Minamisuna Danchi, located in Koto Ward, Tokyo, is about 50 years old. About half of the residents are elderly people over 65 years old. At lunchtime, many customers come from outside the complex. The main attraction is "beef rib stewed in beer." A brewery was built in a vacant store. The owner said, "It was cheap because it's inside the complex." Wakabacho Danchi, located in Tachikawa City, has been inhabited for 53 years. A popular restaurant is the Western restaurant "Tekutaku," which opened 12 years ago. Some people come four or five times a day. The most popular dish is the "Obanzai Set Meal," which comes with six types of side dishes. Customers come for this dish. Before long, it has become a place of interaction. ■Customers from outside the complex looking for a "new sensation burger" A five-minute walk from Toyocho Station in Koto Ward. Minamisuna Danchi, which was completed about 50 years ago and consists of eight buildings. About half of the residents are elderly people over 65 years old. There used to be 42 stores in the complex, including butchers and greengrocers. In the 50 years since then, most of the stores have been replaced, and 39 stores remain open, but about 10 years ago, the number of stores closing was on the rise, and the survival of the shopping association was in doubt. Marunaga Fruit and Vegetable Store (in business for 50 years) Hajime Nonoyama (65) "The store owners are getting older and are forced to close. At one point, 20% of the stores closed." In such a place, I discovered a store with a particularly stylish exterior. At lunchtime, it is full of young customers. A customer from outside the housing complex (in her 30s) "I saw a huge line (before) and thought I would come someday." A customer from outside the housing complex (in her 20s) "I saw it on social media, looked it up, and it was close by." In fact, most of the customers are not residents of the housing complex. I'm looking for the lemon cheeseburger. It's a new type of burger made with 100% beef, Gouda cheese, and lemon soaked in syrup. A customer from outside the housing complex (in his 20s) said, "It looks impressive. It has a strong lemon flavor and is delicious." Louis Hamburger Restaurant opened two years ago. Why did they open a restaurant in an old housing complex where the population is aging? Louis Hamburger Restaurant owner Kozuka Kensuke: "It's on the grounds of the housing complex, but there's a lot of foot traffic and the rent is cheap." ■ A brewery in a vacant store in the housing complex On weekends, many people were seen at the store. This was started by the restaurant Gahaha Beer, which opened in 2017. On weekends, the restaurant is full from lunchtime onwards. The surprising thing is... Customer: "I live in the next town over, but I sometimes drop by." "I'm from Yokohama." "(Q. Did you come from Yokohama just for this?) Yes, that's right." The customer who takes the train all the way here is looking for "beef belly stewed in beer." It is a Japanese-style dish of beef belly stewed in a sauce based on homemade beer and red miso. Customer: "It's so tender, it's melt-in-your-mouth." "It's rich and delicious." The secret to the tenderness is the beer the meat is marinated in. In fact, that was also the reason for opening a shop in the housing complex. The owner, Mr. Baba, guided us down a street lined with shops... Gahaha Beer Owner Mr. Tetsuo Baba (45) "This is the Gahaha Beer Brewery." Gahaha Beer was the first in Koto Ward to obtain brewing permission, and built a brewery in a vacant store in the housing complex. Mr. Baba: "To set up a brewery in Tokyo, you would have to pay rent. But because we're in a housing complex, we were able to rent it cheaply." Furthermore, in order to attract tenants to the housing complex, the city has waived key money and renewal fees. This also helped to encourage the opening of the shop. Most of the customers at the shop are from outside the housing complex. This has helped to revitalize the complex. These are the kinds of comments we heard at the greengrocer that has been operating for 50 years. Marunaga Fruit and Vegetable Store (open for 50 years) Nonoyama Hajimeko (65) "We're attracting more and more customers from outside. We've managed to avoid closing down the shopping district." A person who has lived in the housing complex for 50 years (79) "These days, the area is getting lively again with the voices of children." "(Q. I want it to become more lively) Of course I want it to become lively." As the residents age, the stores were disappearing. "Danchi gourmet" has attracted customers from outside and energized the entire complex. ■The reason why Western restaurants serve "Obanzai" On the other