Japan’s Cheapest and Most Delicious Katsudon Only $3.50 in Fukuoka

Japan’s Cheapest and Most Delicious Katsudon Only $3.50 in Fukuoka

Katsudon Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl: ¥540 ($3.50) Katsu Curry (w/ Pork Cutlet): ¥730 ($4.50) That’s why we aim for Japanese-style fast food. Today, we’re going behind the scenes at a Japanese-style fast food spot in Fukuoka. It’s been a favorite among locals since opening 18 years ago. A husband-and-wife team runs this massive restaurant all by themselves! They start prep at 8 a.m. Prepping the karaage (Japanese fried chicken) We marinate the karaage overnight. That way it absorbs plenty of flavor before we fry it the next day. One kg and one kg (2.2lbs). Owner: No, 2 kg and 2 kg (4.4 lbs). Oh! Two and two, sorry! Wait, this was two kilos? Seriously? Meat marinated overnight Shio koji brings out the most umami And it makes the meat super tender and juicy. We’re always experimenting And tweaking our recipes to make them taste even better. JFC Staff: So you keep experimenting as you go along? Exactly. With the karaage and the curry, too. Compared to the beginning We’ve changed the recipes bit by bit. We want our customers to enjoy really good food. For the lowest prices possible. So we get creative and try not to spend too much While still making everything taste great. Most places use premade mix for the karaage coating. But we blend our own. To keep costs down. We make everything ourselves, even the sweet vinegar sauce for Chicken Nanban. That’s how we keep prices low. Same with the cabbage—we cut it all ourselves. Prepping the curry. Mixing agodashi fish broth, onions and their secret recipe soup stock. We typically let it sit for 2 days. Want some coffee or something? JFC Staff: You sure? Here you go. JFC Staff: Thank you! Curry: ¥480 ($3.00) Katsudon: ¥540 ($3.50) Udon: ¥310 ($2.00) So, the A Set and the Karaage Set Those were my ideas. I suggested them to my husband. I’m someone who speaks her mind. And my husband’s like, “Oh, really?” It’s like we built this place together as a couple. We used to have 3 or 4 part-timers. But they all quit. So now it’s just us two. We try not to burden each other too much. We both handle cooking, customer service, everything. Because we both can. So it doesn’t really feel too overwhelming. JFC Staff: How long has it been just the two of you? About two whole years. We can’t just close the store. So until someone new joins, we’re hanging in there a bit longer. Cleaning the entire huge store all on her own. She even cleans outside! You can see the bus stop clearly from here. So if it’s dirty it bothers us. Ever since we opened, my husband’s like, ‘Let’s clean all the way out there, too!” Every single day. You can see the bus stop perfectly from inside. So we make sure it’s clean, too! The large parking lot fills up with cars. A line starts to form! Katsudon Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl: ¥540 ($3.50) Katsu Curry (w/ Pork Cutlet): ¥730 ($4.50) Meat Curry Udon: ¥600 ($4.00) Chicken Nanban Rice Bowl: ¥640 ($4.25) Every dish is served within 2 minutes of ordering. A-Set: ¥820 ($5.25) Seasoned and smooth teamwork! The place fills up with customers. I’ve come here so many times. Since way back. I think I was in elementary school when I first came! You never have to wait long. The food comes out fast. And hey, it’s cheap and delicious! If I lived closer, I’d probably come every day. He loves katsudon, so we came for katsudon. It’s super good. It’s great! How old are you? Three? JFC Staff: What a unique three! I’m three! A little louder! It’s yummy! Helping customers with the meal ticket machine. A single takeout order with nine items. Tickets 10 through 18 are ready! Thanks for waiting! Thank you very much! We always feel bad if we keep people waiting. Some customers only have a one-hour lunch break. So we try to serve them as fast as possible. Oh, sorry about that. Thank you! Washing dishes is a team effort. JFC Staff: How long have you been running the place? About 18 years now. We opened our first location in Mikawachi, Sasebo in Nagasaki. Then we were approached by someone in Fukuoka And wanted to expand in the Fukuoka area. So we opened this Umi location for a total of 3. But things didn’t go well at the other locations So we closed them. Now this is the only location left. I’d still love to expand into more locations again. I want to create Japanese fast food I even