79-Year-Old Super Grandma! 8 Hours Standing in a Solo Food Stall (Yatai) Operations! #japanesefood

79-Year-Old Super Grandma! 8 Hours Standing in a Solo Food Stall (Yatai) Operations! #japanesefood

Hi, Mari-chan! This is cheap and delicious . I’ll start by teaching you about cheap dishes, so there’s a mountain of food! I want some alcohol, so come on over here! It’s great to be able to interact with people while drinking. Mom is the best! The landlady is very friendly and fun! It’s like watching my mom, my son, I ‘m going to cry, no no, I ‘ll stop , I’m going to cry, don’t cry, no no, but I’m glad I met Mariko today, you love me, right? You come to get scolded, because there are all kinds of sons here, and they do the same thing 365 days a year, but it’s fun! Nakasu Showa-dori area, where stylish food stalls are gathered, is where you’ll find a food stall run by a 79-year-old landlady who is full of humanity. 17:00 Start assembling the food stall! The landlady has arrived! (Is it tempura for deep frying?) Yes, it is. Tempura. (Do you fry in fresh oil every day?) Yes, if you don’t, it’s completely (different). Tempura is made with oil, so if the oil is bad, If you use chilled oil, it’s no good at all (so oil is very important). That’s right, all the food is fresh, we don’t use anything that’s older than two or three days. I’m free today. The festival (nearby) is starting again, so we have a huge amount of ingredients! (Do you go out to buy supplies every day?) Of course, we buy supplies every day and sell them every day, so that there aren’t any left over (ingredients), and if there are any left over, we have to sell them the next day (Don’t you drink alcohol?) I don’t drink. It’s not that I can’t drink a drop, it’s that I can’t drink it all (So you work at a food stall even though you don’t drink alcohol) That’s right, I like it, you probably like relationships, you like business, you can do anything. I like doing things around the house, I like it (on the contrary), I don’t like doing things around the house. I’ll put together the menu. The diverse menu, including meat and tempura, is very appealing! Everyone was keeping an eye on the baseball game results as it might affect the number of customers.If the Hawks (a baseball team from Fukuoka) win, today will be the championship.How can you know if the Hawks will win or not? You never know until you put on your geta.A few decades ago, I was over there (in Nakasu), working at a food stall by the river, so it was amazing (when the Hawks won). (Were you working at a food stall in Nakasu before?)That’s right.After that, I came here and have been here for about six years now, and this is better.I do the same thing every day, 365 days a year, but it’s fun, it’s fun, the customers are different every day, and I arrange the ingredients in the showcase! This is “Donko Shiitake” from Oita Prefecture. This is delicious. With good products, it’s usually best not to add salt or anything. The sweeter it is, the tastier it is. It’s amazing, isn’t it? And it has to be thick. This is the best. I have a secret spot. I ‘ll serve it to a quiet girl if she comes. It was good. If it was raining tomorrow, the weather in Hakata is unpredictable. Even if the forecast says “heavy rain,” it can be sunny (are you often at the mercy of the weather?). Not really. Here, even if it rains or a typhoon comes, we’re open from Monday to Saturday. Unlike other places, sometimes there’s only one shop open, but we’re always open. We’re never closed. We’re only closed on Sundays. Apparently, this is wrapped in paper to retain the moisture for conger eel tempura! (The conger eel) should be thick. This is Saga beef! Beef tongue! Ta-da! I wonder who’ll be the first to order today. It’s rare, maybe once a week. The fresh ingredients that don’t come in because they’re expensive are lined up, and it’s so beautiful! (Business) has good times and bad times. That’s what’s good about it. If it was always bad, I’d stop. Somehow, someone comes and someone eats it, so I ‘m grateful. Ah, that’s good. Good morning. Please come in! You’re early today! Please come in. We’ve already received an order for beef tongue! (Looks delicious!) Delicious. This is delicious! Next up is octopus tempura! Here you go. Octopus tempura! That’s good. Come in! What was so good? Everything! It’s piled high! I didn’t realize it was this big. Itadakimasu ! A female customer was curious about the green pepper tempura, saying , “In Hakata, green peppers are used in many tempura restaurants. ” Oh, really? So (green peppers) are a Hakata style. In Hakata, eggplant, green peppers, and pumpkin are the standard (I thought green peppers were the norm). That’s right! だわ。 