In 2008, Kuro 5 quietly opened in a back alley of Ikebukuro’s hotel district. The interior was a mere 7 tsubo—so cramped they had to burn charcoal outside. What’s more, the glass kept shattering from the intense heat of the charcoal fire…
It was an unbelievably survival-like environment from the start.
The area was a love hotel district. A location where anyone would think, “There’s no way a restaurant could exist in a place like this.” Even so, at 32 years old, with a wife raising their one-year-old son, his younger brother-like friend Chida, and his friend Izumi-chan from Sendai—just four people. That’s how Kuro 5 began.
Beyond this door adjacent to the shop lies a room about three tatami mats in size, where the landlord used to live…
That landlord is just intense. He shows up barefoot, covered in scars, holding a lukewarm beer, and starts telling his war stories with “Well, you see…” And his tales are way too hardcore—like “license revoked,” “fought with the yakuza,” “got stabbed in the gut.”
By morning, he’d often be found collapsed on the roadside, and I’d frequently carry him back to his room…
He was truly an outrageous landlord…
One day, out of the blue, that landlord—
Converted his own home into an adult shop!
And then, just like that, he’d show up at Kuro5 during business hours and start pitching customers: “Wanna buy this?”
He’d even call out to customers trying to enter Kuro5, creating this weird “half-and-half state of yakiniku and adult goods.” Seriously, the back alleys of Ikebukuro were pure chaos. Kuro5’s grand opening was an unexpected start of utter chaos and laughter.
Wagyu Yakiniku Kuro5
IKEBUKURO Main Restrant
1F Shima 100 building ,2-46-3, Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku , Tokyo 171-0014
https://en.kuro5.net/restaurant/honten
Wagyu Yakiniku Kuro5
IKEBUKURO East Exit Restrant
2F Need Building, 1-42-16 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013
https://en.kuro5.net/restaurant/higashiguchi
Wagyu Yakiniku KURO5
Kabukicho
1F Sankei Building, 2-21-4 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
https://en.kuro5.net/restaurant/kabukicho
Official Instagram: @kuro5yakiniku
