Ajino Mingei Food Service

Ajino Mingei (味の民芸) is a Japanese restaurant chain specializing in hand-stretched udon and Japanese-style meals, operated by Ajino Mingei Food Service Co., Ltd. (味の民芸フードサービス株式会社). The brand opened its first restaurant in Okayama Prefecture in 1976 and has since expanded to roughly 50 locations across Japan, with a concentration in the Kanto region. Its menu centers on udon, soba, set meals (お膳) and boxed meals (お重), and the chain emphasizes freshly prepared food, seasonal menus, and ingredients sourced from domestic producers. The company behind the brand has a longer history than the restaurant chain itself. It was established in January 1964 as Meisei Brook Co., Ltd. (株式会社明星ブルック), part of the Meisei Food (明星食品) orbit, and operated coffee shops and light-meal outlets in Tokyo before changing its name to Mac Co., Ltd. (株式会社マック) in 1970 and then to Meisei Foodservice Co., Ltd. (明星外食事業株式会社) in 1981. The Ajino Mingei restaurant brand was launched in 1976 in Okayama, and the first Kanto location opened in Hachioji, Tokyo, in 1978. The chain reached 50 restaurants by 1987. Ownership changed over the decades. In October 2008, following Meisei Food's integration into the Nissin Foods Group, the operating company was renamed Ajino Mingei Food Service Co., Ltd. In January 2014, the company moved from the Nissin Foods Group to the Sagami Chain Group, where it remains. The company also operates or has operated other restaurant concepts, including Kamaage Udon Suizan, the spaghetti chain JINJIN, Asian Leaf, and the ramen shop Bubuka, as well as the former tonkatsu chain Tonkatsu Mingei and the Binmugi hand-stretched udon brand. Ajino Mingei positions itself around "Mingei quality" (民芸品質), requiring staff to serve dishes quickly while still hot, and around in-store preparation: vegetables, meat and fish are prepped at each restaurant rather than being fully processed in a large central factory. Its udon uses Bicchu-produced hand-stretched noodles from Okayama Prefecture, boiled and then steamed for a total preparation time of about 30 minutes, and its soup stock is made daily in each store with Rishiri kelp and dried bonito flakes from Makurazaki and Yaizu. The brand's catchphrase is "For everyone's affluence and smiles" (みんなのゆたかさと笑顔のために).

The company that operates Ajino Mingei was established in January 1964 as Meisei Brook Co., Ltd. (株式会社明星ブルック) with capital of 10 million yen, within the Meisei Food (明星食品) sphere. In February 1964 it opened the coffee and light-meal shop Hinomaru Tea Corner in the basement of the Kinokuniya Building in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and later added other outlets in the same building, including Brook Bond on the second floor in April 1964 and JinJin in the basement in April 1970. In April 1970 the company changed its name to Mac Co., Ltd. (株式会社マック). The Ajino Mingei restaurant brand was launched in January 1976 with its first store in Okayama Prefecture. The first Kanto location opened in March 1978 in Hachioji, Tokyo. In February 1980 the head office moved to the Meisei Food Building (Kichijoji Tokyu Inn) in Kichijoji, Musashino, Tokyo. In March 1981 the company was renamed Meisei Foodservice Co., Ltd. (明星外食事業株式会社). By March 1987 the Ajino Mingei chain had reached 50 stores. Further concepts followed: Kamaage Udon Suizan opened in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in September 2001, and the operating rights to the ramen specialty shop Bubuka were acquired in February 2002. In October 2008, as Meisei Food joined the Nissin Foods Group, the company changed its name to Ajino Mingei Food Service Co., Ltd. In January 2014 the company became part of the Sagami Chain Group, moving from the Nissin Foods Group. Ajino Mingei has operated across Japan, with a strong presence in the Kanto region; in the Kinki and Chugoku regions, Okayama Prefecture has the largest number of stores, with three. It previously operated in Hokkaido and Miyagi Prefecture, but those locations were transferred to the affiliated company Fukushima Meisei and renamed 'Te-nobe Udon Mugi no Sato.' The company has also run other chains, including the spaghetti chain JINJIN, Asian Leaf, and the ramen shop Bubuka, as well as the former Tonkatsu Mingei and the Binmugi hand-stretched udon brand. As of 2023 the chain had about 50 stores. The brand's operating philosophy centers on 'Mingei quality' (民芸品質): dishes must be served quickly and while still hot. Rather than relying on large factories to pre-process food for delivery, each restaurant prepares vegetables, meat and fish from the initial preparation stage, which the company says yields fresher food than typical chains. Udon is made in the company's own factory, and fried items are cooked to order in the kitchen. The menu changes with the seasons, and over a year almost all dishes may be replaced with new ones, though popular items may remain. In the early 2010s the most popular menu item was 'Kurozu no Sūrā Soup Udon' (black vinegar sour spicy soup udon), which was commercialized by the then-group company Nissin Foods Chilled as 'Ajino Mingei-supervised Kurozu no Sūrā Soup Udon,' released on September 1, 2011. The udon itself uses hand-stretched noodles from Bicchu, Okayama Prefecture. The hand-stretching method has been used since the brand's founding, giving the noodles their characteristic chewiness and smooth texture. The noodles are boiled in a boiling pot for about 20 minutes and then steamed for about 5 minutes, so preparation takes about 30 minutes; steaming allows hot water to penetrate to the core of the noodles, making them plump. They are then quickly washed in cold water and tightened to add chewiness, and the chain insists on serving them freshly boiled. Udon is also sold at the counter for home enjoyment. The soup stock is made fresh daily in each store, using kelp from Rishiri, Hokkaido, and dried bonito flakes from Makurazaki, Kagoshima Prefecture, and Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture; the dashi kelp is aged for two to three years. The chain emphasizes 'safe ingredients,' sourcing seasonal vegetables directly from domestic production areas, mainly Hokkaido livestock products with some from Australia and elsewhere, and seafood from the Sanriku coast, with some imports such as from Vietnam depending on climate conditions. The catchphrase is 'For everyone's affluence and smiles' (みんなのゆたかさと笑顔のために).

