Great success!　What’s inside “Astonishing Taste”, a curry specialty restaurant in Hachioji, served by a cook and hall staff with dementia.

Stepping into the restaurant with the aroma of spicy curry in the air, the man on the floor staff who was serving the food was in high spirits,

Hello!　Welcome!

I was greeted by a floor staff member who was serving the food in high spirits. By 11:45 a.m., 15 minutes after opening, the restaurant was fully booked, with a line of customers waiting to take out their food.

Manager, calm down!

It’s been a while.

Manager, isn’t it hard on your body?

In the old days, it was normal to work 12-hour days.”

When the man who was called the manager replied in this way, the others around him commented, “That’s a black company! The store was filled with laughter.

On September 29, a curry specialty restaurant opened in Hachioji City, with a cook and staff with dementia serving customers. BLG Hachioji, a day-care center that provides daycare services for people with dementia, realized the dream of a service user with dementia who wanted to “see customers happy” and “stand in front of customers ” with the help of a local comprehensive support center, student volunteers, and a pharmaceutical company.

The person called manager was Shuji Mizuno, 61. He was diagnosed with dementia in April of this year. Mr. Mizuno had worked for a major family restaurant chain for 35 years, but since the beginning of this year, he has become forgetful, unable to remember where he had placed materials to be distributed to employees and part-time workers. Mizuno recalls.

I couldn’t do the things I used to be able to do, and people around me warned me about it, so I got fed up with working. I quit my job in March, but when I went out, I forgot my bag somewhere and came back, or when I went to the supermarket, I forgot what I was going to buy…. So I went to the hospital and was diagnosed with dementia. I am in need of nursing care 1, but my body itself is healthy.

When she finds a plate of food she has finished eating, she moves quickly to take it back to the kitchen. If a glass of water was running low, she would refill it. His movements were smooth, but there were times when he had to ask the same customer for his order again.

I asked you earlier,” he said.

Harumi Hamawaki, director of the Hachioji City Regional Comprehensive Support Center Oyoko, saw this and quickly followed up.

She said, “When people have a role to play, they become cheerful and energetic. I was a skilled nurse, so I hardly needed any help at all. I just add a few words.

The opening of this new business was also aimed at eliminating the prejudice that normal work is difficult for people with dementia. Takuya Moriya, representative of BLG Hachioji, said, “They can work normally with just a little support.

They can work normally with just a little support,” said Takuya Moriya, representative of BLG Hachioji. Many people are forced to retire from work once they are diagnosed with dementia, but they want to work while they are still healthy. There are many things you can do even if you have dementia. I opened this business so that people with dementia can live happily in their own neighborhoods…”

The person silently grinding rice in the kitchen is Iwao Kuboki, 77, the head chef.

Mr. Kuboki also suffers from dementia. He had operated a small restaurant called “Motoyasu” in Hachioji City for more than 20 years, but more than 10 years ago he began to suffer from dementia. He currently requires long-term care level 3. Even when I talk to him, when I turn around, he forgets everything.

When the reporter tasted the pork curry with its delicious pork flavor and the keema curry with its delightful carrot texture, he said, “It’s very tasty,

I do it because I like it. It’s just a little bit of something.

I love it,” he said.

It’s so ingrained in my body, I don’t go through the motions of cooking, nor do I mistake salt for sugar. But there are times when I forget whether I put in the seasoning or not. When that happens, I just ask, ‘Didn’t I put it in earlier? I can ask him. This is how I remember the old days of cooking, and I can cook just like a normal, healthy old man,” says Moriya.

On the day of the event, 50 servings of both pork curry and keema curry were sold out in about two hours. The restaurant’s sales are paid as a “gratuity” after expenses are deducted.

The restaurant received a “gratuity,” after expenses were deducted. I am very grateful. I want to thank everyone, including the customers.

The restaurant will be open twice a month at the shared kitchen “Machi Hagu Hachioji” in October, on the 6th and 17th. As long as the manager and chef say, “I want everyone to be happy,” they plan to continue.

He said, “Today I was tense, but tomorrow, I may have a reaction. Dementia comes in waves, so I don’t know what will happen. But I want to stay open as long as they want to do it. We will continue without overdoing it or pushing too hard,” Moriya said.

By 2025, baby boomers will be aged 75 or older in the latter half of their lives, and by 2030, more than 20% of the elderly aged 65 or older are expected to be affected by dementia. Considering the world’s most aged society, there should be stores that are tolerant of people with dementia, where neighborhood residents feel free to come and follow the store staff and say with a smile, “Don’t worry about it,” even if service is inadequate.

BLG Hachioji’s efforts offer important suggestions for Japanese society.