English: Are you from Fukuoka? Fukuoka. See, that’s because it’s Fukuoka (apparently they don’t make green pepper tempura in Tokyo). Really?! You just haven’t come across it. There must be one, of course. After all, if you want to add some colour to a tempura platter with vegetables, (green peppers) have a green colour that looks good and they’re delicious . Yes, there’s one in Hakata . Have you decided on a restaurant? Are you sure this is the place? Is it okay here? Sure! Please sit in the middle . Do you have soft drinks? We have! Coke, orange juice or oolong tea . What would you like? Orange juice and oolong tea! I want a drink. Ah, go for it! From lemon sour to beer, shochu! Have they been interviewed? Yes! But they’re famous for some reason. I’ve heard of this restaurant! Ah, that’s right! We’ve got an order for shrimp tempura! Is it tasty? It tastes better without any toppings. People from overseas also feel free to visit! Everyone is very supportive, even if it’s your first time at a food stall! The English word for shiitake is “shiitake mushroom”! Just like that! かまき！ English: How do you say sardine in English? Sardines , mentaiko, and shiitake mushrooms. Thank you for each one! You’re so smart, you’re so smart! Beef tongue is very popular! (Apparently, you visited on your honeymoon! Congratulations!) Delicious! Cheers! I studied Japanese for a year, but I forget it so easily . You’re so good to be able to speak that much in just a year! Yes, beef tongue! Delicious! Turban shells are swimming! Delicious, these turban shells! (The customers are having a great time talking with each other) That’s right! Everyone talk, so I don’t have to! (How did you know this place?) It was just a coincidence, I knew the name of this place. I’m from Fukuoka, and the shrimp was delicious. Yes! (Where are you from?) I’m from Saitama. We came here on our honeymoon to explore western Japan, and I found it to be a wonderful place full of warmth and kindness . The beef tongue was delicious, wasn’t it? It was delicious. Saga beef is probably the best. The squid should have been delicious today, too. The squid was delicious too! That’s great. Be happy. Thank you! Here’s the squid. It looks very delicious! That’s right. Fukuoka’s moms and super grandmas have a hard time at work, don’t they? They eat dinner here at the end and feel like their day is over. 9:00 PM New customers keep coming in! I’m from San Francisco. I arrived in Tokyo 10 days ago and cycled through Honshu and Shikoku to Fukuoka. This is my first time in Fukuoka and it feels great. The atmosphere is different from both Tokyo and Osaka. I also really liked the food stalls. The people were kind and the owner was very friendly, so I enjoyed it . The people of Fukuoka are very friendly! Our customer from Kansai seemed very interested in the food stall! Did you pull it here in a car? Or has it been here forever? No no no, I’ll bring it over (in the car) when the time comes . Mariko, you’re 80, right? 79! My son is 51 now. Ah, we’re about the same age! We’re almost the same now . Ah, he’s my son now! I’m so happy to hear you say that . It’s really too early to cry! I’ll do the tissue paper and he might cry. I love my mom (I can’t imagine it being run by just my mom). That’s amazing. That’s why it’s so popular, Mariko (the proprietress), what year were you born? だわ。 