Photos: Niiryoku2910 · CC BY-SA 4.0 (1, 2) · iloverjoa · CC BY 3.0
The first Gyōza no Ōshō opened on 24 December 1967 at Shijō-Ōmiya; the company's IR history lists it as the first store, and it reopened on the same site in a new building in September 2009.
Why it's unique
This is the original location of a national chain, confirmed by the company's own corporate history. The building is a 2009 rebuild on the same site, which the researcher flags; it is a chain, but this is the first store, which is the claim.
It is not just a branch with a plaque. A stone in front marks the chain's birthplace, and the shop has its own menu items, notably the Ōmiya set and the crab-sauce fried rice.
Before you go
There is a stone in front marking the chain's birthplace. The ground floor is a 13-seat counter facing the open kitchen (sit there to watch the woks), with tables upstairs and tatami on the third floor. It has its own menu items, notably the Ōmiya set and the crab-sauce fried rice.
It is reported to be among the chain's highest-grossing shops and is busy late; in winter the staff switch the automatic door to manual to keep the heat in. Hours were not confirmed on an official page (blogs give 11:00 to about 1:00).
