This colorful two-story building has a striking orange exterior.
This is the "Terrace Nichirei" which Nichirei (then Nippon Reizo) opened at the Osaka Expo 55 years ago.

What was offered at Terrace Nichirei was a menu of Western-style dishes such as hamburg steaks and beef stew made from commercial-use prepared frozen foods, which were still rare at the time. Restaurants using frozen foods that could serve large quantities of food with consistent quality were truly a revolution.

Although frozen foods are now one of Nichirei's representative businesses, the history of Nichirei began with the freezing and refrigerated warehousing business and the marine products business.

The story goes back to 1942 during World War II.
Amid the increasing shortage of daily commodities due to the prolonged war, the Teikoku Marine Products Control Company, the predecessor of Nichirei and a state-sponsored enterprise, was created to manage the country's food requirements.

Although the Teikoku Marine Products Control Company came to an end with the end of the war, food supplies in Japan were inadequate due to the confusion after the war.

If nothing was done, Japan would suffer from food shortages. We had to keep the company alive as a private enterprise and deliver food to the people.

With this in mind, in 1945, the company was re-launched as a privately owned company, Nippon Reizo Inc. (now Nichirei Corporation). During the postwar recession, the company took on a series of challenges in new business fields, including the Meat and Poultry Products business, the Processed Foods business, and the Temperature-controlled Logistics business, with the aim of diversifying into the total food business.

In 1959, Tokyo was chosen to host the 18th Olympic Games to be held five years later. One problem emerged at that time.

At the Olympics, it is customary for the food for the athletes to be prepared by the chefs of the host country. This meant that food from all over the world had to be served in Japan.

Back then, Japan's restaurant industry was still in its infancy. Furthermore, there were more than 5,000 athletes participating in the Olympics alone.

"How in the world can we serve such a large amount of food in Japan?”

The solution to this problem was to use frozen foods.

At the time, however, there was still a strong preconceived notion that frozen foods were inferior in taste. Chefs worked hard day and night, researching ways to cook with frozen ingredients.

Then the Olympics began.
Several companies, including Nichirei (Nippon Reizo at the time), served a wide variety of dishes using frozen ingredients to athletes visiting from around the world, and frozen foods quickly gained recognition.

In 1970, the first World Exposition in Asia, the Osaka Expo, was held.

Under the theme of "Progress and Harmony of Mankind," 77 countries and regions participated in the event, which showcased all kinds of technologies and cultures from around the world in 116 exhibition halls.

Japan was in the middle of its rapid economic growth in those days. It was also a time when the use of frozen foods for home use was gradually advancing.
The idea was that opening a restaurant using frozen foods would provide an opportunity to expand knowledge of how to use frozen foods for commercial use and cooking operations.

With this in mind, Nichirei (then Nippon Reizo) decided to open the "Terrace Nichirei," a restaurant using frozen foods, and the "Nichirei Corner," a store.

As a result, "Terrace Nichirei" served safe and delicious meals quickly and in large quantities, which were very well received by visitors.

The world's image of frozen foods gradually changed as a result of the demonstration of the excellent quality and cooking technology of frozen foods at the Osaka Expo.

The Osaka Expo also led to the establishment of an operational system in the food service industry: store frozen, prepare and serve to customers as they arrive. Family restaurants and fast-food restaurants appeared one after another, and the industry gained so much momentum that it was later called the first year of restaurant industry.

In response to such changes in demand, Nichirei launched commercial-use products for small restaurants in the city in 1976. Frozen foods eventually became an indispensable part of the restaurant industry.

Since then, Nichirei has continued to pioneer the future of food by launching a variety of frozen foods.

At the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025, Nichirei is opening its second "Terrace Nichirei," conveying Nichirei Foods' vision for the future of frozen foods after 55years.

Part 2: A restaurant where you can experience the future of frozen foods. What is Terrace Nichirei, revived after 55 years? (to be released in August), will report on Terrace Nichirei, which Nichirei Foods is opening at the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025, and what it looks like after the event opens.