Daisangen, a beloved Chinese restaurant in Kinshicho for 43 years, was a famous Chinese restaurant that Kinshicho was proud of, attracting customers from the neighborhood and even from far away to enjoy its delicious food.
When he was in elementary school, his mother took him to Daisangen, where he enjoyed delicious meals. When he reached high school, a friend invited him to work part-time at the restaurant that held so many memories for him. That friend was Tokutake Shinya, the owner of Chinese Restaurant Tokutake.
He was so impressed by the deliciousness of the Sichuan soup noodles (San La Tan noodles) served as part of the staff meal that he went straight to work after graduating. Under the renowned owner, Yoshihito Saito, he started out in the dining area, but he steadily progressed through the ranks of his training, from washing dishes to stirring pots. However, in 2023, after 27 years of working there, the restaurant was forced to close its doors. As a native apprentice, Tokutake naturally chose to go independent in the same town where many Daisangen fans live.
The Toku Soba (1,700 yen) is based on the beloved soup noodles that I used to eat during my staff meal, and is a spicy noodle dish with eggplant and Japanese beef pepper. The numbing sensation of the pepper lingers in your mouth. There is also the Take Soba (1,500 yen) with different toppings. 
The soupless spicy noodles are an adaptation of the spicy noodles with soup, costing 1,400 yen. The crisp noodles and sharp flavor are addictive. The seafood spring rolls are 800 yen (1 roll) and are filled with shrimp, scallops, and crab.
In April 2012, he opened his own castle. Naturally, he also serves the dry spicy noodles, which Saito invented when dry dandan noodles were all the rage and which was Daisangen's signature dish. This dish is unique in that it is made by steeping boiled thin noodles in cold water before thoroughly stir-frying them with ingredients and seasonings. Finished with a generous pile of radish sprouts, it is visually appealing and stimulating to the palate. The spiciness and the numbing sensation of the Japanese pepper are addictive! It continues to have many devoted fans.
This locally rooted product has overcome the threat of extinction and continues to be made today, as usual. The happy daily life of Kinshicho continues.
