"Ethnic Restaurant Jai Nic" (Kikyouno, Hirosaki City, TEL 050-1808-7725 ) opened on September 1st.

The store was opened by Shizuka Sato, who made a U-turn after about 20 years. They serve ethnic cuisine, mainly dishes using cilantro. The store's name is a combination of Sato's nickname "Jai" and an ethnic word. Mr. Sato said with a smile, ``We started calling him Jai because he is energetic, like the famous anime character Gian.''

Mr. Sato moved to Tokyo after graduating from high school. He was hooked on the green curry he tried for the first time in Tokyo, and began dreaming of one day working at an ethnic restaurant. After working as a hairdresser's apprentice and working at a cafe, she got a job at an Italian restaurant. Unable to give up on his dream of ethnic cooking, he started working at an ethnic restaurant at the age of 30.

The U-turn was in 2021. Since high school, he noticed that there were few shops in Hirosaki that served cilantro, so he decided to start his own. People around her objected, saying, ``Not many people eat cilantro,'' but after opening stalls at events that started last September, she was convinced that there were quite a few cilantro lovers. I decided to open a business.

The location that opened is the former cafe "Lian", which was relocated in June. Although he used it as a vacant space, he took on the challenge of interior decoration work on his own. The walls were painted green and the flooring was redone. “It’s my own castle,” says Mr. Sato. The store area is 11 tsubo, and the number of seats is 9.

The menu includes ``Green Curry'' (1,600 yen) and ``Gapao Rice'' (1,500 yen), which change every two weeks, as well as ``Today's JAI Meal'' (1,500 yen). In addition to being available for takeout, you can also order it without coriander or in large portions (100 yen). Drinks are homemade, including lassi (from 400 yen), spicy ginger ale, and masala chai (600 yen and above).

Since Mr. Sato will be operating alone, reservations will be prioritized for the time being. The schedule is 90 minutes, and reservations are accepted at 11:00, 12:30, and 2:00 p.m. Mr. Sato expressed his ambition, saying, ``I want it to become a community place where cilantro lovers can gather as an ethnic restaurant.''

Business hours are 11:00 to 19:00. Closed on Tuesdays.