Behind the Counter at a Local Japanese Oden Restaurant

Behind the Counter at a Local Japanese Oden Restaurant

This is oden.
A very traditional Japanese food. Also known as a winter comfort food, 
dating back centuries in Japan. Kind of like fried chicken or mashed
potatoes with gravy for Americans. In Japan, you can even grab piping 
hot oden at convenience stores in the winter. That’s how rooted the dish is in Japanese culture. The question is, can it create the same warm and 
fuzzy feeling for someone like me who didn’t grow up here? Well, I’m traveling to Tokyo’s Ginza area 
to get to the bottom of this. And I’m going to go Behind the Counter at Kamekou. a traditional Japanese Kanto-style oden restaurant that for
30 years now has continued to nurture their signature broth. Replenishing it and simmering it daily 
to build its unmistakable rich and deep flavor with an aroma that fills the shop. All run by a Japanese man who’s devoted his life
to crafting this authentically nostalgic cuisine. And this may be the perfect spot to find out if this
Japanese comfort food is really that comforting. Oh, here comes the owner, Azuma-san. Good morning! Good morning. He took over the business 15 years ago
to continue on the original owner’s legacy. Do you always bike to work? Yup I live in Kachidoki, so it’s close. Nice. Morning! A worker is here.
Oh, good morning! Azuma-san once worked at Otako. A long-established oden restaurant
with more than a century of history. When the original owner decided to open Kamekou
through the Japanese custom known as “noren wake,” receiving permission to carry on Otako’s signature
oden recipe, Azuma-san was asked to join him. So, how long have you been running the shop? It’s been 30 years now. I started working at 15, so total 45 years. From 15? Yeah, right after Jr. High. Why did you start so early? I wanted to be a chef. He says that one night when he was young,
he had gone to dinner with his father at a traditional style Japanese restaurant. And noticed how impressive and
equally delicious the dishes were. It was at that moment when he got
his first inspiration to become a chef. [Music] [Music] Oden traces its roots back more than
800 years to Japan’s Edo period. A time when street food culture began to thrive. Originally, it was a simple dish. Boiled tofu and vegetables
served with miso on top. But for the busy people of that era,
this style of eating proved too slow. So oden evolved. The ingredients were made to simmer in broth
throughout the day, ready to be served at any time. And it soon became one of the most 
popular street foods of its time. By the Meiji period, new ingredients like
fish cakes were added alongside tofu, konyaku, and vegetables. Shaping oden into the hearty,
comforting dish Japanese know today. – Hey, so what’s your favorite food? 
– Me? Food like sashimi. Cool. And do you drink? Every day! Nice. What’s your poison? I love Shochu. But I drink everything. Dope! I like tequila. Ah… I don’t drink much tequila. I work every day so I avoid strong alcohol. [Laugh]
That makes sense. While waiting for the ingredients to cook,
he refocuses his attention on preparing the fish. Although their primary cuisine is oden,
the shop also serves a variety of seasonal dishes that change weekly,
like sashimi and fried foods. All crafted carefully to pair with a shop’s selection of drinks. Hey, do you have any days off? Sundays. Awesome!
What do you do on Sundays? I watch TV and start drinking in the afternoon. Chill. What do you watch? I like anime. Really? What kind? Isekai Anime. Nice. Hi! Do you watch anime, too? I like manga better. Cool. What’s your favorite manga? Yu-Gi-Oh! Awesome!
And how long have you worked here? It’ll be 7 years next month. My father is also a chef. He says that his father and Azuma-san used to 
work together and his father introduced them. [Music] I’ll do the octopus here. Got it. [Music] Azuma-san continues to prep,
now working on their fresh octopus sashimi. So where are you from? I’m from Shibuya, Tokyo. I went to school in Shoto. Damn, that’s where all the rich people live! Yes, yes. I’m not rich, I just happened to go to school there. [Laugh]
It’s a good spot. I guess, but it’s changed a lot. I suppose. It’s unrecognizable. Hey, do you have any family? Yes. I have a wife and daughter. Oh, how old is your daughter? She’s 22. She works here. Oh, really? She works tonight. Cool, I guess I get
to meet her then! [Music] Now he prepares the stuffing for
the shop’s signature oden korokke, which is one of their most popular items. Their flavored oden is chopped up and
mixed with potatoes and  then fried. Since it must also be cooled down, 
the entire process takes 2 days. What’s that? These are also ingredients for our Korokke. Ah, I see!
