The Challenge of an "Onigiri Shop" That Started with a Handcart

that's rice Part 2 | Despite headwinds of over 40% in material price hikes, we will definitely complete our flagship store to deliver from Hiroshima to the world

Thank you for Part 1, and an honest update
Overcoming the headwinds, we want to create a flagship store that delivers "artisan ingredients" in the form of ultimate onigiri!

A big challenge that started from a single cart made by my grandfather

■Having experienced human kindness through a cart, and having met artisans whom I deeply respect by visiting production areas and sites myself. We are opening a flagship store in Komachi, Hiroshima, to deliver "the ultimate onigiri" along with the stories behind the ingredients they pour their lives into.
Although we are facing strong headwinds due to soaring material costs, we cannot give up on this place, which connects the entrusted dreams with the future of Hiroshima.

"To be honest, I'm currently facing an enormous obstacle."

■Hello everyone. I'm Kako Azuma from that's rice. I'm involved in delivering "gourmet omusubi" based in Hiroshima. Thank you for finding this page among many projects.

In the previous project, we received a heartwarming 7.5 million yen in support. Thanks to that, we were finally able to start building our long-desired store. I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart.

However, I am now facing an unforeseen situation. Due to rising construction material costs and shortages in raw material procurement caused by the worsening global situation, the initial budget has been significantly exceeded, and the total project cost has inflated to nearly 40 million yen. Honestly, it's a staggering amount that makes my legs tremble.

But I have no option to stop here. That's because this store is not just my dream, but I believe it is a place that Hiroshima desperately needs right now. It might be a bit long, but please allow me to share the feelings that led me to this point.

Grandpa's Handcart and the Scenery My Father Taught Me

■My entire journey began with the single handcart my grandpa made for me.
The inspiration came from my father's stories of "peddling" in the old days. "In the old days, selling goods from a handcart involved warm interactions that words can't fully express."

Precisely because efficiency and speed are all that's demanded today, I wanted to bring back those heartwarming "warm scenes" to Hiroshima once more. I wanted to energize Hiroshima. With that sole desire, I started by delivering onigiri.
I had no knowledge or experience, but I've walked this path until today with my father's words in my heart: "Don't look for reasons why you can't, look for ways that you can."

 After much walking, I finally discovered the true identity of "that's rice."

■As I walked through the city pulling a cart, delivering onigiri to each customer, my thoughts slowly began to change.
The more I visited producers and manufacturers all over Hiroshima to find ingredients and heard their stories firsthand, the more I was filled with respect for their incredible pride in sparing no effort for deliciousness.

"If people just eat it normally, they won't understand the amazing story behind it. Just as I deliver to customers directly with my cart, I must also deliver these feelings."

I wanted to turn these wonderful ingredients into the best onigiri with confidence and deliver them to customers. "Actually, about this rice..." "This part of the seaweed is a sign of its deliciousness." Embedding such "delicious secrets" into the onigiri—secrets that could only be learned directly from the producers—and delivering them along with their stories became "what that's rice truly wants to do."

 Why We Decided on a Flagship Store

■Initially, I was thinking of a "small shop" that was within my capabilities. This was because I wanted to carefully attend to each customer, just as I did with my cart.
However, after receiving over 28 million reactions on social media and other platforms, I began to think that I might not be able to properly welcome everyone who came to visit with the current setup, and that I might not be strong enough to fully convey the artisans' passion.

In Hiroshima, there are many wonderful creators, from long-established companies everyone knows to honest producers whose true value has not yet been widely recognized. There are rare ingredients that are usually hard to get your hands on, and numerous masterpieces brought to life by artisans. Conveying the profoundness of these things through the ultimate form of "gourmet onigiri."
I believe this is the only way to fulfill my dream of "boosting Hiroshima," which is the origin of my love for my hometown, Hiroshima.

I want to create a place where all of our supporters can always return, and responsibly connect with the charm of Hiroshima. Although I am still learning alongside my staff, I believe that creating this "stage for experience" is my responsibility to everyone, and so I decided to take on the big challenge of a flagship store.
Adding to this was the surge in construction materials and other costs, exceeding 40%. Even looking solely at construction costs, they soared from an initial 22 million yen to well over 30 million yen, and even after giving up on building the rice storage facility I had been particular about, the total project cost reached 40 million yen.

