Local Aichi Noodles A Big Hit Overseas

 

Sagami Restaurant in Toyokawa, Aichi

Specialty local Aichi ramen, udon and other noodles, seldom tried by most Japanese in their home regions, are being devoured by hungry slurpers overseas, riding the wave of Japanese noodle culture.

Producers of the popular “Cup Noodle” instant noodle in Kariya, historic “Kasugai Udon”,  and “kishimen” flat udon in Nagoya have all found increasing business opportunities overseas, thanks also to the cheaper yen.

To meet the increasing demand from overseas markets, Nissin, the Kariya-based producer of the instant ramen noodle, will increase production of the product by 30 percent from October.  Nissin is on hiring binge to meet the demand.

The company’s trademark product is rehydratable noodles of classic ramen, known for its thick pork flavor, bundled up in its classic paper cup package. It remains a perennial favorite among residents of the college dorm the world over.

While the company recorded losses for two consecutive years through fiscal 2014 due to the stagnant sales of its other cup noodle products, it expects to turn a profit for fiscal 2015, thanks to the brisk sales of its ramen lineup overseas.

The export value of the company's bar ramen products is expected to more than double this fiscal year from the previous year thanks to brisk sales in the USA, Taiwan, Hong Kong and elsewhere. Company officials said it plans to make inroads to Malaysian and Singapore markets with bar ramen products in the near future.

Kasugai Foods, the manufacturer of traditional local udon noodles, which also operates restaurants in Aichi and Gifu Prefectures, opened its first overseas outlet in Taiwan in July.

The outlet has enjoyed brisk sales although the menu and product prices are set higher than at domestic outlets. Sales from the overseas business now account for more than 10 percent of its total sales, company officials said.

Sagami Chain Co. in Nagoya, which operates Japanese restaurants mainly in the Tokai region, plans to make inroads into Vietnam with kishimen traditional flat udon noodles and other local foods in Nagoya next year.

The company has already opened seven restaurants in China, Thailand and Indonesia. A New York City outlet is planned to open in December.  As kishimen noodles proved to suit Europeans’ palates when they were served at the company’s booth at Expo Milano 2015 in August, Sagami Chain is now considering opening outlets in Europe.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Aichi’s exports of noodle products, including instant ramen noodles, udon, “soba” buckwheat noodles and “somen” fine noodles, totaled 3.6 billion yen ($30 million) during the January-June period, up 20 percent from the same period a year earlier.

The export volume was the largest since the ministry started keeping such statistics in 2006.