Photo/Illutration Canned food products line the shelves at the Universal Citywalk Osaka branch of Mr. Kanso in the city’s Konohana Ward on Oct. 31. (Yasuji Nagai)

OSAKA—A chain of bars whose cuisine consists of canned food is on the comeback trail and increasingly targeting foreign travelers.

Clean Brothers Inc.’s first bar, called Mr. Kanso, opened in the Minami-Horie district in Osaka's Nishi Ward in 2002. It featured the unconventional service of selling canned food to imbibers and allowing them to consume the products in-store.

Mr. Kanso bars offer about 300 varieties of canned delicacies from around Japan, such as “takoyaki” (octopus dumplings), “dashimaki” (Japanese rolled omelet) and Miyazaki beef.

The number of franchisees across Japan had reached 44 in 2015.

But the figure has dropped to 32 in 2025, a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everyone’s lifestyle changed,” said Michio Kawabata, 37, a board member in charge of public relations. “It seems many people shifted to drinking at home.”

FAMILY AFFAIR

The company is named after a project initiated by a group of artists led by Kawabata’s father Yoshihito, 71.

When Yoshihito was creating modern art pieces, he was also working as a manager for office buildings.

In 1998, he came up with an idea to clean up communal areas of buildings and lend the empty spaces to artists to display their works.

Yoshihito joined hands with eight others to found Clean Brothers, hoping to give young artists the exposure they needed.

A warehouse company asked them to operate a shop at a planned redevelopment site for a limited time. Thus, the first Mr. Kanso bar was born.

Clean Brothers decided to offer only cans of food at the bar because they have a long shelf life and require almost no cooking.

Customers would choose their favorite cans from shelves, move to the bar counter, and eat the contents with drinks.

The strategy proved successful.

Yoshihito serves as chairman of Clean Brothers, while his first son, Keiji, 42, is president and second son, Takeshi, 40, is managing director. Michio is the third son.

Clean Brothers’ product information states that it offers “‘omoroi’ (amusing) products born from a flash of inspiration.”

At least 20 of them are original items, including a can of takoyaki, which is priced at 635 yen ($4). It once sold about 10,000 cans a year.

Other original brand canned products are “happosai” (stir-fried mixed vegetables), “chanko-nabe” hot pot, paella and even cheesecake.

CONSTANT ADJUSTMENTS

Clean Brothers is aware it can’t compete on price with major seafood companies that can distribute mass-produced canned products to retailers.

The bar company’s product development has largely been a long trial-and-error process.

In canning, food is sealed in a container and sterilized by heat.

But the initial problem with takoyaki dumplings was that they melted with sauce while being heated.

Clean Brothers made adjustments, including thickening the sauce, to accumulate know-how.

The challenge for dashimaki omelet was how to keep the color, shape and firmness.

Mr. Kanso is now growing popular among the increasing numbers of inbound tourists for its novelty. The tourists have created a new business opportunity for Clean Brothers.

The majority of foreign customers want to return home with souvenirs of things they have tasted in Japan, the company said, adding that they prefer “luxury items.”

Canned beef, tuna, scallops and other high-end products sell well among them, the company said.

Cans of flavored nuts are also enjoying brisk sales.

Following takoyaki, wasabi and curry-themed flavors, the company is set to release the “mentaiko” (hot pollock roe) flavor.

“We will continue performing trial-and-error experiments,” Michio said.

Currently, Clean Brothers directly manages four Mr. Kanso bars and operates an online shop.

The company opened a Mr. Kanso in Taiwan in 2019, although it is now closed. The canned food bar also came to Hong Kong in 2021.

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