STAFF INTERVIEW
"The Fighting Chef"
in the Tokyo Station Area
Aiming for ¥1 Billion in Annual Sales.
Hibiya Manager & Tokyo Area ManagerKeijiro Yamashita
This is an interview with a Tempura & Wine Oshio team member. This time, we talk with Keijiro Yamashita, who manages both our Hibiya shop and the Tokyo area.
He joined us in 2020, right in the midst of the pandemic. Previously, he worked as a sales associate at Adidas, with no restaurant experience. After helping launch our Nakano shop and serving as manager, he became the Tokyo area manager. Now, at our flagship Hibiya location, he focuses on maximizing the shop’s profits and mentoring the next generation.
The interviewer is our founder, Oshio.
From Adidas Sales to the Restaurant World
OshioYamashita, you’ve been with us for quite a while now.
YamashitaYes, this is my seventh year.
OshioYou used to work at Adidas, right?
YamashitaThat's right.
OshioIt’s amazing how you switched to a completely different field and have grown so much.
YamashitaWell, a lot has happened along the way.
OshioThat’s true. Many of your seniors have moved on, and now you’re fourth in line after Takashi, Kotani, and Makocchan (Sakae).
YamashitaYes. That’s why I feel I need to lead the company forward. Those three originally knew you, Oshio, but I came from outside. By moving up, I hope to inspire everyone to aim higher too.
OshioImpressive. We’re counting on you.
Aiming to Be a "Fighting Chef"
OshioBy the way, you look even bigger lately! Are you joining Breaking Down again? (laughs)
YamashitaNo, I won’t be doing that anymore. But being a fighting chef sounds cool, doesn’t it?
OshioLike Sanji, huh? (laughs)
YamashitaI’m aiming to be like Goku! (laughs)
OshioKeep up that spirit and lead the Hibiya and Tokyo teams.
Hibiya Shop Surpasses Last Year’s Sales Since May
OshioEven this year, Hibiya’s momentum hasn’t slowed. You’ve been beating last year’s numbers since May, right?
YamashitaYes, everyone has been working hard.
Here are the monthly sales (excluding tax) for Hibiya in 2026.
| Month | 2026 | 2025 | Year-on-Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | ¥14,200,000 | ¥13,780,000 | +3.0% |
| February | ¥13,480,000 | ¥13,770,000 | −2.1% |
| March | ¥15,260,000 | ¥15,580,000 | −2.1% |
| April | ¥14,750,000 | ¥15,610,000 | −5.5% |
| May | ¥16,740,000 | ¥15,890,000 | +5.3% |
| June | ¥14,850,000 | ¥14,560,000 | +2.0% |
| July | ¥15,210,000 | ¥14,290,000 | +6.4% |
| August | ¥15,500,000 | ¥13,420,000 | +15.5% |
| September | ¥14,350,000 | ¥13,470,000 | +6.5% |
| January–September | ¥134,340,000 | ¥130,370,000 | +3.0% |
From May to September, we exceeded last year's results for five consecutive months, with a total increase of 7.0% year-on-year. August saw a 15.5% increase.
We entrust our part-timers with both responsibility and autonomy
OshioThere are a lot of staff—must be quite a task, right?
YamashitaYes, it can be challenging since we have many unique personalities.
OshioIs there a tip for success you could share with other locations?
YamashitaWe include part-timers in our PDCA cycle, not just full-time staff. The part-time leader takes charge of customer service, and we give our part-timers both responsibility and freedom.
We tell them, 'Feel free to adjust operations to suit your style,' and fully entrust them with front-of-house and guest service. Our full-time staff can then focus on the kitchen. This way, both food and service work together smoothly. My role is to keep everything running in harmony.
OshioYou've always been good at bringing people together.
YamashitaYes, even now, I often hear feedback from various shops—it keeps me busy! (laughs)
OshioI see—maybe I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that! (laughs)
My next goal: 'I want to try being president at least once.'
OshioOur Tokyo team, and Yamashita-kun too, have really been growing nicely. Do you have a next goal in mind?
YamashitaWell... I actually thought about going independent once, but they convinced me to stay (laughs).
OshioWell, let's set that aside for now (laughs).
YamashitaRight now, I genuinely want to grow our Tokyo team even bigger. I think the company as a whole is moving toward creating more independent divisions, so I'd like to try being president at least once.
OshioIf it's you, Yamashita-kun, you can do it. We're counting on you!
YamashitaIt still doesn't quite feel real, but I'd like to aim for annual sales of about ¥1 billion just in the Tokyo Station area.
OshioAlright, let's give it a shot!
YamashitaYou sound just like Goku (laughs).
From Adidas sales to the restaurant industry during the pandemic—after launching our Nakano shop, serving as manager, and then area manager, Yamashiro Yamashita now leads both our Hibiya shop and the Tokyo team. 'If someone like me, who came from outside, can rise up, everyone else can aim higher too.' True to his words, new leaders are emerging, inspired by Yamashita's example.
We're looking for new team members to join us at Tempura & Wine Oshio.