Behind the Counter at the Freshest Chicken Shop in Japan

this is behind the counter at a local Japanese chicken shop [Music] good morning everyone it is super early this morning 4 30 a.m I am in gotanda station and I'm taking you behind the counter at this local Japanese chicken shop I'm super excited because they make fried chicken here and all sorts of other goodies I can't wait till they open and be able to take you behind the counter in this one all we have to do now is just wait until they open up so I'm going deep into the kitchen of this Japanese family-owned chicken specialty shop shinanoia opened in 1949 going back three generations and located just a three minute walk from gotanda station known by locals for their freshness and quality as they dress their chickens from the start of East morning to deliver the freshest chicken meat and dishes to their customers as possible and fair warning to all the meat is so freshly prepared that the faint of heart may just want to skip this video all together now that you've all been worn this shop's day starts in the dark at 5am good morning he's a delivery driver and usually he's the first one to arrive before everyone comes in it's his job to prepare the storefront and carry in all the deliveries foreign [Music] damn that's as long as I've been in Japan oh that's nice thank you now he moves all of the fresh chicken out of the refrigerator so that morning workers can start dressing them when they arrive at six that looks heavy I guess this is his morning workout what time did you sleep last night geez you don't sleep much then so the shop receives farm fresh chicken deliveries daily refrigerating them overnight to bring out the natural Umami from their bones and finally dressing them first thing the next morning which produces an unmatched level of freshness and flavor when compared to machine processed chicken sold at the supermarket [Music] foreign [Music] one of the workers starts grilling the chicken to keep up with the day's pace how many Yakitori skewers do you grill a day answer so how long have you been working here [Music] oh you have kids how old are they unlike their mom so do you have time for a hobby [Music] damn you've got to respect the hustle so the shop has 15 workers dedicated to making this all happen although it's not the most glamorous job continuously dressing and cooking chicken all day the workers take pride in their craft offering the highest quality chicken possible to their customers maybe in this video I'll talk to a few more workers than usual and get their thoughts thank you meanwhile in the back kitchen the poultry dresser skillfully cut apart the chicken for today's customers working as a team to streamline the process which pretty much happens all day to keep up with the customer orders [Music] hey you got so fast so how many have you been here oh what did you do before actor nice what were you on oh I don't know that one but that's so cool he says that it only works the morning shift so he can be flexible for his acting jobs during the day is it hard to find a game yeah break a leg it's so mesmerizing to see how quickly and efficiently they work but make no bones about it they have some serious work ahead of them addressing 600 kilograms 1320 pounds of chicken each and every day oh here comes the owner in ishizakasan 39 years old and as a third generation he's continuing on the Legacy his grandfather built officially taking over a few months ago while also working here the last 10 years oh good morning can I ask how old you are wow 83. damn you must really love working here no I haven't seen him yet I see who's the boss around here [Music] so has more workers arrived the shop starts to cook their various dishes made with their freshly cut chicken from Yakitori to kuroke [Music] holy mother of mother their karage Fried Chicken is so Majestic no wonder it's their best seller apparently the shop uses chiyu a special type of oil made from their chicken which uniquely enhances all that fried chicken flavor loveliness even when it cools down [Music] hey what's going on back here [Music] apparently they're stocking extra eggs that supplies are low in Japan but it's crammed her usual working space although the shop is still closed there's already a customer just after seven hi do you come here often oh what did you buy cool where's your shop 43 years damn that's some serious loyalty oh nice thanks so for more than 73 years this shop has sit in the same location here in gotanda all the while serving and developing strong relationships with local businesses with many of which rely exclusively on the Shop's chicken meat to serve to their own valued customers oh here's a daily farm fresh chicken delivery at least now we know why the chicken crossed the road oh geez aren't you cold apparently she's retiring this month and says that before she used to perform multiple tasks like many of the other workers but now she works on doing only the simple tasks oh you're selling them that's a great deal [Music] hi you're the former owner right what was the key in making it so successful he says that in his long years of running the business he encountered countless irregular situations which led to many learning opportunities but through it all he recognized that hard work and dedication to their customers was a key to their success how was it