English: I was born in 1946 , so I’m applauding . It ‘s like I’m watching my mom. I see. I’m going to cry. I’ll stop now . I’m going to cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. You’ve got a picture of me looking like I’m about to cry . But I’m glad I met Mariko today! You’ve got a good hand! Thank you, Mariko! See you later. Bye-bye! You have all kinds of sons. That’s what’s good about you, you know? You’re loved. You come to get told off. At 10pm, a group of customers came from Tokyo! It’s delicious! These chicken wings have mentaiko in them. It’s delicious, isn’t it ? That’s great . You’ll have potato (shochu), or barley would be fine! It’s too lively. That’s enough! Thank you. There aren’t enough seats, so we borrowed chairs from another food stall! This is also a sight you can only see at a food stall! Orders come in one after the other, all at the same time! (What do you think of the food stall?) It’s the best! Fun! The best! Warm! It’s great to be able to interact with people. The mother is the best while drinking ! They treat you like a close friend and not an outsider, so they really accept you . It feels like you fit in right away. He’s from Tokyo, but he’s so cool. It’s not easy to admire him , it seems like he’d just end up talking . He does so many things, it’s amazing that he ‘s 80 years old, isn’t he? I was surprised to hear that. I want to live a life like that. I heard that lots of customers come to see their mother. I want to come again, and I want to come again the next time I come! She ‘s doing so much because she’s been working so hard, so she’s in such good spirits . Thank you for the meal. See you next year! Good luck! Thank you. I’ll do my best! I’ll come again! I’ll definitely come again! I’m going home midnight. I’m catching a flight tonight . Yes, Mari! 23:00 Things are finally calming down a bit! We’ve got an order for conger eel tempura! It’s big and looks delicious! 24:30 We’re closed! (It’s been a hectic day!) That’s right! It’s like this every day! (Everyone was saying the proprietress is cool) Cool! I wonder what’s so cool about it, I’m grateful that you’re full of energy, because health is the most important thing, and without health you can’t do anything, it’s not money! If you’re healthy you can do anything (there was an atmosphere of everyone giving me energy) That’s true! That ‘s true! I’m sure the other person gives it to me, but I also give it to them If anything, if someone older than me comes, I think “No!” If they’re 85, I’m only 80, so I think “I still have five years left!” I have such a strong competitive spirit, I hate being outdone by others! I think that’s why we communicate with each other, so we get good customers, and I ‘m grateful (other food stalls) I think it’s fine as long as everyone’s busy, and I ‘ve never thought of myself as the only one who’s busy, so if there’s a customer who can’t get in, I say “go sit next door,” and that’s the best thing Rain tomorrow! I’ll open my shop, it doesn’t matter if it rains or not, I’ll open even if it rains, I have to keep at least one shop open! My feet hurt, my whole body hurts (but I didn’t sit down even once today) It’s always like that, when I get home, I cheer them on and sit down when I want to eat, good work, mom! Good work! (How do you feel when you get home and sit down?) Ah, it’s over. You say I should eat and go to bed, but I eat. I eat. I think there’s a food stall there. For me (because I like it), if it doesn’t suit me, I’ll think it’s too hard (if I don’t like it), I don’t wake up in the morning and want to do the same thing again. I like it, right ? I like talking to people and relationships. Washing dishes is a pain. Even if it’s hard, I can do it because I like it. If I didn’t like it, I would quit sooner.

00:00 Highlights
01:17 The Yatai Build-Up
03:52 The Chef’s Reason for Running the Stall
07:14 Rare Menu : Saga Beef Tongue (Gyutan)
08:01 First Customer Arrives
09:40 Bell Pepper Tempura Mystery
12:49 Customers Share Their Stories
16:29 “Like My Mom”
24:21 The Source of Her Energy

Yatai Hyotan on Showa-dori in Nakasu, Fukuoka City. This yatai is run single-handedly by a warm-hearted 79-year-old proprietress. Everything is outstandingly delicious—beef like Saga beef “beef tongue,” fish, vegetables, and tempura! The “conger eel tempura” is especially a must-try masterpiece. And the secret to its popularity is above all the proprietress’s personality! We followed her closely for one night, where just watching her gives you energy.

Location: Yatai Hyotan
Address: 1 Nakajima-cho, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Business Hours: 6:30 PM to 1:00 AM (Closed Sundays)

#japanesefood #streetfood #japanesestreetfood #yatai #tempura