Ja-Pan Fry!

We asked Will and Graeme Burrell from Yarm Road Fish & Chips to send us a few words, videos and pictures from their upcoming Japanese adventure! Their prize to fry fish and chips in some of Japan's premium department stores (similar to Selfridges) is traditionally offered to the winners of the best takeaway at the NFFF National Fish & Chip Awards! Award-winning fish and chip shops from the UK and Ireland set up temporary pop-up stands in Japanese department stores, such as Hankyu and Mitsukoshi, as part of annual British cultural fairs to introduce their cuisine to eager Japanese customers. These events are highly popular, often leading to long queues for the authentic fish and chips, which are still a novelty in Japan.

The Journey

Well, after a bit of gruelling journey (3 flights and 16 hours!) we finally touched down in Fukuoka, our first destination of our Fish and Chip mission. After about 3 hours sleep, Keiji took us over to the British Fair at the Hankyu store and it was nothing short of spectacular.

Will and Graeme Burrell from Yarm Road Fish & Chips

Hundreds of staff, tea pots, scones, pasties and of course a fish frying range (sort of) were set up and ready to go. After meeting our new team, cutting some fish and making our batter, the doors opened at 10am and we had a 50 person deep queue within 2 minutes.

The Lull before the Storm

We were advised to have some fish ready to go but this definitely shocked us a little. The fish and chips with our homemade tartare were flying out for hours. It was crazy to see our Nations favourite takeaway so popular on the other side of the world. The Japanese people love it!

Amazing City

The following 4 days have been just as crazy, though a touch easier now that we’re a bit more used to our surroundings and managed a full nights sleep. The city itself is amazing. We’ve managed to get out after work and see what the Fukuoka has to offer. It’s so impressive, we can’t get enough of the place! On to Osaka in the next couple of days. The bullet train will get us there in no time. We’re told it’s even busier so we’re just getting mentally prepared for that!! Onwards we go!

And that’s a wrap! Fukuoka … it’s been a blast! Arigatō, sayōnara

(Thank you and Goodbye)

Off on The Bullet train tomorrow to Osaka for much of the same

We can’t wait!

Fukuoka 🚄 ➡ Osaka

After a mad week in Fukuoka (both in work and out!), we jumped on the Shinkansen (bullet train) up to Osaka! After just 2 hours and 380 miles we rolled up to our new home for the week. It’s a completely different vibe up here and crazy busy. You can feel the buzz of the city as soon as you get on the platform.

One stop on the subway got us to our Hotel in Fukushima. What a place this is. Yakatori, grills, bars and everything in between.

Anyway, the following day, our liaison, Keiji, managed to get us all VIP tickets to the 2025 expo and the British Consulate for lunch. What an experience that was. Huge set up, thousands of people and some very impressive exhibitions. Never thought we’d get the chance to do something like that!

After a day of rest (ish), we set off to the Umeda Hankyu store to rejoin our Fukuoka team and see our new Yarm Road. It was a little bit tight but after a bit of a rearrange we were sorted. 16 slabs of Icelandic cod later and 1200 tubs of homemade Yarm Road tartare sauce, 10am rolled around and the store opened. A lot of people told us that Ōsaka was busier than Fukuoka but that was quite hard to believe. They weren’t lying. Customers literally sprinted in to get to the front of queue. We couldn’t believe our eyes!! From 10am - 8pm, Wednesday - Sunday, we had a 1.5 hour queue. The Japanese people really love Fish & Chips.

1200 portions a day. Every day has felt like Good Friday. Hard to put in to words!

It’s been a bit of a blur, but an amazing blur. We’ve met amazing people at the shop. The team have been second to none and a special shout out goes to the rest of the British fair UK representatives. What a bunch they are.

It’s been an unbelievable couple of weeks. Some of the hardest graft we’ve ever done, but the best laugh and the most unique experience of which we never in our wildest dreams thought we’d be doing!

On our last train journey back from the store, we talked about how we nearly didn’t get Yarm Road off the ground 8 years ago. Thank god we did. What a whirlwind couple of years it’s been!

Good morning from Osaka! It’s fast, furious and fantastic Ready Steady Fry!