for you when your son took over the business he says that at one point he thought his son was going to work in apparel which would have meant the end of his family's Legacy here but was very pleased when the sun decided to continue on the business how did you feel about it oh really I see so what are you gonna do now that you have more time nice it all started when his father's Uncle who owned his own chicken business inspired his father to start his own shop which became popular and since he was eldest son due to Japanese culture it was his responsibility ability to eventually take over the business but when it was his time he decided to give his son a choice and was pleased when his son decided to continue on the Legacy is there anything you change from when your father ran this place [Music] does your wife work here too apparently before they were married and had their two kids currently four and two his wife was excited to help in the family business and is now responsible for the office work and the storefront so what do you do outside of work [Music] ah so this boardroom is in the mountains makes sense considering he went to a university in Hokkaido are you ever going back up before we continue on I want to tell you guys about the awesome people at books who who also sponsor this video I know that many of you have already signed up which is awesome but for those of you who don't know they provide a gourmet experience of Japanese snacks candies and T-Pain delivered to your front door working with Century old family businesses to provide you with authentic Japanese flavors first time users will get a Seasons of Japan box like this one and after that you'll get a themed one the first box is special because it's specifically designed to bring you a taste of Japan's Four Seasons and lets you explore what a year boksu would be like one of my favorites is the white chocolate strawberry which first timers can also try and if you like it as much as I do reorder for yourself or as a special gift for someone so get 15 off your own authentic Japanese subscription snack box from book suit by using my code Paolo and Link in the description oh that's the owner's brother-in-law preparing the deliveries this is definitely a family business in the truest sense are you only responsible for deliveries so you work out dope does your wife work here too oh why doesn't she work here I appreciate the honesty before the store opens like a family they all have breakfast together called makanai which is provided by the shop and of course they make it with their own fresh chicken [Music] finally at 9am the shop opens with customers coming non-stop shops fried and grilled chicken sozai dishes are so popular that items like the Fried Chicken Menchie usually sells out before 10 am [Music] so the shop is known for its Umami Rich juicy and tender meat selectively sourcing domestic free-range chickens called daisendori and shingenori which remains unchanged since the shop was first opened it's one of the reasons why many of its customers often say they won't shop anywhere else foreign at the same time the meat cannon on the side is getting busy as well [Music] let's see if we can talk to that customer wow you bought a lot what did you buy today so do you come here nice so what do you usually get there and why do you come here I see thanks as she said the chickens were alive less than 48 hours ago so the intestines are extremely fresh and this type of freshness is rare in the city [Music] so what are you doing now foreign extra time to hand select the most attractive pieces to offer and deliver to their customers which is probably why the shop has built such a loyal customer base just after 11 30 neighborhood salarymen start to line up to get their takeout lunches as the shop provides various chicken donburi rice bowls all of which are under five dollars the price is so affordable the kitchen must work extra efficiently in order to minimize customer Line times [Music] she's making the saboro chicken bowls which is a Savory ground chicken and scrambled eggs on top of rice it's their best selling item during Peak lunch hours [Music] see how do you like working here I see and what do you like most about your husband um good answer so that's how a dedicated family with equally dedicated worker serves up some of the freshest Chicken in Tokyo and that's another one in the books if you're interested in checking out this spot I'll be sure to leave a link in the description [Music] so that is behind the counter at a local Japanese chicken shop if you guys like this video help me out and hit that like button if you want to help support the channel check out the Tokyo merch 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

Channel: Paolo fromTOKYO

Views: 2,346,992

Keywords: Paolo, Japan, Japan guide, Japan travel, tokyo, tokyo guide, japan food, japanese food, japan food tour, japan food documentary, japanese food tour, tokyo hidden gems, tokyo hidden spots, japan travel food, tokyo restaurant, tokyo food, food documentary japan, japan fried chicken, japanese fried chicken, karaage, karaage chicken, fried chicken, tokyo fried chicken, local chicken shop, fried food, Japanese Street Food, Street Food, Street Food Tour, Tokyo Street Food

Id: F0TlrUG9BRU

Length: 13min 46sec (826 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 31 2023