Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba has grown from a single shop in Tokyo to 72 locations across 6 countries in just over a decade. Founded in 2014 by Takuma Ishikawa, the brand pioneered the mazesoba category in Japan and is now actively expanding its franchise network worldwide — making it one of the most compelling Japanese F&B franchise opportunities for international investors in 2026.
Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba is a Japanese quick-service restaurant chain specializing in mazesoba — a soupless noodle dish that blends thick noodles with richly seasoned sauces, toppings, and a raw egg. The brand’s tagline captures its positioning precisely: mazesoba is neither ramen nor udon, but an entirely new category of Japanese noodle cuisine. With a streamlined menu centered on this signature dish, Kokoro operates with lower kitchen complexity than traditional ramen shops while delivering a distinctive, craveable dining experience.
Kokoro opened its first overseas location in Indonesia in 2017, followed by rapid expansion into Canada and Singapore in 2018, the Philippines in 2019, Hong Kong in 2021, and Australia in 2025. The brand now operates in 6 countries with 23 international shops. Canada represents the largest overseas market, with approximately 11 locations across Vancouver, Edmonton, and Kelowna.
Kokoro’s international expansion strategy relies on master franchise partnerships, where local operators handle day-to-day operations while Kokoro provides brand standards, recipes, and supply chain support through its centralized kitchen system. This model ensures consistent product quality across all markets — a critical factor for investors evaluating master franchise agreements in the F&B sector.
Three factors set Kokoro apart from the crowded Japanese restaurant franchise landscape. First, the brand essentially created the mazesoba category in Japan. Unlike ramen — where hundreds of franchise brands compete — mazesoba is a niche that Kokoro dominates as the category originator and largest chain.
Second, Kokoro has built significant brand awareness through retail partnerships with major Japanese food companies. Collaborations with Nissin (instant mazesoba sauce), FamilyMart (frozen mazesoba), and Myojo (cup noodles) extend the brand beyond its restaurants and into millions of Japanese households.
Third, the brand’s award-winning track record provides independent validation. Kokoro has won the Takumen Ramen Awards Mazesoba Grand Prize multiple times, including the 2025 edition, and earned the Tabelog Best Ramen 2014 award in its debut year. For investors exploring F&B franchise opportunities in 2026, this level of industry recognition reduces brand risk considerably.
Kokoro operates a central kitchen system in multiple countries, supplying standardized ingredients to all franchise locations. This approach solves one of the biggest challenges in Japanese restaurant franchising: maintaining consistent flavor profiles across geographically dispersed locations. Franchisees receive pre-portioned sauces and core ingredients, reducing on-site preparation complexity and shortening staff training timelines.
The simplified kitchen workflow also translates into smaller store footprints compared to full-service ramen restaurants. A typical Kokoro location requires less kitchen equipment and fewer specialized staff, which lowers buildout costs and operating expenses — a meaningful advantage for franchisees entering high-rent urban markets in Asia and MENA.
Kokoro’s expansion pace tells a clear story. The brand reached 30 shops by 2019, 50 by 2023, 60 by 2024, and 72 by 2025. Recent openings include new shops in Ikebukuro (Tokyo), Gifu Prefecture, and Oita in late 2025, plus the brand’s first Australian location in Sydney.
Southeast Asia and the Middle East represent the largest untapped opportunities. Markets like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and the UAE have demonstrated strong consumer appetite for Japanese cuisine, yet mazesoba remains virtually unknown. For master franchise investors, this category-creation opportunity mirrors the early days of ramen franchising in these markets — but with less competition and a proven operational playbook already in place.
Investors evaluating Japanese food concepts should also compare Kokoro’s approach to other franchise models in the portfolio. The Abiko Curry business model, for instance, demonstrates how another Japanese brand has structured its unit economics for international expansion. Similarly, understanding how brands like PizzaExpress are adapting their format for new markets provides useful benchmarks for evaluating Kokoro’s franchise potential.
Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba is a Japanese quick-service restaurant franchise specializing in mazesoba — soupless noodles with rich sauces and toppings. Founded in 2014 in Tokyo, it operates 72 locations across 6 countries.
As of 2025, Kokoro operates 72 shops — 49 in Japan and 23 across Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Australia.
Yes. Kokoro actively offers franchise opportunities internationally, using a master franchise model with centralized kitchen support for quality consistency.
This article was prepared by the VF Franchise Consulting editorial team — with over 30 years of experience in international franchise development, master franchise advisory, and brand expansion across Asia and the Middle East.