hand, here is "Wakabacho Danchi," which began to be occupied 53 years ago. It is a Showa-era "mammoth housing complex" with 37 buildings and a total of more than 1,400 units. Currently, about 20% of the stores in the complex are vacant. Among them, one that stands out is the Western restaurant "Tekutaku," which opened 12 years ago. A regular customer living in the housing complex: "It's a blessing to have a restaurant you like (nearby)." A regular customer (80) living in the housing complex: "This is the second time today alone." The "Danchi gourmet" beloved by the locals is "Obanzai," served in six small bowls. The person who is working hard to preserve the taste is a 24-year-old young man. The owner, Yoshiaki Sato (70), lives in the housing complex with his wife. He used to be a French chef. The opportunity to open a restaurant came when he served food to elderly people living in the housing complex at an event. "The food is so good (the residents of the housing complex) asked me to open a restaurant." After much deliberation, he quit his job and opened a restaurant with his wife in a vacant store in the housing complex. The popular menu, "Obanzai Teishoku," is ordered by 60% of customers. Lunch is 1,050 yen. In addition to rolled omelet, char siu, and white fish, there are three different dishes that change daily so that you won't get tired of eating it every day. First, we start with the rolled omelet seasoned with white dashi. It has a comforting taste and is moist and soft, melting in your mouth. The gentle flavor of the dashi and egg permeates the dish. The classic homemade char siu is also a popular dish. The char siu has a strong sweet and spicy flavor. It has a savory aroma, and the sourness of the onion sauce makes it refreshing. But why is a Western restaurant serving Japanese "obanzai"? Mr. Sato: "At first (Western food) was good, but after about six months, sales dropped. If we don't adapt to the local area, the restaurant won't survive." After much trial and error, they arrived at their unique flavor. It is "obanzai" that mainly uses local vegetables and has a gentle seasoning that makes it easy for even the elderly to eat. A regular customer who lives in the housing complex said, "I think it's steamed cabbage. It's well seasoned and very tasty." A customer from outside the housing complex said, "There's a lot of interaction between customers, so I think it's a restaurant that makes you want to come back." Over half of the customers who come for the "Obanzai" are residents of the housing complex. Before long, the restaurant had become a place for interaction. ■ Will they be hired...? Prototyping "Obanzai" The restaurant was started by a married couple, but last year Sato's wife fell ill, and he was left to run the restaurant alone. If things continued like this, the survival of the restaurant was in jeopardy... That's when Tatsutomo Sunaga (24) showed up. He had previously trained at a sushi restaurant. After he retired, he was introduced to the restaurant by an acquaintance and began working here. Tetsutaku's manager, Sunaga Tatsutomo, said, "Some customers come to this restaurant twice a day, and some even four or five times a day. They really love it." Since he started working here, he has been doing something to protect this precious place for the residents of the housing complex. Sato: "It's a trial run. If we try it once and it's good, we'll serve it at tomorrow's obanzai." A trial run of one of the restaurant's signature obanzai dishes. On this day, he is trying his hand at boiled young bamboo shoots. Sunaga: "I'm nervous. It's one of the dishes that the owner has been making for many years. I don't want to tarnish the owner's reputation." The key to the dish is the bonito stock, and the flavor is... Sato: "It's good." How are the bamboo shoots, the most important part, boiled? Sato: "It's delicious. It has a mild flavor, and is seasoned in a way that older people like." Sunaga is relieved to receive Sato's approval. However... Sato: "No, it's too shallow. If it's not deeper, the soup will spill when you take it away." The choice of container was criticized. However, since there was no problem with the taste, it was decided to use one of the obanzai dishes, "Boiled young bamboo shoots." Sato: "This is a new dish made by a young chef." A regular customer living in the housing complex: "This is the first time, right? It's delicious, you must have learned it." Sunaga: "I hope to add my own touch little by little without destroying Sato's atmosphere." The "obanzai," filled with the thoughts of the two, has woven the bonds between the people living in the complex. [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp