Fulfilling Dad’s Dream: At 21, He Opens a Beloved Japanese Oden Eatery That’s Packed on Day One

▲At just 21 years old, Lai Yishou helped his father realize his childhood dream of opening an oden shop. (Photo provided by Lai Yishou, same below)

Reported by Zhao Yuting

What were you doing at 21? In Pingtung’s Chaozhou, there’s an authentic Japanese-“Taichouya Japanese Oden”, run by 21-year-old Lai Yishou. A Japanese major at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, he pursued his father’s dream of opening an oden shop. During his time in school, he even went to Japan as an exchange student,where he learned how to make authentic Japanese oden at a friend’s home. After returning to Taiwan, he handled everything from store decor to simmering sauces himself, and finally opened on March 5, making his dad’s “oden” dream a reality.


▲A shop that carries his father’s dreams.

Lai Yishou went to Tokyo as an exchange student when he was 19. During a holiday, he visited a friend’s home in Kyushu, which happened to be a century-old oden shop. By chance, he began learning the craft there. Lai Yishou laughed and said,My dad loves oden, so he used to take us kids out to eat it all the time. When I was in Japan, I found my friend’s oden shop incredibly delicious, and thinking about my dad’s dream, I decided to bring that wonderful taste back to Taiwan.

After returning to Taiwan and graduating, he started preparing. Lai Yishou said that since he was in a band, his initial motivation for opening the shop was simply to have a place to perform — where he and his friends could play guitar and sing, and audiences could enjoy food while watching the show, killing multiple birds with one stone.

Even so, Lai Yishou didn’t cut any corners when it came to the shop’s interior or sauces. A lover of Japanese culture, he brought all the decorations from Japan himself. He also specially offers Japanese yukata for customers to take photos in, and the murals on the walls were painted stroke by stroke by him and his friends — taking nearly a year to create a truly authentic Japanese-style oden eatery.

Lai Yishou said that Chaozhou is actually quite rural, with limited international exposure, so he also wanted to bring in more diverse cultures for locals to experience and broaden their global perspective.


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▲The walls are covered with many photos taken during the decoration process with friends.


▲Lai Yishou is especially grateful for the help of his friends along the way.

In order to serve authentic Japanese oden, Lai Yishou goes out of his way to source handcrafted ingredients from other counties if necessary. Additionally, he insists on making the “sauces” himself by simmering them from scratch, using what he learned in Japan to create a unique, authentic flavor. Lai Yishou said,If I were opening this shop just to make money, I could easily buy those cheap oden ingredients made with additives. But this is my dad’s dream, and it’s also the Japanese culture I love — so I have to do it properly.

For the broth, Lai Yishouuses simple, natural ingredients like kelp, dried bonito, soy sauce, and miso to simmer the base,He laughed and said that although it’s something anyone could make at home, it needs to be simmered for three hours to let all the essence infuse into the broth. You have to control the heat, the water ratio, and the order of adding ingredients to create a rich, flavorful soup.


▲Oden from Taichouya.


▲The shop’s interior has a Japanese indie vibe.

But thanks to his dedication, Taichouya attracted a huge crowd just a week after opening — selling out all the ingredients prepared for a whole week in just one day. And because he loves the indie style, he originally didn’t plan to put up a sign, but after repeated requests from customers, he’s now preparing to design one. That way, people who want to “go Japanese” won’t have trouble finding the place.


▲At just 21 years old, Lai Yishou fulfilled his father’s childhood dream.

Taichouya Japanese Oden
Address: No. 39, Lane 71, Rongtian Road, Penglai Li, Chaozhou Township, Pingtung County
Business Hours: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Closed on Wednesdays)