Iwate restaurateur Camellian Products Services, Ltd will open a new restaurant in Rikuzentakada, Iwate Prefecture on Thursday July 17, 2014. The opening of the restaurant, Bishoku Pasta Tsubaki no Mori, is being made possible through a contribution of 30 million yen in loan funds from the Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation (MCDRF). These funds complement support already being provided by The Bank of Iwate, a local financial institution.

Bishoku Pasta Tsubaki no Mori was started by a native of Rikuzentakada as a means of helping to restore employment opportunities lost by the city after the 2011 disaster. The first in a chain of these restaurants was opened on June 1 in Ichinoseki, another city in Iwate Prefecture. Opening its second restaurant in Rikuzentakada, which was badly hit by the disaster, signals the commitment to taking this business initiative forward.

Dishes offered by Bishoku Pasta Tsubaki no Mori will make use of produce from surrounding areas, including noodles from a local noodle maker in Rikuzentakada. These local noodles are known for their glutinous texture, and cook within 2 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness. Meals are priced at an affordable 600 yen, and also make use of basil from coastal Iwate's Otsuchi Town, camellia oil from nearby Kesennuma City (which was also badly damaged by the disaster) and seaweed produced right there in Rikuzentakada. This will also serve as a means of promoting local brands. Creating demand for the region's businesses will undoubtedly have a positive effect on employment generation, but more directly, the opening of Bishoku Pasta Tsubaki no Mori will itself employ some 10 staff, thereby directly addressing the region's employment issues. The chain is aiming to achieve a target of 65 million yen in annual sales from the two restaurants directly under its management in Rikuzentakada and Ichinoseki, and already has plans afoot to open a third restaurant next month in Morioka, the prefectural capital - yet another step towards achieving national expansion.

MCDRF decided to provide support for setting up Bishoku Pasta Tsubaki no Mori in Rikuzentakada because the initiative will create employment locally and because it emphasizes the promotion of local Tohoku brands. Three years and four months have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, but recovery efforts are still underway in areas that suffered severe damage. MCDRF will continue to collaborate with local financial institutions such as The Bank of Iwate to support efforts aimed at the revitalization of industry and employment creation, and overall economic recovery in areas affected by the disaster.

【Bishoku Pasta Tsubaki no Mori】

Tsubaki no Mori Rikuzentakata

Address: 226 Yonezaki Aza Kawasaki, Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Japan

T E L: 0192-22-7021

Opening Hours: 10:00 - 20:00

Holiday: Open all year round

Number of Seats: 50

Parking: 308 spaces available

Menu:

・Basil Pasta

・Eggplant and Bacon Tomato Sauce Pasta

・Crab Chowder

・Takatanoyume Noodles

・Cold seafood Noodles In Koume Soup

Tsubaki no Mori Ichinoseki

Address: 11-1, Kozenzi Aza Ishinose, Ichinoseki, Iwate, Japan

TEL: 0191-48-5750

Opening Hours: 10:00 - 22:00

Holidays: Open all year round

Number of Seats: 150

Parking: 846 spaces available

Menu:

・Basil Pasta

・Eggplant and Bacon Tomato Sauce Pasta

・Crab Chowder

・Samba Dance Mackerel Curry

・Takatanoyume Noodles

・Cold seafood Noodles in Koume Soup

Company Outlines

Camellian Products Services, Ltd

1. Headquarters:         69 Yonezaki-cho michinoue, Rikuzentakata, Japan

2. Date Established:    October 2013

3. Capital:                     6 million yen

4. Business Activities: Design, operation and management of restaurants.

5. Representative:       Kazutoshi Musashi, Representative Director

The Bank of Iwate, Limited

1. Headquarters:1-2-3 Chuo-dori, Morioka-shi, Iwate, Japan

2. Date Established:May 2, 1932

3. Capital:12 billion yen

4. Business Activities: Banking and other services

5. Representative:Yukio Taguchi, President and Representative Director

The Mitsubishi Corporation Disaster Relief Foundation

1. Headquarters: 2-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

2. Date Founded: March, 2012 (became a foundation May 2012)

3. Endowment: 6 billion yen

4. Purpose: 

To contribute to the recovery of regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake through the provision of scholarships and grants for NPOs and social welfare corporations, as well as for recovery of industry and job creation.

5. Representatives:

- Chairman, Ken Kobayashi (President and CEO, Mitsubishi Corporation)

- Deputy Chairman, Yasuhito Hirota (Senior Executive Vice President, Mitsubishi Corporation

- Executive Director, Yoshiyuki Nojima (General Manager, CSR and Environmental Affairs Department, Mitsubishi Corporation)

Mitsubishi Corporation
Telephone:+81-3-3210-2171 / Facsimile:+81-3-5252-7705

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