The existence of Japanese food, Takoyaki, has mushroomed in Indonesia. Generally sold in malls for around IDR 10 thousand. In contrast to takoyaki which is located in Solo, it is sold for only IDR 5 thousand. The owner is named Hada Hiroshi. This man from Japan was initially surprised to taste takoyaki in Indonesia, which is very different from that in Japan.
"The first time I came to Indonesia, I tried takoyaki in Jakarta. However, after trying it, the taste of takoyaki was different from that in Japan. The shape and dough were different. In Indonesia, takoyaki has various contents. In Indonesia "Japanese Tako is just an octopus," said Hiroshi.
The taste of the takoyaki is made as similar as possible to the taste of takoyaki in Japan. He tried various sauces to get the most similar taste. Meanwhile, Japanese is its own characteristic for Hada Hiroshi's Takoyaki shop.
"I really want to learn Indonesian, but to make my work unique, I still want to use Japanese as my own characteristic. There are even customers who directly want to try using Japanese," explained Hiroshi.
If there are customers who speak another language, his wife and children will serve him. The reason he keeps prices low is because he sells in the village. Apart from that, it also uses the simplest way to make Takoyaki.
"Initially I introduced Japanese takoyaki to my neighbors by giving it away for free. Then I started a small business with a small frying pan. Sold it to children at a cheap price. I have never sold it in Indonesia, this is my first time selling it," said Hiroshi.
Even though they have only been selling since July 2019, their merchandise is very popular. In a day he can use 4 kilograms of flour.
The most profit he ever made was IDR 600 thousand. The Hada Hiroshi shop is open from 15.00 afternoon to 20.00 WIB evening.
"There are three menus that I sell, namely takoyaki, ramen and gyouza. But I focus on takoyaki because making takoyaki requires special skills or special vigilance, so like it or not, even though others have taught me, I still can't do it," concluded Hiroshi.