So, what do you do when you’re off? I go out with my wife. I also like going to live music clubs. Oh, what kind of music? Idol. Oh, really?
What idols do you like? Nothing major… smaller performers. Like ‘Jiemei’,
a hard-core rock band idol from Nagoya. He adds that he often goes
to these lives with his wife. So, what do you like about this job? I’m always in this area so I can’t really
see our customers’ faces. So when I get empty plates back,
I know the food was good. That’s the most satisfying. I’m sure! [Music] How is it? It’s good. The price of vegetables went up,
so it’s tough these days. Oh, did you recently raise your prices? No! I only raised it when the consumption tax went up. Despite inflation and rising food costs,
Azuma-san does his best to keep his prices steady, valuing his regular customers
more than his shrinking profits. It was only in 2019 when Japan raised
its consumption tax from 8% to 10% that he finally adjusted his prices. For him, every customer is like family. He strives to create a space
where they can relax and feel at home. A place that they can rely on
year after year. Oh, another worker is here.
Hello! [Music] Now that the daikon is finished simmering,
Azuma-san transfers it to the main rectangular pot. Filled with their signature broth made by combining 
their pre-cooked broth with more dried sardines, more thick cut bonito flakes,
and also chicken stock. All slowly simmered for 3 hours
to soak in all of that goodness, creating a deep comforting umami flavor with each bite 
that wraps around you like a warm embrace. Just like the feeling of home! From here, he begins adding
a variety of oden ingredients, carefully timing each one so it’s
served to his customers at the perfect moment. In total, he offers 33 different oden ingredients. And remarkably, he keeps track of how long each 
has been simmering entirely in his head. Oden, after all, is all about timing. Anticipating the rush,
reading the flow of the shop, and managing every ingredient with precision. It’s a craft that only a truly
experienced chef can master, and one that defines the soul of his cooking. Hey, what’s that? It’s our Gyu-suji (beek tendon). It simmers for 3 hours before being left to cool overnight. The next day, they carefully trim away the excess fat
and cook it once more in a pressure pot, creating their iconic “yuusuji” dish. A time-consuming process crafted with care and 
always with their customers’ happiness in mind. So, are you supposed to eat
oden only in the winter? It’s not just available in the winter. People think that, though… I wish people came in the summer too. He adds that his restaurant 
gets crazy busy in the winter, but during the summer his sales dropped to half. This is the thin part of the octopus I cut earlier. I can’t serve it, so it’s for us. Want some? Really? Thanks! That’s so good. Hey, before we continue on,
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my code ‘PAOLO’ in the link in the description. Oh, what’s that? This is tofu pressed overnight to drain the water. Nice. The chef is now adding
all the chopped oden ingredients. Each piece, from the tofu to the
mustard flavored meat, even the potatoes, come together to create
their shop’s one-of-a-kind korokke. The idea for their oden korokke
came to Azuma-san one slow day about 20 years ago. After countless trials, it took him
2 full years to perfect the recipe. Today, it’s one of their most beloved dishes,
something nearly every customer orders. I’ve tried it myself, and the flavor was
unlike anything I’ve experienced. It reminded me of true homestyle cooking. We make this miso to season it. It’s one of our specialities. Oh, really? What’s in it? It’s a mix of XXX, XXX and XXX. Oh, it’s a secret? Yes, it’s our secret recipe. I told him everything. Am I fired? [Laughter] [Music] By the way, do you have any
cooking tips when making it at home? People tend to over-bubble the broth. Here, we gently simmer it. This pot, though, is for pre-cooking so we boil it. For example, the potatoes would fall apart
if boiled on high. You only get broken potato pieces
when you make it at home, right? So, what was it like when you started working? When I was young, I was often kicked by the master. It was like that back then, as a chef. – Seriously?
– No joke. it’s one of the most difficult periods 
in his career as any mistakes he made would often result in physical abuse by his seniors. Instead of giving up, though,
he turned that struggle into motivation to sharpen his skills and
move himself toward a better future. After long hours of work, he’d go home,
buy ingredients with his own money, and continue practicing late into the night. [Music] And now, all those years of
sacrifice on full display, as he adds the final touch
to the shop’s main broth. After letting the “niboshi” simmer for a while,
he pours in the chicken stock, layering flavors to create a rich, balanced 
broth that forms the heart of his oden. [Music] Here, he’s making the makanai.