got to train in the U.S. That made me think, “Japan needs something like this, too!” That’s why we aim for Japanese-style fast food. I’ve worked in food service for a long time. Bento shops, conveyor-belt sushi Udon shops, a bit of everything. Since I was about 22. So it’s been… around 42 years now. We never eat breakfast or dinner together. Our schedules don’t match. So we try to eat lunch together, at least! On our days off, we usually go to the flower shop And to the roadside market together. We’re together all the time. I hate being alone, so I follow him around everywhere. He worked away from home for a long time, maybe that’s why. We lived apart for over 10 years… So now I want to be with him all the time, in response to that! JFC Staff: Sorry if this is embarrassing, but… Is there anything you want to thank each other for? You first, dear. Thank you for always working so hard, at home and at the shop. No, thank YOU! I am so happy we got married. You’re kind to our kids, you’re kind to me. You always bring home a steady paycheck. You show our kids what hard work looks like. I’m thankful every day. I can smile like this every day because of him. Thank you. He’s kind and takes good care of me. Open for dinner! 9 p.m.— Closing time That’s it for today. Time to start cleaning up! We had 238 customers today since lunchtime was especially busy. This might just be our best day in the past six months! Wife: Maybe ever? I can hardly believe we managed just the two of us! We’re so grateful so many customers came. What a great sense of accomplishment. Like we gave it our very best. Like we reached the summit! It’s the best feeling ever! It makes you want to aim even higher. So we keep trying new things. We don’t want to stop here. Like, look at us at this age, still going strong! We want to make it so anyone can do what we’re doing. So we can hire some part-time staff And still provide the same level of service. Once we get some part-time staff again He can finally do things the way he wants. This just might be our last big challenge! Thank you for your support! Quite the adventurer, this man! He’s had my back all these years. So now I’ve got his! Good evening. This is Sakoda from the Japanese Food Craftsman channel. I’d like to talk about what we hope to accomplish through YouTube. Over the years, I’ve met many craftsmen and chefs. Their skills, their attitude, and their spirit— I’ve come to realize that they are truly world-class, something Japan can be proud of. But at the same time, the number of craftsmen are declining every year. When I learned this reality, I strongly felt the need to pass on their legacy to the next generation. That’s why, through our videos and products, we want more people to discover the beauty of craftsmanship. However, there are challenges in bringing this vision to life. We are a small team. And our filming time is limited. There are many times we think, “If only we had a few more hours, we could’ve made an even better video.” We often feel that frustration deeply. We want to share the charm of these craftsmen more deeply and carefully. We also want to film lesser-known local shops and even take on filming overseas someday. That’s why we started our YouTube Membership program. We’ve also prepared various member benefits. If you resonate with our mission and want to support what we’re doing,
we’d be truly grateful if you joined as a member. Your support directly connects to the future of craftsmanship. Please consider supporting us. Please support us! I’m Abe from Yatai Keiji. Nice to meet you.
Please continue supporting Japanese Food Craftsman as well! Our channel strives to share the skills of true craftsmen with the world and pass them on to the next generation. Our videos and products aim to showcase the appeal, pride and philosophy behind the artisans and their craft. If even one person watches this and thinks “Japanese craftsmen are awesome!” that’s already a step toward preserving Japan’s fading traditional crafts. That’s the mission of our YouTube channel. Thanks for your support!

Japan’s Cheapest and Most Delicious Katsudon shop in Fukuoka serves delicious Japanese food at fast food pace and for very cheap! They have been operating as a couple for 18 years at this restaurant and its always packed! Amazing dedication!

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0:00 Intro
0:46 Fried chicken!
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