Over Half of Support from North America, 906% Achieved: Yamagata's 100-Year-Old Companies' 'Saranaka Dried Noodles' Overseas Crowdfunding Project to Promote Yamagata's Food Culture 'Soba-ya no Ramen' Domestically and Internationally, and Build Sales Channels
Three long-established Yamagata companies successfully completed a Kickstarter project for 'Saranaka dried noodles,' achieving 906% of their goal with over 2.7 million JPY in support, more than half from North America. The project aims to promote Yamagata's unique 'Soba-ya no Ramen' culture globally and establish sales channels.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 04:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 1, 2026 at 19:31
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Chinese noodles that inherit Yamagata's food culture, cherished by the local community.
Saraya Shokudo Co., Ltd. (Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture, Representative Director Kazumi Saraya) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its Kickstarter project for the original dried noodles 'Saranaka,' a collaborative effort with Maruju Ohya, a leading soy sauce manufacturer in Yamagata, and Tarobee Soba Honpo, a long-established noodle manufacturer with over 100 years of history. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who supported us, offered words of encouragement, and helped disseminate information.
Over half of the support for this project came from the United States. Currently, it boasts the top share among ramen projects on Kickstarter launched from Japan (where the creator's address is in Japan).
We believe the reason for this success is that people in the US interested in Yamagata ramen were captivated by the 'Saranaka' videos and other information we shared, making them want to try it.
This initiative began as a challenge to deliver the taste of 'Soba-ya no Ramen,' which Saraya Shokudo has long preserved, to domestic and international markets as a shelf-stable dried noodle product 'Saranaka,' by combining Maruju Ohya's soy sauce and Tarobee Soba Honpo's traditional noodle-making techniques. Yamagata has a unique noodle culture where soba restaurants also serve ramen, backed by a deeply rooted local dining culture and accumulated expertise in soy sauce, noodle, and broth making. We wanted to connect this food culture as an asset of Yamagata's food culture to the next generation and disseminate it to the world, not just as a mere product sale.
Thank you very much for your generous support.
On Kickstarter, we received 2,719,399 JPY in total support from 284 backers. We deeply acknowledge this result as a testament to the technology and trust cultivated by the three companies over more than 100 years, and the empathy for Yamagata's food culture itself.
Rather than letting this achievement be a fleeting topic, we aim to make it a catalyst for raising awareness of 'Soba-ya no Ramen' as Yamagata's food culture throughout Japan and spreading it worldwide. Moving forward, we will work to enhance Yamagata's brand value by promoting the establishment of overseas sales channels, disseminating information domestically and internationally, and collaborating with various local businesses.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/saraya-shokudo/taste-100-years-of-yamagata-ramen-tradition-in-your-own-home
Scenes from a parent-child event
Future Activity Plan
1. Short-term Development (within 1 year)
After the Kickstarter concludes, we will first proceed with building full-fledged domestic and international sales channels. Simultaneously, we will strengthen our efforts to raise awareness of the Yamagata brand by leveraging Yamagata Prefecture's unique identity as the 'Ramen Prefecture, Soba Kingdom' through the distinctive food culture of 'Soba-ya no Ramen.' Additionally, we will widely disseminate this challenge as an example for local companies to domestic media and relevant parties, promoting the creation of a model that encourages new challenges for regional businesses.
2. Mid-to-Long-term Development (2-3 years)
In the mid-to-long term, we aim to deepen collaboration with other food culture businesses within Yamagata Prefecture, not just Saraya Shokudo alone, to enhance and integrate the regional brand. Specifically, we are considering holding collaborative events in partnership with local producers, employment support organizations, and food-related businesses. This will expand the population connected through food, circulate the regional economy, and foster a community where Yamagata's food culture can be experienced.
3. Basic Policy for Event Hosting
The basic policy for future planned events is to host them with a focus on regional involvement, rather than events completed solely by our company. With 'Saranaka,' born from the collaboration of Saraya Shokudo, Maruju Ohya, and Tarobee Soba Honpo, as a core, we will nurture these events into platforms that comprehensively convey Yamagata's charm with diverse local stakeholders. Our goal is to share the stories of the region through food and transform Yamagata's brand from a 'point' to a 'surface.'
Future Schedule
Period
Content
Late March to April 2026
Project completion report/gratitude message, full-scale preparation for manufacturing and shipping
April to May 2026
Quality confirmation, strengthening domestic and international outreach, planning regional collaboration measures and collaborative events
Mid-June 2026
Scheduled start of reward shipping
Late June 2026
Scheduled start of general sales in Japan (pre-sales planned on own e-commerce site)
Summer 2026 onwards
Promotion of overseas sales channel construction, measures to spread 'Soba-ya no Ramen,' concretization of collaboration projects with regional businesses
Representative's Comment
Tradition woven with passion in every bowl
Kazumi Saraya, Representative Director, Saraya Shokudo Co., Ltd.
