Mushi Charo

令和6年度　伴走型小規模事業者支援推進事業　別府商工会議所

Mr. Maeda, the owner of Mushi Charo, recalls that a French chef friend from Karatsu, with whom he sometimes competes in cooking, suddenly changed his culinary approach.

“It was somewhat different… like it was… lighter…” he noted.

The book this friend gifted him was titled“50-Degree Washing and Low-Temperature Steaming.”

A year later, he met the book’s author, Professor Hirayama, as well as Ms. Haruko, the owner of Fujiya Ryokan in Kannawa. These encounters inspired him to open his restaurant in Beppu, Mushi Charo.

When Mr. Maeda borrowed Ms. Haruko’s Jigoku-gama (Hell steam pot) and tasted his own Chikoh soup for the first time, he realized the soup was infused with the essence of nature. The flavour was so remarkable that he questioned,“What have I been doing until now?”

He decided to leave his position as a hotel chef, turned down job offers from many prestigious restaurants, and renovated the house where Ms. Haruko’s grandfather had lived to create the current Mushi Charo restaurant. He and his wife invested all their retirement savings into opening the restaurant.

Years ago, when he left home for Tokyo instead of pursuing a university education, it was a time of significant student protests. He played guitar and cooked at live music venues, where his wife was one of the customers enjoying his macrobiotic food.

Kitaro, the famous synthesizer player, was a close friend during that period. When Kitaro passed away in an accident, his funeral was held in the Chinese style. Mr. Maeda learned that Kitaro’s father ran a Chinese restaurant, and for some reason, he began working there. This was his first introduction to Chinese cuisine. He humorously reflects that Kitaro’s father helped steer him away from his hippie mentality.

After working at the Chinese restaurant, Mr. Maeda travelled around the country before eventually becoming the head chef at the Royal Hotel in Karatsu. This opportunity allowed him to return to Kyushu, where he had grown up.

Mr. Maeda is a studious individual who reads seven different genres of books in a single day. He describes it as a habit, stating that he feels unsettled if he doesn’t read. He often discovers new insights in books that are located next to the ones he borrows from the library.

He is continually astonished by the way the natural steam from the Kannawa hot springs enhances the flavours in his food.

Why not try his special Chikoh soup that transformed Mr. Maeda’s life?

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