Harvester Yakumo: A restaurant inspired by the Colonel from KFC

The antheral who made KFC truthful fashionable astatine Christmas brought a sensation of Kentucky to Japan successful much ways than one.

Back successful 1970, Takeshi Okawara, the manager of Japan’s archetypal KFC restaurant, introduced customers to the thought of eating fried chickenhearted astatine Christmas, and since past the Colonel’s fried chickenhearted has grown to bask wide popularity arsenic the nation’s accepted festive meal.

While that facet of the chain’s past has been good documented, that wasn’t the lone acquisition Okawara gave the state successful his relation arsenic KFC’s top promoter successful Japan. Okawara — who present serves arsenic the CEO of nutrient manufacturing institution Del Sole — was truthful impressed by Colonel Sanders’ ranch successful the Commonwealth of Kentucky that helium opened a akin edifice up successful Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido.

▼ The edifice is called Harvester Yakumo.

Harvester Yakumo has been described arsenic a “KFC trial farm”, wherever they enactment to amended the prime and sensation of KFC chickens, and it’s highly lauded by locals arsenic a spot to bask a sensation of Kentucky Fried Chicken, extracurricular of its accustomed accelerated nutrient surroundings.

It’s a small disconnected the beaten path, though, truthful the champion mode to get determination is by car, oregon by taxi from Yakumo, the nearest bid station.

Our newsman Seiji Nakazawa took a cab from Yakumo Station to the edifice recently, taking clip to bask the scenery during the ten-minute journey.

The hills and achromatic birch trees made Seiji consciousness similar helium was successful a European country, and arsenic helium drew person to his destination, helium began to marque retired a gathering astatine the apical of a hill.

The operator told him this was Harvester Yakumo, the birthplace of “herb chicken”, and erstwhile helium was dropped disconnected astatine the beforehand of the restaurant, Seiji could spot a motion that proved precisely that.

▼ “The birthplace of Herb Chicken”

According to the sign, herb chickenhearted is fundamentally chickenhearted that’s been raised connected provender that includes herbs. While KFC Japan prides itself connected lone utilizing chickenhearted grown domestically, the concatenation doesn’t notation the usage of herb chicken, truthful it looked similar Seiji was successful for a high-class KFC-esque experience.

Upon stepping done the beforehand door, the narration betwixt this edifice and KFC was wide to see, with a ample sheet describing the past of Okawara and Harvester Yakumo. According to the details, the conception of this edifice was influenced by the Colonel, inspired not lone by the sensation of his fried chickenhearted but besides the mode of beingness and doctrine of the KFC founder.

▼ “The casual mode becomes harder, and the hard mode becomes easier”

However, this is Japan, wherever thing is arsenic straightforward arsenic it seems, truthful Harvester Yakumo is technically classified arsenic an Italian restaurant.

▼ For that reason, dishes specified arsenic pizza and pasta look connected the menu…

▼ …but don’t you worry, fried chickenhearted is firmly connected the paper too.

The ordering strategy is simply a spot similar a cafeteria oregon udon concatenation restaurant, wherever you archetypal prime up a tray and proceed to a agelong antagonistic to spot your main order, earlier serving yourself fried chickenhearted and sides similar salads from the show cases.

After paying for your meal, you past instrumentality your tray to an bare array successful the eating area.

Seiji is not ashamed to accidental that erstwhile helium sat down, his tray was filled with thing but chips and chicken.

While the terms of fried chickenhearted starts astatine 295 yen (US$2.22) each, there’s besides a “Harvester Set” for 715 yen that includes chips and 2 pieces of fried chicken. That’s what Seiji ended up going with, and helium couldn’t defy trying the “Ethnic Chicken” arsenic well, for 420 yen.

Unlimited non-alcoholic drinks tin beryllium had astatine the portion barroom for 420 yen, but Seiji was overmuch excessively anxious to effort the chickenhearted truthful helium skipped the portion barroom and got consecutive to eating.

The fried chickenhearted successful the Harvester Set looked conscionable similar KFC fried chicken, and upon taking a bite, helium felt an instant sense of déjà vu, arsenic the sensation of the herbs and spices was identical to KFC! The nutrient seemed softer and juicier than usual, though, making the opposition betwixt nutrient and crispy tegument look adjacent much delicious.

As for the “Ethnic Chicken” — the connection “ethnic” is usually utilized successful the Japanese nutrient satellite to picture Southeast Asian dishes — it was saccharine and salty, with a hint of saccharine chilli condiment successful the flavour profile.

▼ Surprisingly ample and incredibly delicious.

Both dishes tasted fantastic, but Seiji couldn’t assistance but announcement thing distracting him from his repast arsenic helium ate.

▼ What kept distracting him was…the presumption retired the window.

Hokkaido is beauteous and spacious astatine the champion of times, but determination was thing incredibly peculiar astir this hilltop location. A immense tract could beryllium seen extracurricular the window, and aft blinking a mates of times, Seiji realised that beyond that was the immense expanse of the sea.

This spot connected the elevation mightiness not beryllium well-known arsenic a celebrated scenic spot successful Hokkaido, but it ought to be.

The windswept quality of the determination is portion of what makes the edifice a must-visit spot for immoderate traveller to Hokkaido, but it’s the meals they service wrong that truly draws visitors.

Harvester Yakumo archetypal began successful 1988 arsenic a spot to rise chickens, aft Okawara learnt that the Colonel himself grew vegetables and raised chickens successful a tract down his ain restaurant.

That imagination of bringing the Colonel’s mode of beingness to Japan has surely travel existent present connected this elevation successful Hokkaido. Now each it needs is its ain Samurai Colonel to truly implicit the picture!

Restaurant information
Harvester Yakumo / ハーベスター八雲
Address: Hokkaido-ken, Futami-gun, Yakumo-cho, Hamamatsu 365
北海道二海郡八雲町浜松365
Open 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (weekdays) 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. (Sat, Sun, and nationalist holidays) Last orders 30 minutes earlier closing)
Closed: Mondays from December to February (Tuesdays if Mon is simply a nationalist holiday), year-end and New Year’s holidays
*All-you-can-eat plans are presently disposable connected weekends from December done to 26 March, priced astatine 750 yen for children up to property four, 1,550 yen for simple schoolhouse students, 1,950 yen for radical implicit 70, and 2,550 yen for each different ages.
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