Finally Expanding Overseas! O'denbar Umami Takes Its First Step Toward Global Expansion in Sydney, Australia. O'denbar UMAMI Potts Point Opens on April 9!

WAS Co., Ltd. (Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, CEO Yuji Uno) operates eight oden bars named 'O'denbar Umami' in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Sendai (Yokohama Kannai, Omotesando, Daikanyama, Akasaka, Azabujuban, Shimbashi, Sendai, and Sangenjaya).

On April 9, 2026, we will open our first overseas location, 'O'denbar UMAMI Potts Point,' in Sydney, Australia.

Conveying 'Umami' and 'Oden' to the World

The origin of the store's name, 'umami,' is a fifth taste element newly recognized and discovered by the Japanese about 100 years ago, in addition to the four primary tastes of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Registered as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013, it is an essential part of Japanese cuisine.

To extract umami, the technique of extracting dashi using kelp and bonito flakes to isolate only the umami components has been practiced in Japan for over 500 years. The combination of glutamic acid in kelp and inosinic acid in bonito flakes creates a synergistic effect, drawing out the umami of the dashi.