Following the advance of the major beef bowl chain "Matsuya" into Akita Prefecture, Hirosaki citizens were seen to be excited.

Matsuya is a beef bowl chain that offers menus other than set meals and beef bowls, centered on "gyudon". It has 1197 stores in Japan and overseas (as of the end of June), and eight prefectures, including Aomori prefecture, have not yet entered the market.

Of the eight prefectures, the neighboring Akita prefecture opened its first chain on July 27 in the Tohoku Expressway "Hanawa SA (up line)" (Kazuno City). This is the 13th store to open in the service area, with a store area of approximately 75 tsubo and 28 seats. Although it is in Akita prefecture, it takes more than 2 hours by car from Akita city where the prefectural office is located, but it takes about 1 hour from Hirosaki city, so some Hirosaki citizens are crying out for joy.

A man in his thirties who is from Tokyo and lives in Hirosaki says, "I miss Matsuya and eat it every time I go home. I want to go there regularly because I'm closer. It's good to have miso soup."

The author of the douujinshi "Book that calls Matsuya in Hirosaki without permission" and Twitter account "Mikumari" said, "The best news for Matsuya fans in Hirosaki this year. It took two hours to reach the nearest Morioka store. However, from now on, it will be possible to go in half the time. It is a service area accessible by high-speed bus, so I will definitely go when the store opens. "

A man in his twenties who made a U-turn in April this year said, "I was taken care of many times when I was in Tokyo, so I want you to open a store in Aomori as soon as possible." A woman who has lived in Hirosaki for more than 40 years said, "I have never been to Matsuya. I hear that there are plenty of other menus besides beef bowls, so I'm looking forward to expanding into Hirosaki."

A spokeswoman for Matsuya Foods Holdings said, "In the northeastern area, we were able to open a store in Iwate prefecture on the east side. Since we opened our store in Akita prefecture for the first time, we will consider opening a store in Aomori prefecture in the future."