Osaka Landmark Restaurant, Kuidaore, Closing Down July 8th

If you would ask me to name some of the top famous landmarks in downtown Osaka, I would say the neon Glico sign that appears in the JapanNewbie logo, the giant moving crab attached to the Kani-Douraku restaurant, and then the kui-daore clown in front of the restaurant of the same name.

But…

The Kui-daore Restaurant is Closing on July 8th!

Here is an image taken in 2006 of Kui-daore all dressed up for the World Cup.

One of my Osaka friends said that the famous restaurant’s main problem was that tourists would come in droves to have their picture taken with the clown, but then they would leave. The restaurant opened just after the war in Showa 24, which is 1949 if my calculation is correct. The doll has a name, and is called Kui-daore Tarou.

I have to admit, I have posed for countless pictures in front of this thing, but have only eaten there once. In fact, when discussing this with my wife and her friends I had forgotten that I had ever eaten there at all! The restaurant is most famous for having gigantic portions that will cause you to eat so much that you fall down, hence the name, くいだおれ (くう is to eat, たおれる is to fall down).

There are rumors that a larger organization will simply buy the drum-beating clown so that it can stay on Doutonbori even if the restaurant goes under. The doll alone is said to contribute 1.7 billion yen to Osaka’s economy yearly [source]. Tourists come to the downtown area to see the doll, and continue on to go spend their money shopping in the nearby Ebisu area and whatnot. Given Osaka’s famously poor financial situation, I don’t think the city can afford to lose any potential income sources, even if it is simply clown-fueled tourism.

What will become of our glasses-wearing, drum-beating friend? I don’t know, but I hope they find a way to keep the doll in place! Doutonbori just wouldn’t be the same without it.

So, if you’ve never eaten there, go quick!

- Harvey