BLOOM Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture; CEO: 古山智) is reopening Gyotendo's west exit location, which closed in 2023 due to the "Utsunomiya Station West Exit South District Category 1 Urban Redevelopment Project," as Gyotendo Utsunomiya Station West Exit on the first floor of Atlas Tower Utsunomiya at JR Utsunomiya Station's west exit, on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Gyotendo has long offered gyoza with a distinctive twist on the typical Utsunomiya-style dumpling: a thick, chewy skin, a filling packed with plenty of meat that releases a burst of juice, a rounded shape, and a signature way of eating it with ichimi mayonnaise.
With the west exit location's opening, the company took the opportunity to reconsider what kind of restaurant Gyotendo is and what kind of experience it wants to offer customers, adopting a new tagline: "Mochitto. Juwatto. Gyotendo." Building on the flavor and enjoyment that Gyotendo has cultivated over the years, the brand is proposing a new kind of gyoza experience as a "next-generation gyoza."
Returning to the station front after 3.5 years, on the site of a 20-year business at the west exit
Gyotendo operated at Utsunomiya Station's west exit for 20 years. At the former west exit shop, long lines would sometimes form outside, and the restaurant became a favorite among many customers, earning a spot on Tabelog's "Gyoza Hyakumeiten" (Top 100 Gyoza Restaurants) list and features in the media. (The photo below shows the shop in 2009.)
The building was later slated for reconstruction under the "Utsunomiya Station West Exit South District Category 1 Urban Redevelopment Project," and the former west exit shop closed in January 2023. Business continued at the second location, Symbol Road, which had opened in October 2021.
Now, having been invited to open a shop in Atlas Tower Utsunomiya, the new building born from the redevelopment, Gyotendo returns to Utsunomiya Station's west exit for the first time in about three and a half years.
Having once left the area in front of Utsunomiya Station, Gyotendo is returning to the station front once again.
In the place that welcomed customers for so many years, Gyotendo begins a new chapter.
Taking a fresh look at "Gyotendo," as the west exit shop returns
For this west exit opening, rather than simply reviving the previous shop, Gyotendo took the opportunity to reconsider what makes it "Gyotendo."
The company sees reopening at the newly redeveloped Utsunomiya Station west exit as a chance to introduce Gyotendo to more people, aiming to build a brand that more visitors to Utsunomiya can enjoy.
What emerged from this reflection is a distinctive shape, texture, and way of eating: a rounded, characteristic shape, chewy skin, juices that spread the moment you take a bite, and the practice of pairing it with ichimi mayonnaise.
Delighting customers with the surprise of "I've never had gyoza like this before" - that is the experience Gyotendo believes it has offered all along.
While cherishing the flavors loved by longtime customers, the goal is to become a brand that is not only "delicious" but memorable for visitors to Utsunomiya, serving as a new gateway to Utsunomiya gyoza.
New tagline: "Mochitto. Juwatto. Gyotendo."
"Mochitto" (chewy) refers to the thick, chewy skin that can't be found elsewhere.
"Juwatto" (juicy) refers to the burst of juice that spreads out when you bite into a piping hot gyoza.
And beyond that lies Gyotendo's own gyoza experience - a little different from the gyoza you think you know. With the opening of the west exit location, the company is adopting "Mochitto. Juwatto. Gyotendo." as a new tagline that captures this in a few words.
Thick skin, a meat-heavy filling, a round shape, and ichimi mayonnaise: Gyotendo's "next-generation gyoza"
Gyotendo's gyoza differs from the "vegetable-heavy, thin-skinned" style common in typical Utsunomiya gyoza.
The skin uses a proprietary blend of domestic wheat flour. It's finished at just the right thickness so it doesn't tear when pan-fried, wrapping in the juices while offering a chewy texture.
The filling combines meat and vegetables at roughly a 2:1 ratio, with plenty of meat. No garlic is used, giving it a juicy flavor where the meat's juices spread through your mouth with each bite.
The gyoza also stand out for their rounded shape - different from the typical half-moon shape - and their distinctive way of eating, with an ichimi mayonnaise born from the founder's own preference.
A chewy skin. Overflowing juices. A round shape. Ichimi mayonnaise.
Gyotendo offers a "next-generation gyoza" with a different feel from the Utsunomiya gyoza you may already know.
A 1-minute walk from the station, aiming to be "a new gateway to Utsunomiya gyoza"
Gyotendo Utsunomiya Station West Exit opens on the first floor of Atlas Tower Utsunomiya, a one-minute walk from JR Utsunomiya Station's west exit.
As a place that will be one of the first gyoza restaurants visitors to Utsunomiya encounter as soon as they step off the train, Gyotendo hopes that enjoying its gyoza here will spark interest not only in Utsunomiya gyoza in general, but in the many other gyoza shops around the city.
From Gyotendo, to Utsunomiya gyoza. And to the city of Utsunomiya.
The company aims to grow the west exit location into a new gateway to Utsunomiya gyoza, connecting visitors to Utsunomiya with the city's gyoza culture.
CEO Comment (古山智):
With the reopening of the west exit location, we took the opportunity to reconsider what "Gyotendo" really is.
What we found once again was our distinctive shape, texture, and way of eating. I believe the surprise and discovery of "I've never had gyoza like this" is what makes Gyotendo, Gyotendo.
Surprise brings a smile to our customers' faces. While cherishing that value, we want to keep delivering the same appeal to the customers who have loved Gyotendo, and a new gyoza experience to those visiting Utsunomiya for the first time.
We want to be gyoza that are not just delicious, but memorable.
Gyotendo is taking a new step forward as a "next-generation gyoza."
Store Information:
- Name: Gyotendo Utsunomiya Station West Exit
- Opening Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2026
- Address: Atlas Tower Utsunomiya 1F, 3-3-1 Ekimae-dori, Utsunomiya City, Tochigi 321-0964
- Access: 1-minute walk from JR Utsunomiya Station west exit
- Hours: 10:30 AM to 11:00 PM (last order 10:30 PM)
- Closed: None (open every day)
- Seats: 22 (8 counter seats, 5 two-person tables, 1 four-person table)
- Signature Dish: Pan-fried gyoza, 5 pieces per serving, ¥600 (tax included)
- Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gyotendo.official/
