Kyoto Ichinoden chooses Hong Kong

Japanese restaurant chain Kyoto Ichinoden has opened its first overseas restaurant in Hong Kong.

The launch celebrates the brand’s 100th anniversary while also tapping into the city’s unique role in the region and its close ties with the Mainland market for future expansion.

Kyoto Ichinoden’s debut local restaurant has opened at Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, in Tsim Sha Tsui. It serves traditional Japanese cuisine including Kyoto kaiseki (multi-course dinner) and traditional Kyoto dish saikyozuke (seasonal meat or fish fillet pickled in Saikyo miso).

“Hong Kong is a vibrant city situated in the heart of the region,” said Kyoto Ichinoden HK president Jumpei Tanaka.

“Strategically, Hong Kong is our first choice for expansion because of its geographical and economic advantages. Moreover, there is a strong passion for Japanese food, so this gives Japanese restaurants a very good head start to set up a presence here. The city is also very strong in terms of logistics and transportation, ensuring efficient supplies of fresh ingredients – essential for the operation of high-grade Japanese restaurants like ours.

“We expect that soon we may reach out to the Mainland market and other places in East Asia from Hong Kong, given that the city is close to the Mainland market and a major business hub in Asia.

“As the Greater Bay Area (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area) has become an important development and that Hong Kong plays a key role within it, having a first overseas base in Hong Kong will also help our brand build solid customer confidence and spread quickly to the Greater Bay Area in the near future.”

InvestHK helped Kyoto Inchinoden launch in Hong Kong.