Name: Behind the Counter at a local Japanese Taiyaki Sweets Shop
Uploaded: 2025-07-26T18:01:17.000Z
Duration: 14 min 44 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

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This is behind the counter at a local Japanese taiyaki shop So it's a little early this morning just before 5 a.m here in tokyo But we had to get up this early in order to be here when the shop opens So it'll just be a few more minutes before we can get this thing started All right We're doing this and truly going deep into the kitchen where no customers are allowed at hiragi a local japanese taiyaki shop Just a two-minute walk from tokyo's abisu station Taiyaki is a traditional japanese sweet cake filled with glorious red bean paste and perfectly sandwiched between fish-shaped like pancakes This shop is known for its thin crispy crust and its overwhelming amount of tsubuan a chunky style of red bean paste all freshly prepared In store on a busy day the shop sells as much as 1500 taiyaki and today i'm taking it behind the counter So you can see how it all happens Good morning He's a store manager genki.

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I guess this is the usual mood So He helped open up the shop in 2006 where the first two shops located in hyogo prefecture and as you can see he's still here managing the shop The first thing he does is prepare the red bean paste for tomorrow also known as hanko in japanese The beans are sourced directly from yotei hokkaido the area producing 80% of japan's supply grown near the area's volcano The beans are naturally rich in minerals and full of flavor, which is a reason why many high-end japanese sweets makers source from here While the red beans are heated He prepares the taiyaki batter a blend of different types of both flour and sugar at the perfect ratio to create the shop Signature light and crispy outer taiyaki shell So how long have you been working here?

18 years wow  Originally from hyogo genki started working part-time at the original shop after learning about the job opening through his father who actually Delivered their red beans and then when the opportunity arose to establish a new shop in tokyo on his own He welcomed the challenge and seized the opportunity to start a new life in a different city So What are you checking Oh, does it make that much of a difference Got it Nice the first round of boiling is complete but to bring out the beans full flavor He boils them for another round with almost two decades of experience over time He's mastered this unique craft where he can confidently produce a consistent high quality Yo, are those plants yours Dope you have other hobbies Oh you have kids Oh cute Yeah Around 6 a.m.

Genki starts setting up the storefront So, how did you meet your wife How old was she back then 28 Wow eight years you like him with experience So about 16 years ago his wife worked here for a few years and after working closely together They built a strong connection with one another he adds that mornings at the shop are very quiet by himself Luckily, he now has a lively family back at home, which provides a good balance  Around 7 30 a.m.

He prepares the shop's taiyaki grill turning on the flame cleaning with a brush and finally oiling it So Before the shop starts pulling their standard taiyaki Genki prepares the iyashi taiyaki meaning that it's chilled a seasonal menu item crafted specifically for the summer The way it's created is completely different from the shop's regular taiyaki as it also includes an additional filling It's getting hot in here, huh Don't you have ac Kind of like a sauna Is it done now You I see it looks good to me though After a little bit more cooking the red beans are ready Genki expertly adds sugar and water to the freshly boiled beans to finish them off and depending on the season and weather on that Day, he makes adjustments based on his years of artisanal experience In japan red bean paste used to be more of a savory food when monks use it as a substitute for meat The shift to sweet occurred during the budo machi period as the tea ceremony became popular and japanese indulge in sweet Anko to pair with our tea So do you think it's easy to make taiyaki Thank you No beans about it Taiyaki itself dates back to japan's meiji period created mysteriously when a vendor decided one day to take a cylinder shaped japanese snack Called imagawa yaki and shape it in the form of a thai fish red seabream an auspicious fish japanese commonly used in Celebrations back then the seabream was quite an expensive fish for regular people.

So taiyaki became a popular lucky fortune alternative So this is truly japanese artisanal food craftsmanship that you're gonna have to try when you're in japan But if you can't wait, let me tell you about the sponsor of this video Who want you to experience japan from the comfort of your own home through their snack boxes?

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They for sure don't skimp here in japan There are slight regional variations in the way taiyaki is made This shop's taiyaki is definitely a kansai style known for its thinner crust and thick thick portion of anko Now he pours the other side Then he flips the side with the anko onto it cooking that for another 15 minutes He says that the recipe hasn't changed for at least the last 10 years The owner had made minor adjustments over time to continually improve and perfect the recipe But that was over a decade ago since then it's remained a timeless favorite among their customers As he starts the next griddle he flips the taiyaki to cook the first side one more time after another 15 minutes He cooks the other side again for 15 minutes to finally form the perfect taiyaki one hour in total Basically there's just a 15 minute gap between each batch of taiyaki all the while He's continually switching between batches while also cleaning up and preparing other shop items.

So no time is wasted Nice, the workers are here.

Good morning A little before 10 a.m He starts to trim the edges of the taiyaki and lines them up as there's usually customers at the front right when the shop opens Ensuring that the customers don't have to wait for their freshly made taiyaki Hi, what are you drinking?

Sounds fire At 10 a.m, the shop is finally open for business Oh the first customer is here And After this customers just keep on coming and the shop's taiyaki is selling pretty quickly But according to the shop, this is an average slow day.

They must be really cooking on a busy day For sure, what about you is it your favorite sweet?

So have you worked here long Here though, why did you choose to work here?

Hey, that ain't bad apparently the shop offered free taiyaki to people during their interview.

Oh cool, do you know what you want to do in the future?

I'm not sure, but I want to do something that has to do with foreign countries Well, I hope it comes true.

Oh, that's more than a decade So what do you do for fun  Nice which game apex I do you must be good Apparently taiyaki's high season is in the winter as japanese love this piping hot comfort sweet on cold chilly days while in the summer It's less attractive due to japan's hot days and sales are one-fifth of that in the winter Therefore depending on the season he adjusts the amount of batter the shop produces accordingly cool Cool.

Denki is making chilled red bean soup Who makes the new menu Does he ever come here He's still at the original store, right Oh, do you wish you would come here more Yeah, it's probably better this way Yeah From 11 a line starts to form and the shop is getting busier and busier Apparently it closes as soon as the shop sells out of their taiyaki which in the summer is around 6 or 7 p.m They seem busy.

Oh you came back Yeah, I saw you buying a lot Well, enjoy thank you Since taiyaki can be refrigerated and heated up for later.

The japanese often purchase more than one to take home and share with their family Hi, do you come here often?

Thanks So what's the most important thing for you when working here  Confidence is important And that's another one in the books if you want to check out this place for yourself I'll be sure to leave a link in the description So that's behind the counter at a local japanese taiyaki shop If you guys like this video like always help me out and hit that like button If you guys want to help support the channel then definitely check out the merch as well as my hot sauce And if you guys want to see more videos like this or anything related to japan Hit that subscribe button and the bell button.