Tamuya: The Ideal Izakaya for All Ages

By Aiko Tanaka

A group of children are happily coloring in their books while others are engrossed in reading and laughing joyfully. Meanwhile, the adults are indulging in delicious food and drinks. All of a sudden, new customers arrive and enter through the door. 

   “Irassyaimase! welcome,” says the owner of this shop, in Japanese. 

   ”Sumimasen!” one of the customers is giving a call to the shopkeeper.   

  Right after that, the shopkeeper takes the order. 

  This Izakaya is known as Tamuya. There are five counters, four tables on the floor, and five on the zashiki. Customers enjoy many kinds of dishes and drinks every day.   

  Tamuya is an exceptional Izakaya situated in Asakura, Kochi city. Typically, Izakaya is a place where adults come to drink and socialize. However, Tamuya stands out from other Izakayas. It is heaven for adults and children, as Tamuya offers toys, coloring books, and origami paper for kids to enjoy. Moreover, Tamuya has managed to thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic, which many other businesses have struggled to do.   

  A girl’s group of customers were talking about why is this shop was named Tamuya.   

 ”Tamuya is named after Katsuyuki Tamura,” said Mr. Tamura. “One of the shop’s staff suggested that he hope Tamuya will become the Izakaya that reflects my passion.”   

  “Tamuya was built in December 2019,” Mr. Tamura continued. “Tamuya is run by a company called Office Partner. Tamuya, now in its 4th year since its establishment, has come up with various plans and has sought to become a shop that the local people love. Even now, I will adapt and reflect on the shop soon after I develop a new idea.”   

  Mr. Tamura said, “Our company runs this shop. As a company, we wanted to provide business for the Asakura region.”   

“I wanted to run a social gathering place in the company group after the ‘One Step exchange event,’ a matching business between students and local companies. Furthermore, I wanted to create a shop that university students could use. Moreover, I wanted to create a shop in Asakura, a residential area with few shops where children can be boisterous.”   

 ”Kochi prefecture has a strong sake culture, and there are many opportunities to bring the family together for Izakaya. However, many people are reluctant to take their children to an Izakaya because they are worried that they will cause trouble. I once took my child to an Izakaya and felt small in the shoulders.”   

 Children were playing with a lot of toys and coloring books.   

 ”We have tried to create a shop where children could enjoy themselves and not have time on their hands, and we wanted to change the scene of children looking at their phones all the time while their parents eat and drink, even if only a little,” said Mr. Tamura. 

 Smartphone penetration is now reaching 90%. In addition to smartphones, the penetration rate of tablet devices is also on the rise. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred, and new ways of working and learning to use the Internet, such as working from home and remote classes, were established. Compared to 10 years ago, more children were playing games on YouTube and using smartphones and tablet devices.  

A university student often buys a lunch box.   

“I love Tamuya because even though it is an Izakaya, they serve lunch and sell lunch boxes,” said the customer with a big smile. “My favorite is the Karaage bento - the Karaage is so big it cannot even fit in the box!”. 

 The Izakaya has part-time students and staff, so it is open day and night. Many customers come to buy lunch boxes not only at noon but also at night. Busy parents with children have said it is beneficial and helpful.   

“Tamuya has three menu patterns,” said Mr. Tamura. “The first is the basic menu, which has classic dishes that have stayed the same since the restaurant was founded. The second is the seasonal menu. Seasonal vegetables and fish that change with the season are procured, and various dishes are completed according to the ideas of the store manager. The third is today’s recommendation. Customers can enjoy dishes made with ingredients that the store manager has bought to try.”   

 ”There is tamagoyaki that is cooked on an iron plate; however, since the egg is put in front of us, we can enjoy it with our eyes and eat it to our liking, so I recommend it. I often come here because I can eat Japanese, Western, and Chinese,” said one customer. “It is rare to find Chinese food in an ordinary izakaya, even if it has Japanese and Western food,” according to statistics. “Having a wide variety of dishes is one of Tamuya’s selling points. Furthermore, it makes sure that being able to choose what customers want to eat from a wide variety of dishes is one of the reasons why it is famous as a shop that both children and adults can enjoy,” the same customer added.   

 The owners explained that Tamuya Izakaya is not aiming to open more stores, but to continue to create stores loved by the community.   

” Mr. Tamura said. “We are thrilled that local elementary schools come to Tamuya for lunch, parent-teacher conferences, etc.   

Of course, since it is located near a university, said Mr. Tamura, “it would be nice to have more university students come to the restaurant.” 

 

For more information:

Tamuya’s Instagram

Tamuya Website

Office partner Home page

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