 A Stage for Experiences, Where You'll Be Excited by New Discoveries

■The flagship store we're creating will be a place where you can "experience" the wonders of Hiroshima through onigiri. As you step inside, you'll find two spaces: "dynamic" and "serene."

① [Dynamic] Entrance: A Place of Discovery and Encounters

This is a vibrant space for takeout and an antenna shop. "Shodai Rikisha," the origin of That's Rice, welcomes you. You can purchase onigiri made with the finest ingredients that captivated me, as well as the ingredients themselves.

② [Serene] Eat-in: A "Feast" Time to Forget the Everyday

Step further inside, and you'll find a calm, "serene" space. We offer the ultimate "feast onigiri" using the artisanal ingredients sold at the entrance without reservation. In my rickshaw days, what I valued most was gratitude to customers who stopped by. By sharing the background on behalf of the producers, an ordinary meal transforms into "the best time, exciting with new discoveries."

For producers, it's a place where "feelings that cannot be directly conveyed" can reach customers. For customers, it's a place where they can encounter "the depth of food." In this place where these two desires intersect, we will recreate the "warm peddler's scene" that is at the heart of That's Rice.

A stage where the "challenges" of the next generation and artisans take shape

■What I value most is to "make Hiroshima the subject." I believe that a shop grows with the city.
That's why I entrusted the interior design to local architecture students. I wanted to create a "stage for challenges" where young people, in whom I believe, and who will create the future, can test their abilities.

To complete this place is to create a place where young people can proudly say, "This is my work," and where the artisans who entrusted their ingredients can boast, "This is our treasure." And it is to allow locals to "rediscover" local treasures and travelers visiting Hiroshima to experience Hiroshima's "authenticity."
I want to create such a place, filled with "Hiroshima's pride," together with all of you.

 Overcoming multiple adversities. We want to continue this story with all of you.

From the day we started with a handcart until today, we have faced many moments when we thought, "This might be the end."

Last year, we experienced a record-breaking rice shortage, followed by an abnormal surge in rice prices. Furthermore, a producer who had entrusted us with their precious rice decided to retire.

It's been less than two years since we opened. Parting with the person who supported me when I knew nothing was truly sad and brought great anxiety. Nevertheless, I want to diligently carry forward the passion for food that producers have dedicated their lives to preserving. With my father's words, "Don't look for reasons to fail," in my heart, I took one step at a time, and now, a flagship store is finally taking shape.

However, we are now facing even greater challenges.

■Global material costs have soared due to the situation in the Middle East. Interior costs are now more than 1.4 times the original estimate, bringing the total project cost to approximately 40 million yen. Even after reluctantly abandoning the construction of the "rice warehouse," which was something I was passionate about, the cost is still beyond what I can manage alone. The property contract is finalized, construction has begun, and staff have been hired. Menu development is also underway. The ship has already set sail. There is no turning back. But right now, I don't have enough fuel to keep this ship moving.

We have overcome one hurdle after another, from rice shortages to the retirement of respected producers, and finally made it this far. This place is our "treasure," filled with the hopes of the artisans who entrusted us with their ingredients, the students who diligently designed the interior, and the new colleagues who share my vision and will embark on this dream with me. It is also filled with the anticipation of everyone who has supported us, saying, "We're waiting for you."

I desperately want to avoid letting this challenge, which we have all built together, come to an end due to my own shortcomings. I am writing this now, acutely aware of the weight of that responsibility.

This challenge, which began with a single handcart, cannot end here. To make this determination a reality, I would be grateful if you could lend your support through this crowdfunding campaign.

Thank you for your support.

Current progress

Total target amount: ¥17,000,000 (Phase 1 & Phase 2)

The second phase will begin on April 20.
6/12　 23:48
9,918,126円　/　17,000,000円

Our store will open in the heart of Hiroshima City, about a 5-minute walk from Peace Memorial Park. It is located very close to Chuden-mae Station on the Hiroshima Electric Railway.
*Currently under construction

https://thats-rice.com/

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