We're Running A Restaurant!?

🧑‍🍳 An Unexpected Career Path!

Have you ever decided to take on something new that seems totally CRAZY? Well, if you guys didn't know, I'll not only be making fun Japan videos...

I'll also be running a restaurant!

Yes, I'm still surprised that I'm saying this out loud too! Mr. Eats and I will be running my parent's A5 Wagyu restaurant!

I'm sure many of you are surprised and have a LOT of questions! I'll do my best to explain!

My parents have been running Yakiniku Torijyu for over 50 years! It's a Japanese-style grilled meat restaurant. When my dad started, yakiniku wasn't very common food in Japan. But as it started to get popular, Dad saw his chance and took it – and it was a hit!

He was able to grow his restaurant from being just another corner yakiniku restaurant, into becoming a local legend! The longer he ran the restaurant, the more passionate he became about selling the freshest, highest quality beef that he could! He now specializes in selling Miyazaki Gyu. This specific beef is loved for its perfect balance of rich fat and sweet meat. A lot of wagyu tends to be overly fat, but Miyazaki Gyu feels like you're eating a steak that's also butter at the same time!

In fact, this beef is so good that it won Japan's "Wagyu Olympics" 4 consecutive times in a row! This national competition compares the best beef from across Japan to find which farm is raising the most delicious beef in the country. And it was this beef that won my dad's heart!

All of this sounds great, but there's one problem: My dad is getting older. He's spent over 50 years of his life working hard at the restaurant all-year-round. When he was younger, he almost never took vacations. But now that he's almost 80-years-old, he's being forced to retire...

He told me that he wants to work until the day he dies. But his body just can't keep up.

That's why Mr. Eats and I decided to step up to the plate! While Dad is still strong and healthy, we want to learn as much as we can from him. Then, we will do our best to carry the legacy of Yakiniku Torijyu on our shoulders!

Again, it sounds CRAZY that I'm saying this all out loud! I still have some fears and doubts about whether we can do it or not. But we only live once, right? What's the point of going through life without taking on a challenge or two?

So expect to see MORE of our restaurant! We can't wait to share more of our journey with you! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, because we're taking a giant leap of faith!

P.S. If you guys wanna see more about the restaurant, you can check it out here!

-Mrs. Eats

🈴Japanese of the Week

In Japanese of the Week, I want to give you some useful and interesting Japanese words or phrases for any of you who are interested or studying Japanese language!

Today's Japanese of the Week is 和牛 (Wagyu)!

Wa (和) has many meanings, but in this case, it means "Japanese". We often use this word to describe Japanese style things. For example, a Japanese-style tatami room is called a Washitsu (和室).

Gyu (牛) means cow.

So when you put these two characters together, it means "Japanese cow"! If you're talking about having a meal, then it means "Japanese beef".

You can say something like:

和牛を食べたい！　(Wagyu wo tabetai) - ”I want to eat Japanese beef."

Interestingly, many non-Japanese think wagyu is referring to the premium, high-end beef like Miyazaki Gyu. But that's not true! Wagyu ONLY means 'Japanese beef'! If you want the REALLY good stuff, then you have to use the specific names like 宮崎牛 (Miyazaki Gyu), 神戸牛 (Kobe Gyu), or 松坂牛 (Matsuzaka Gyu).

When you say that, THEN we know you want the good stuff!

💖My Favs

My Favs is where I share some of the things that I've really been enjoying lately! It can be an article, video, music, food, or something that I bought recently!

📝Merch - Uniqlo is releasing some new Pokemon-themed t-shirts based on the classic games!

This is such a cool and nostalgic way to show your love for this iconic game! When Mr. Eats saw these, he said, "I gotta buy 'em all!" I think these would make a great Japan souvenir for your friends and family too!

🥤Food & Drink - In America, there was a soda that I NEVER saw in Japan: Dr. Pepper! I was surprised to learn that it's flavored with 20 kinds of fruits! Well, it looks like a Japanese company decided to make their own version of the drink, and I just LOVE the name: Mr. Popper!

I haven't tried it yet, but just by the name alone, I think I'm gonna like it!

🎬 My new video

If we scared you with the title of the video, don't worry! We're not quitting Youtube! But we do share some hard truths about what it's like to be a full-time content creator! We also talk a bit more about the restaurant too! So if you haven't seen it, check it out!