun! Put the rice in the warmer. Wash the pot and cook the next batch of rice right away. We cook 5.5 kilograms of rice at a time. Add a small amount of oil. Is this rice for fried rice? Yes! It’s for fried rice. Cook this in one batch now, and once it’s done, cook it again. Transfer the finished soup to a small pot. The soup finished in the morning becomes today’s soup. Treasure every last drop. The empty pot is washed immediately and used for making tomorrow’s soup. Since there are no regular holidays, soup-making never stops for a single day. Chop onions for fried rice. Prepare table condiments every morning. Takana pickles. Red pickled ginger. Garlic. Use the table-top garlic press for the garlic. Arrange other seasonings like gyoza sauce and salt and pepper. This is preparing the onions and garlic for the soup. This is tomorrow’s soup. Add the backbone and simmer. Knuckle. The simmered back fat. Break it up finely with a ladle. Remove excess oil. Shave it finely with a strainer. It’s very strenuous work. Clean the area in front of the shop before customers start lining up. Boiled eggs. Carefully wipe each one and arrange them. Offered free, lunch only. Wrap a cloth around the handle so it doesn’t get hot. Slice the chashu pork. Chashu pork trimmings. This is for the ramen, but we put it in as a little extra on the side, like a bonus. We’ll keep putting it in as a bonus until the scraps run out after we start business. (Future plans) I’m not thinking about opening my own ramen shop or anything like that. Supporting from behind the scenes suits me better, so I want to keep doing my part behind the scenes. So you’ll stay here? Yeah! For now, I’ll stay here. Quite a few customers talk to me, mostly regulars, They often ask me things like, “Are you going to the second location?” or “What about the second shop?” But I tell them, “No, I’m staying here in Kasuga.” I like it here. Everyone’s so kind. The atmosphere is really great! That’s right. Everyone’s kind, and the customers are all really nice too, no weirdos, and we have tons of regulars. Quite a few people have been coming since we first opened, and we get a lot of folks from the neighborhood too. Like, “Oh, it’s close to my house~”. What kind of combination is popular with the regulars? Uh, definitely the fried rice set. That’s it! Definitely! I mean, regulars are all different, but I think a lot of them go for the fried rice set. Carrot. Fish cake. Fish sausage. Finely chop everything. Once the carrots are added, the fried rice ingredients are ready. 15 minutes before opening. Proceed with preparations inside the restaurant. Arrange the water bottles in advance. Thin, straight noodles. Add lard for the final soup adjustment. 10 minutes before opening. People start lining up one after another. They take off their glasses during business hours! That’s right! Because their vision gets blurry. Everyone discusses and decides their positions. The store manager has arrived for work. The parking lot is almost full before opening. A long line forms in front of the store. We welcomed customers with the AC cranked up. 11:00. Opening time. The order tickets pile up faster and faster. The shop fills up immediately. One free egg per customer. The most popular item is the fried rice set. For ramen, even with extra noodles, it stays under 1000 yen. The manager handles the noodle station. He handles extra noodle orders at the same time. Soup. Chashu pork. Green onions. Ramen. Kids’ ramen is limited to elementary school students and younger. Mini ramen, half extra noodles, mini rice ball, juice, and a toy for 500 yen. Let it cool down properly before taking a big bite. Is it good? Yep! Egg. Rice. Fish cake, carrot, chikuwa. Onion. Finally, adjust the seasoning and it’s done. Fried rice. Wash everything thoroughly after each use. The eggs keep selling out too. (How was the taste?) No, it was super delicious. That fried rice was fluffy, and the ramen had a rich flavor, I’d heard quite a bit about this place and that someone who trained at Hitokuchi-san opened it, Did you come because you heard the rumors? Yes, yes. This is my first time. My sons seem to have been here a few times though. So I thought, “Hey, let’s give it a try.” With orders pouring in, eggs and rice are prepped for immediate use. Plates are kept within easy reach. Sometimes we make four servings at once. To minimize wait times, we take orders from customers who are waiting. He keeps making ramen nonstop. Loaded with wood ear mushrooms. The shop is always packed to the rafters. He manages the shop while communicating with everyone. Gyoza. The dumplings are also handmade in-house. How’s the taste? It’s delicious! 120 points!! This is delicious. Ordered extra noodles right away. The guy next to me ordered extra noodles too. Finished every last drop of soup. That guy’s on his fourth bowl. Looks like he’ll finish every last drop of soup. He’s got a good appetite. Can you always eat this much? A little more? I could go a little more, but The soup was so good I drank it all first, and then I was like, ah, I can’t get any more refills. (What was the best part?) Definitely the chashu pork, it was so tender. It’s outstanding. The way it pairs with the soup is genius. Both of us finished every last drop of soup! Man, I’m totally satisfied. Really. The eggs are sold out. The soup bowl is getting emptier and emptier. Taking a break in between. (How’s the taste?) Delicious! It’s really good. Seriously, I never get tired of it. I really eat it every day. The staff usually take turns eating fried rice or stuff like that, but I eat (ramen) every day. Time is pretty tight, so I just wolf it down and head back out. Prepare the chashu for tomorrow too. After the break, we switch positions. The two employees handle every position. We’ll push through until closing time. Finally, we made some ramen. Fried rice set. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth chashu pork. The rich broth and noodles combine perfectly. Fried rice. Fluffy and piping hot. Gyoza. Full of juicy meat flavor. 3:00 PM. Lunch service ends. Cleaning up and preparing for the evening service. (For you, the owner is) Hiro-san? Well, he’s a senior I deeply respect. He’s like the most unique type of adult I’ve ever met, in terms of their inner character as a human being, their passion for work, their attitude, I’ve never met anyone like this before. I can only respect him. Will you keep working here from now on? Yes! I want to keep working here. During break time, his daughter came to visit. We also spoke with Manager Koga. What is your position here? I’m currently the manager. Did you join this shop because you originally loved ramen? Yes! I started as a part-timer, but then became a full-time employee, and decided to pursue the path of ramen. Do you have any future goals (ambitions)? Yes! In the future, I definitely want to be able to open my own shop, so I want to study hard and work hard. (Regarding Mr. Moriyama to Mr. Koga) Ahaha! What kind of person… He’s the person I respect the most. I feel I must become like Hiro-san, and in the future, I want to become a ramen shop owner who can surpass Hiro-san. (A final word to our customers) To those who come from near and far, we are always grateful. If you try our ramen and think it was even a little bit delicious, or if you think you’d like to come back, we’d be very happy. Whether you’ve visited before or are thinking of coming for the first time, we look forward to welcoming you. The guy who volunteered for the interview. How old are you? I’m 18! I’m working as a staff member. What made you decide to become a staff member here? The owner is just such a great person. When I didn’t get into university and was wondering what to do, the owner invited me, and I decided to become a staff member. How’s the work going? It’s so much fun, every day is enjoyable. Do you have any ambitions? I want to become the manager of this shop. I want to be the top dog. (Final message to customers) When you’re lost, come to Ippon! I’ll give you energy! (Final behind-the-scenes info) Up until now, if a guy talked, it got cut. It ended up being all Yui-chan, and she really looks good on camera. Right! Taizo? We’re calling it a cut, so it’s fine! Thank you all so much for today!

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博多豚骨一歩　春日店
営業時間　昼の部 11:00~15:00
　　　　　夜の部. 17:30~20:30
TEL 　　　 092-558-7683
定休日　　なし
住所　　　〒816-0804 福岡県春日市原町１丁目８７
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