• 2014

  Became part of the Sagami Chain Group.

• 2014

  Binmugi opened at Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza.

• 2011

  Nissin Foods Chilled released 'Ajino Mingei-supervised Kurozu no Sūrā Soup Udon'.

• 2008

  Became part of the Nissin Foods Group and renamed Ajino Mingei Food Service Co., Ltd.

• 2002

  Acquired operating rights to ramen specialty shop Bubuka.

• 2001

  Opened Kamaage Udon Suizan in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

• 1987

  Ajino Mingei reached 50 stores.

• 1981

  Company renamed Meisei Foodservice Co., Ltd. (明星外食事業株式会社).

• 1980

  Head office moved to the Meisei Food Building in Kichijoji, Musashino, Tokyo.

• 1978

  First Kanto Ajino Mingei store opened in Hachioji, Tokyo.

• 1976

  First Ajino Mingei store opened in Okayama Prefecture.

• 1970

  Company renamed Mac Co., Ltd. (株式会社マック).

• 1964

  Company established as Meisei Brook Co., Ltd. with capital of 10 million yen.

• 1964

  Opened Hinomaru Tea Corner in the basement of the Kinokuniya Building in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Japanese-style noodle restaurant chain emphasizing hand-stretched udon, house-made dashi, in-store preparation and seasonal menus.

• Hand-stretched udon

  Udon made with hand-stretched noodles from Bicchu, Okayama Prefecture, boiled about 20 minutes and steamed about 5 minutes.

• Kurozu no Sūrā Soup Udon

  A popular menu item in the early 2010s, later commercialized as a chilled product by Nissin Foods Chilled.

• Soba

  Soba offered alongside udon in the restaurant menu.

• Ozen and Oju set meals

  Japanese-style set meals and boxed meals served at Ajino Mingei restaurants.

• Kamaage Udon Suizan

  A related udon restaurant chain with stores in Tokyo, Kanagawa and Gifu.

• JINJIN

  Spaghetti chain with four stores in the Kanto region.

• Bubuka

  Ramen and oil-soba specialty shop.

• Asian Leaf

  Asian cuisine restaurant at Otemachi Financial City North Tower, Chiyoda, Tokyo.

• Incorrect origin labeling of 'ikura' in Hokkaido Fair

Read more

1. 1味の民芸｜手延べうどんが美味しい和食麺処レストランajino-mingei.co.jp
2. 2味の民芸 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
3. 3味之民藝食品服務 - Wikidatawikidata.org