- Please introduce yourself.
Mr. Ogata: My name is Ogata Hiroki.
I am the manager of a restaurant called Bansai in Fukushima.
Lately, my hobbies have been saunas and golf.
Ogata: Yes, first of all, the origin of the store name is that it implies an explosion of everyone's talents, and the logo's outer frame was designed with the image of an explosion in mind.
It looks like this, but we're running it as a user-friendly izakaya. On the other hand, we'd like it to become a kind of community space where we can have various interactions with the people of the town, so we'd like to hold events that involve the people of the town and do collaborative projects.
- Why did you choose this job?
Ogata: I've been in the food and beverage industry for about 10 years, but rather than originally being interested in it, I chose it because I like manufacturing, or creating things.
And as I mentioned at the beginning, I find it rewarding to be able to provide a variety of interactions, so I would like Banzai to be more than just a place to eat and drink, but a place where new communities can be created and connections can be made.
- Please tell us about Banzai's particularities.
Ogata: One thing we are particular about as a shop is our procurement, and we get seafood delivered directly from Fukushima, Minamisanriku in Iwate, Shiogama in Miyagi, and other places.
We offer Obanzai, Genshiyaki, and Sashimi as main dishes, but we change the Obanzai dishes every week and every season so that our customers don't get bored. We also take the stance of doing what our customers want.
- How was it trying it in Fukushima?
Ogata: Yes, first of all I thought it was a very peaceful place (laughs).
There are many people around me who are supportive of those who are trying to do something new, and there are also many young people who are trying to do various things in the future.
Above all, there are many people who say they want to do things together with people like you, so I get the impression that it's a peaceful place with a bright future.
So, I'm glad I tried it.
- When do you feel good about doing this job?
Ogata: Yes, it may sound cliché, but when someone says "it was delicious," I'm really happy and feel good.
Also, as a company we have a strong desire to value the character and individuality of our employees, so when customers say things like "They're good kids" or "You make a good team" to our staff, that makes me happiest and makes me feel glad to be doing this job.
- I'm sure you started your shop in Fukushima with a lot of different thoughts in mind, but did you ever think about wanting to stick to sourcing local products?
Ogata: Yes, I would like to use things from Fukushima Prefecture as much as possible.
In fact, we still source our ingredients from Fukushima, as well as Miyagi and Iwate prefectures in the Tohoku region. In the future, we would like to source alcohol and Japanese sake in collaboration with sake breweries in Fukushima.
I would also like to collaborate with nearby farms in the future.
In this way, we hope to continue incorporating more and more things from Fukushima Prefecture.
-What are your future goals and prospects?
Ogata: Our goal is for people to feel that the town has changed because of this store.
While there are many closed shops in the town, we have deliberately designed our shop to be open and friendly so that people can easily interact with each other, and we hope that this will be a catalyst for change for the better.
Also, as a company, we would like to open stores in various places in the future, and we would also like to be able to support people who, like us, want to open their own stores.
- Finally, we had the opportunity to create the uniforms with Taro. What are your honest thoughts about it?
Ogata: The fabric is simply good.
Also, because it's a uniform, I wash it a lot every day, but the wrinkles around the neck don't bother me and the color doesn't fade much, so I can wear it comfortably every day.
The size is a little loose, so it will be comfortable for anyone to wear.
Banzai -BANZAI- (Banzai)
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Location: 〒960-8034 Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima City, Okitama-cho 7-5 Adneed 121 1st floor Business hours: 11:30-14:00, 17:30-23:00 (closed on Sundays)
