Marukuma, a restaurant themed on "medicinal cuisine, fermentation, and Japanese sake," opened in Muroran City on December 12, 2022. The interior, a DIY renovation of an old eatery, is a comfortable space with warm, inviting downlights.

It All Started with a Part-Time Job on Ishigaki Island

Owner Kanae Fukushima says she became engrossed in the fun and depth of the service industry ever since she got involved in it as a student. Her destiny was sealed at a famous restaurant called "Usagiya" on Ishigaki Island, which she visited for a resort job. While Ms. Fukushima was working at Usagiya, a mother and daughter on a trip came to the restaurant.

It turned out the mother was suffering from an incurable disease and had been told she only had a month to live. The daughter had planned the trip to create lasting memories. Despite their difficult circumstances, the mother and daughter laughed together, enjoyed their meal, and left the restaurant looking happy. Seeing them, Ms. Fukushima was struck by the importance of "mealtime" in life.

This led to her desire to not just serve food, but to connect with each and every customer through food and drinks.

Gaining More Experience and Opening Her Own Restaurant!

What was supposed to be a two-month stay on Ishigaki Island turned into two years. Afterward, she returned to her hometown of Muroran and served as the manager of the popular Muroran yakitori restaurant "Isehiro" for five years until March 2022.

While putting into practice at "Isehiro" the feelings she had experienced at "Usagiya," Ms. Fukushima also devoted herself to studying medicinal cuisine and became certified. She left Isehiro when her eldest daughter started elementary school and opened "Yakuzen Gohan iroha," the predecessor to her current venture. She then began operating "Marukuma" as a pop-up store for medicinal porridge.

She gained experience by operating in borrowed spaces in commercial facilities and restaurants and setting up stalls at various events, steadily building a fan base centered on women in their 30s and 40s.

Regulars from that time have their hearts completely captured, saying things like, "Of course the food is delicious and the medicinal cuisine is appealing, but her personality and smile are the biggest draw," "She's a charmer in the best way possible," and "She's always working so hard, it makes me want to work hard too!"

And on Monday, December 12, the long-awaited Marukuma physical store finally opened!

Her friends apparently helped her for days on end, even with installing electricity and the toilet. "I really couldn't live without the help of the people around me," she says apologetically, but surely her friends just genuinely wanted to build the restaurant with her.