“The Style of Hiroshi Nohara’s Lunch” is an official spin-off manga of the iconic anime Crayon Shin-chan. This unique gourmet-themed work centers on the everyday lunches of its protagonist, Hiroshi Nohara—a 35-year-old salaryman. The original manga has been serialized since 2016, and in the fall of 2025 it finally received a long-awaited TV anime adaptation. The devoted lunchtime scenes and Hiroshi’s inner musings during his “one-hour lunch break” have become a hot topic for being “relatable to working adults,” turning the series into a hit with over 800,000 copies sold.
In this article, we will delve into the appeal of this series, the realism of the featured food, and even introduce some recommended eateries where you can experience a Hiroshi-style lunch. To all fans in their 30s and 40s who grew up with Crayon Shin-chan: let’s relive the lunchtime ways of “Tou-chan” – none other than Hiroshi Nohara himself!
What Is The Style of Hiroshi Nohara’s Lunch? – The Work’s Appeal and Popularity
The Style of Hiroshi Nohara’s Lunch is an unconventional spin-off that elevates the Nohara family’s father, Hiroshi Nohara, to the role of protagonist. The setting is Hiroshi’s lunch break, and the manga portrays—comically yet realistically—how he pours all his energy into enjoying lunch within the confines of a limited budget and a one-hour timeframe. The characters originally created by the late Yoshito Usui (the creator of Crayon Shin-chan) are illustrated by Yōichi Tsukahara in this series. A major appeal of the manga is its careful depiction of the small dilemmas and joys unique to salaryman life.
One aspect especially worth noting is that this work isn’t just another gourmet comic; it carries the theme of “reassessing one’s daily life through lunch.” The scenes of Hiroshi savoring his meals are filled not only with fun food trivia and cooking tips, but also with scenarios any working person can relate to—like him agonizing over whether he should treat a junior colleague, or a moment where griping about his boss becomes the “side dish” to his meal. These everyday episodes make readers smile and nod along in sympathy. The story even carries a message that “having a little passion for your lunch is itself the joy of living,” and many have said that laughing through its pages leaves them feeling oddly reenergized.
Moreover, in the TV anime adaptation that began airing in 2025, an innovative production technique made waves: the show blends live-action footage into the meal scenes. This bold choice to show real food on screen proved hugely effective. Its mouthwatering food depictions were so realistic that viewers commented “Watching this makes me hungry!” and joked “This feels like a late-night food attack (meshi-tero)!”—remarks that even trended on social media. The series’ profile skyrocketed as a result. Some fans have dubbed it “the Hiroshi Nohara version of Solitary Gourmet,” referencing that famous solo dining series. However, a key difference is often noted: this story is about a family man’s lunch. Hiroshi’s wife Misae and his children (including Shin-chan) never appear at all—during that one hour of lunch, he is portrayed simply as a man free to enjoy his meal on his own. This contrast is exactly why the series resonates with such a broad audience across generations.
Do the Restaurants in the Story Actually Exist? Examining Their Real-Life Models
The various eateries Hiroshi visits in the story—a katsudon shop, a curry house, a conveyor-belt sushi joint, a seafood donburi shop, a karaage set-meal diner, and so on—feel uncannily real. Many readers can’t help but wonder, “Are these places based on real restaurants?” Here, we investigate the truth behind the locations in the series, drawing on what’s known from author interviews.
Likely Real Inspirations, but No Official Names Given
To get straight to the point, all the restaurants that appear in The Style of Hiroshi Nohara’s Lunch are fictional. Author Yōichi Tsukahara has stated in past interviews that he “references actual restaurants he visited during research,” but he’s made it clear that he avoids depicting any real-life shop with an identical name or appearance. He deliberately keeps the establishments fictional—likely to sidestep any issues with copyrights, trademarks, or disrupting those businesses.
However, looked at another way, this essentially means there’s a very high chance that real restaurants served as models for the story. Tsukahara himself said, “I decide on a dish and then actually go to a restaurant to eat it. If it’s something you can’t find at a restaurant, I’ll cook it myself.” In other words, many of the menu items featured are recreations of dishes he personally tasted. In short, while he isn’t drawing any single real-world restaurant exactly as-is, the places he uses as inspiration certainly do exist in reality.
In fact, many details in the manga are uncannily similar to real-life eateries. The layout of the dining areas, the price range of the dishes, the menu tags on the wall, even the level of crowding during the lunch rush—such elements closely mirror what you’d find in actual chain restaurants or typical local diners. It’s precisely because the author traveled to various restaurants, “eating his way” through field research and sprinkling in those authentic details, that so many readers catch themselves thinking, “I feel like I’ve seen a place like this somewhere before…”
Since no specific shop names have ever been officially revealed, this all remains in the realm of fan speculation. Even so, the internet is buzzing with theories—“Maybe that ramen joint by ___ Station was the model?” “The interior here looks just like ___.” In fact, more and more fans are embarking on “pilgrimages” of their own, using the dishes and shop scenes from the manga as hints to seek out real-world locations that match the vibe. In this way, although the eateries in the story are fiction, each reader can imagine their own real-life counterpart. Being able to overlay your personal candidate for the “real” shop and have fun with it is, in itself, part of the charm of this series.
The Secret Behind the Hyper-Realistic Food Depictions
The biggest reason The Style of Hiroshi Nohara’s Lunch exudes such a strong sense of reality is its obsessive commitment to realistic detail in portraying food and restaurant settings. As mentioned, the creator undertakes painstaking research, and he actually draws the art based on memories of dishes he’s truly eaten. As a result, he can depict things with striking lifelikeness—whether it’s the way the aroma of spices wafts from a curry, the rich color and sheen of the tuna in a seafood bowl, or even the satisfying crunch of freshly fried karaage batter. It’s all so vivid that you can almost smell and hear the food as you read.
In the manga, realistic details are packed into every corner of the panels. You’ll notice the condiments and water pitcher sitting on the counter, hear the “sizzle” from the kitchen, and practically sense the cheerful shouts of the staff during the lunchtime rush – the whole atmosphere of a busy noon eatery practically leaps off the page. The anime adaptation followed suit, creating an intense sense of realism with the bold technique of using live-action footage for the food. Viewers loved it, saying things like “It’s weirdly realistic and now I’m hungry,” and “Even the steam looks delicious!”
By committing to such true-to-life depictions, the series makes you feel as if you’re actually right there, having lunch at the shop alongside Hiroshi. On the other hand, because it never pins down a specific real restaurant by name, each fan can have fun imagining “if it were me, maybe it’s that little place I know…” and let their mind wander. This superb balance between reality and fiction is precisely the secret that draws fans into The Style of Hiroshi Nohara’s Lunch.
Conclusion: The Down-to-Earth Gourmet Delights of The Style of Hiroshi Nohara’s Lunch
What this series teaches us is that by adding just a bit of ingenuity or adventurous spirit to your lunch, everyday life can become many times more enjoyable. For example, you might discover a new cheap and tasty spot, or occasionally stand in a long line to treat yourself to a luxurious lunch, or simply eat whatever you love in the way you enjoy most. Having this kind of personal “lunchtime style” is likely the greatest source of vitality for any working adult.Hiroshi himself often says, “This one meal is the fuel for my afternoon’s work!” We too should try not to let our midday meal be just a dull refueling stop. If we approach each lunch break with a little enjoyment and personal flair, surely our days will become a bit richer than before. Each of the restaurants and menu items introduced here offers an unpretentious yet top-tier lunch experience. By all means, go out and give them a try!