"We are grateful for the support for this initiative."
Saraya Shokudo Co., Ltd. (Sagae City, Yamagata Prefecture, Representative Director Kazumi Saraya) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its Kickstarter project for the original dried noodles 'Saranaka,' a collaborative effort with Maruju Ohya, a leading soy sauce manufacturer in Yamagata, and Tarobee Soba Honpo, a long-established noodle manufacturer with over 100 years of history. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who supported us, offered words of encouragement, and helped disseminate information.
Over half of the support for this project came from the United States. Currently, it boasts the top share among ramen projects on Kickstarter launched from Japan (where the creator's address is in Japan).
We believe the reason for this success is that people in the US interested in Yamagata ramen were captivated by the 'Saranaka' videos and other information we shared, making them want to try it.
This initiative began as a challenge to deliver the taste of 'Soba-ya no Ramen,' which Saraya Shokudo has long preserved, to domestic and international markets as a shelf-stable dried noodle product 'Saranaka,' by combining Maruju Ohya's soy sauce and Tarobee Soba Honpo's traditional noodle-making techniques. Yamagata has a unique noodle culture where soba restaurants also serve ramen, backed by a deeply rooted local dining culture and accumulated expertise in soy sauce, noodle, and broth making. We wanted to connect this food culture as an asset of Yamagata's food culture to the next generation and disseminate it to the world, not just as a mere product sale.
Thank you very much for your generous support.
On Kickstarter, we received 2,719,399 JPY in total support from 284 backers. We deeply acknowledge this result as a testament to the technology and trust cultivated by the three companies over more than 100 years, and the empathy for Yamagata's food culture itself.
Rather than letting this achievement be a fleeting topic, we aim to make it a catalyst for raising awareness of 'Soba-ya no Ramen' as Yamagata's food culture throughout Japan and spreading it worldwide. Moving forward, we will work to enhance Yamagata's brand value by promoting the establishment of overseas sales channels, disseminating information domestically and internationally, and collaborating with various local businesses.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/saraya-shokudo/taste-100-years-of-yamagata-ramen-tradition-in-your-own-home
Scenes from a parent-child event
Future Activity Plan
1. Short-term Development (within 1 year)
After the Kickstarter concludes, we will first proceed with building full-fledged domestic and international sales channels. Simultaneously, we will strengthen our efforts to raise awareness of the Yamagata brand by leveraging Yamagata Prefecture's unique identity as the 'Ramen Prefecture, Soba Kingdom' through the distinctive food culture of 'Soba-ya no Ramen.' Additionally, we will widely disseminate this challenge as an example for local companies to domestic media and relevant parties, promoting the creation of a model that encourages new challenges for regional businesses.
2. Mid-to-Long-term Development (2-3 years)
In the mid-to-long term, we aim to deepen collaboration with other food culture businesses within Yamagata Prefecture, not just Saraya Shokudo alone, to enhance and integrate the regional brand. Specifically, we are considering holding collaborative events in partnership with local producers, employment support organizations, and food-related businesses. This will expand the population connected through food, circulate the regional economy, and foster a community where Yamagata's food culture can be experienced.
3. Basic Policy for Event Hosting
The basic policy for future planned events is to host them with a focus on regional involvement, rather than events completed solely by our company. With 'Saranaka,' born from the collaboration of Saraya Shokudo, Maruju Ohya, and Tarobee Soba Honpo, as a core, we will nurture these events into platforms that comprehensively convey Yamagata's charm with diverse local stakeholders. Our goal is to share the stories of the region through food and transform Yamagata's brand from a 'point' to a 'surface.'
Future Schedule
Period
Content
Late March to April 2026
Project completion report/gratitude message, full-scale preparation for manufacturing and shipping
April to May 2026
Quality confirmation, strengthening domestic and international outreach, planning regional collaboration measures and collaborative events
Mid-June 2026
Scheduled start of reward shipping
Late June 2026
Scheduled start of general sales in Japan (pre-sales planned on own e-commerce site)
Summer 2026 onwards
Promotion of overseas sales channel construction, measures to spread 'Soba-ya no Ramen,' concretization of collaboration projects with regional businesses
Representative's Comment
Tradition woven with passion in every bowl
Kazumi Saraya, Representative Director, Saraya Shokudo Co., Ltd.
"We are grateful for the support for this initiative."