Yoshinoya serves gyudon beef bowls from a tiny truck in Tokyo

Moving Yoshinoya is an Orange Dream on the food truck scene…for those who know where they’re hiding.

Yoshinoya is one of Japan’s most famous gyudon (beef bowl) restaurant chains, but did you know it has a fleet of vehicles known as “Moving Yoshinoya“?

Dubbed “Orange Dream” due to their bright colour, these food trucks have been in operation since 2008, but they have something of a phantom reputation in Japan, as not many people have seen them and those who do wonder if they’ll ever see them again.

We recently discovered a way to not only find a “Moving Yoshinoya”, but to eat from it regularly, as the one pictured below appears on select days at the Otemachi Kawabata Food Garden in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.

The Food Garden is a popular lunch spot where food trucks, or “kitchen cars” as they’re known in Japan, gather on weekdays to feed the many office employees working in this large business district. While other trucks serve up food like kebabs, tacos, and yakiniku, the Orange Dream remains a popular choice for many, and it’s capable of serving over 1,000 beef bowls, with rice-cooking facilities, a refrigerator, and water and drainage systems on board.

The Moving Yoshinoya comes in a variety of guises, with the “Orange Dream” being a four-ton Isuzu Elf, the “Orange Dream Jr” being a a two-ton Toyota Dyna, and the “Orange Dream Light” being a transformed Daihatsu Hijet. While all these trucks operate in metropolitan areas of Tokyo, the Orange Dream can also be found in Osaka and Fukuoka, while the Junior operates in Tochigi, and the Light in Osaka.

▼ The trucks are said to be easy to maneuver in tight spaces.

The Orange Dream was originally born after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, when Yoshinoya served hot beef bowls to locals from a tent at an evacuation centre the day after the disaster.

With beef bowls being a beloved comfort food in Japan, the Orange Dream struck a chord with locals, and it continues to delight people to this day. While the menu mainly consists of beef bowls, here at the Food Garden they also serve up a Kimchi Beef Bowl, a Cheese Beef Bowl, and an Om Egg Beef Bowl, the latter of which is the truck’s most highly recommended item.

▼ At 790 yen (US$5.24) for the Om Egg Gyudon (“Om” refers to “Omelette”), prices are slightly higher than regular stores, but that’s the price you pay for convenience.

“Om Egg” is usually sold on its own as a side dish at regular branches of the chain, where diners like to place it on top of their beef bowls as a sort of customised hack, but here it comes ready-made with the gyudon, so in that sense it’s an exclusive menu item.

▼ A beef bowl as rare as the Orange Dream.

Customers can help themselves to chopsticks, spoons, and packs of pickled ginger, and the truck supports cashless payments for added convenience.

The Om Egg Gyudon looks better than anything you might see in a non-moving branch of Yoshinoya, and it’s as delicious as it looks, with the omelette being lighter and fluffier than usual, helping to elevate the familiar gyudon we know and love.

It’s a satisfying meal that’s fast, easy, and delicious, making it perfect for the busy lunchtime crowd.

▼ The truck might be small but the meals are mighty.

▼ If you’d like to eat from the Orange Dream Light, it’s only here at Otemachi Kawabata Food Garden from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

According to word on the street, the trucks can also be found on select days at other office hubs in Tokyo, such as the Mita International Building Annex at Akabanebashi and at Tokyo Torch Park, in the plaza outside Tokiwabashi Tower near Tokyo Station (see links below).

So if you’d like to chase the Orange Dream, be sure to check out these weekday hotspots in Tokyo. It’s the next best thing to Yoshinoya drone delivery!

Site information
Otemachi Kawabata Food Garden / 大手町川端フードガーデン
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Otemachi 1-9-5, next to Otemachi Financial City North Tower
東京都千代田区大手町1-9-5 大手町フィナンシャルシティ・ノースタワー横
Open: 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. weekdays

Related: Otemachi Kawabata Food Garden, Shop Stop Mita, Tokyo Torch Park
Photos ©SoraNews24
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