The shops’ provided meal to the staff. This may not get us closer to the answer,
but hey, it’s pretty cool anyway! Around 1:30pm, the workers all have makanai.
Together, like a family. Today’s menu is a meat sauce pasta with shrimp. Like many traditional Japanese restaurants, 
they take a long afternoon break. Some of the workers even catch a quick nap
to recharge and prepare for the long night ahead. [Music] At 4pm, 1 hour before opening,
everyone returns from the break to perform the final prep. Hey, so what happens when you get sick? I don’t get sick. Wow, that’s crazy.
What if you do, though? If I actually get sick, I’ll have to close down. When it happens, I’ll deal with it then. He says that whenever he feels something’s off,
he immediately takes care of it. The only time he’s ever closed a shop
were for things like air conditioner repairs. It’s a level of dedication a few are willing to make today,
but it’s what sets him apart from the rest and maybe why his customers see this place as a second home. Always open and always welcoming. A little after 5pm, 
the first customer arrives. I think they ordered the oden first. Azuma-san thoughtfully cuts each piece
into bite-sized portions before serving. Since customers often share with each other
while drinking, this small act of hospitality helps create a warm, communal atmosphere
that makes everyone feel connected. [Music] What’s your most popular item? For sure our Daikon and then our Eggs. Eggs! Everyone loves eggs! Also, our fish cakes are very popular. Wow, all of it looks so good. [Music] Oh, Azuma-san’s daughter’s here. So, how long have
you been working here? Almost 4 years. How do you like it? I enjoy it, feels like home. It’s fun to talk to our customers. Also, I like that we have many regulars. [Music] Excuse me.
Do you guys come here often? Yes. We come here twice a week. Oh, you live close by? Very close. Cool.
So, what do you recommend? The oden is of course delicious but I actually
discovered this place by their Oden korokke. It’s so good. Wow.
What’s your favorite? The Seaweed. Hey, you love the Shumai. I meant Shumai. I love the Seaweed. The mochi in deep fried tofu is also great. This is our favorite set. Yeah, I’ve got to have some myself! Okay, so this is what we were waiting for! Check out this oden! It looks so good! Let’s have a bite of this. Mm. That dashi is amazing. Now I know why they consider this a comfort food. After spending a day here with Azuma-san and his team, it’s easy to see that oden isn’t just a 
Japanese food boiled in broth for a few hours. Behind every piece of oden,
there’s a chef like Azuma-san. Some who may have even had to
fight to get where they are today. Carefully preparing each ingredient,
sometimes over days, so that every bowl served brings warmth and 
comfort to those who enjoy it. Every flavor, every texture
reflects the chef’s effort and thoughtfulness in a way few other dishes can. For many Japanese and now, even for me,
oden is more than just a comfort food. It’s a bowl filled with quiet dedication, warmth, and love. And that’s another one in the books! If you want  to visit this spot for yourself,
I’ll be sure to leave a link in the description.

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I went behind the counter at Kamekou, a traditional oden shop in Tokyo’s Ginza, to see how one chef has been perfecting the same broth for more than 30 years. Every day, Azuma-san replenishes and simmers his Kanto-style stock, building layers of flavor that fill the shop with a deep, comforting aroma. Azuma-san began his career at Otakō, one of Tokyo’s oldest oden restaurants with over a century of history. When the original owner opened Kameko through the Japanese custom known as Noren Wake, granting permission to carry on the same recipe, Azuma-san joined him. Fifteen years ago, he took over the restaurant to continue his mentor’s legacy. Oden itself dates back more than 800 years to the Edo period. What began as tofu and vegetables topped with miso evolved into ingredients simmered in broth throughout the day for Japan’s busy townspeople. By the Meiji era, fish cakes, konnyaku, and vegetables had been added, shaping the dish known today. At Kameko, 33 ingredients simmer in harmony, each timed perfectly from memory. For Azuma-san, oden is more than food—it’s a craft shaped by rhythm, patience, and decades of experience.

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