About Us
BOTEJYU: Japan's Pioneer Okonomiyaki and Okosoba Specialty Restaurant Chain
BOTEJYU was established in 1946 in the gourmet city of Tamade, Osaka by Eikichi Nishino. Our restaurant name, BOTEJYU, was coined from the rhythmic cooking sound of okonomiyaki. The first part of the name, "BOTE" comes from the flipping sound of the okonomiyaki and the second part of the name, "JYU", represents the sizzling sound as it cooks on the teppan grill. Since our establishment more than 70 years ago, we have taken pride in our restaurant name and have protected it by registering it as a trademark.
As an okonomiyaki specialty restaurant representing Japan, we are particular about each and every ingredient that goes into our food. Our policy is “crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside”. This batter is a result of many year of development. This batter is made mixing the carefully ground premium flour with our natural broth ( squid, shrimp, bonito, kelp). This special batter allows us to produce flavor, aromatic and crispy okonomiyaki.
The pride and care taken in selecting our ingredients allow us to bring out the full flavor of each ingredient, and is the foundation for what BOTEJYU is today.
Post-War Osaka and the Establishment of BOTEJYU
Despite the harsh conditions after the war, BOTEJYU opened its first restaurant in 1946 in Tamade, Osaka. The emerging black markets in Osaka carried supplies and provision from America that were unloaded at Osaka and Kobe ports. Amongst these supplies was American flour was mixed with water to make pancake as an alternative staple food. Faced with food shortage, this simple, easy-to-cook and nutritious recipe quickly spread among the people in Osaka. The technique of mixing flour with water dates back before the war in traditional Japan, but the living circumstances after the war influenced the evolvement of flour-based food as a staple dish in Osaka.
Daily supplies used by the Occupation Army and rationed goods were the object of adoration during this time. Nishino, the founder of BOTEJYU, set his eyes on a particular item, the “mayonnaise” a condiment that until then was used only to flavor cold food. After repeated trials and error, he managed to sell mayonnaise as an okonomiyaki topping at his restaurant. Dressing okonomiyaki with mayonnaise is a common practice now, but it was BOTEJYU that first came up with the concept.
Japan soon entered a period of rapid economic growth , and it was during this era when the “modernyaki” or OKOSOBA was born. To meet the customer needs at that time, BOTEJYU developed many new items and came up with OKOSOBA, which consolidated both okonomiyaki and yakisoba into one dish.
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