We've done this topic several times in the past. Since we've gained some new fans recently, we thought it's a good time to revisit this topic. We've researched a bit more in-depth this time, so please have a read even if you followed this page for a long time!

The story of the tofu shop started in the 1920s. It was originally called「藤野屋豆腐店」(Fujino Store Tofu Stop,) named after the 藤ノ木 (Fujinoki) family. Like the name suggests, the tofu shop is a family business that was pass on through generations. 藤ノ木五十吉 (Fujinoki Isokichi) has inherited the shop from his father and operated the business for past several decades.

Through the years, the Fujinoki's ran a successful business of hand-made fried tofu and lived a quiet lifestyle. According to Fujinoki, he would wake up at 3:00am every day and worked throughout the day 'til 7:00pm when he closes the store. It was hard work. The introduction of Initial D in 1995 depicts a Fujiwara Tofu Shop that we are all familiar with. The Fujiwara Tofu Shop shown in Initial D looks very similar to Fujinoki's store. Fans of the series nearby started to take notice of Fujinoki's tofu shop. It started to became popular among a small group of people.

In 2005, the Initial D Live Action film crew found Fujinoki's tofu shop and negotiate with him to have the sign changed into「藤原豆腐店」(Fujiwara Tofu Shop.) The crew only stayed there for five days to film the footage because they only had to film the outside of the shop. After the movie crew left, Mr. Fujinoki was free to change it back to the original signage. He decided against that and boy was that a smart move.

With the debut of Initial D Live Action, the popularity of Fujinoki-san's tofu shop shot up like a rocket. Fans of the series from all over Japan would visit his shop and did many photo sessions in front of the shop. It literally became the "holy place" for Initial D fans to go to, just like a pilgrimage.

Unfortunately, Mr. Fujinoki's health condition deteriorates rapidly after 2006. He fell ill and passed away in 2008. Fujinoki-san did not have any sons, so the family business was passed onto his wife 美津恵 (Mitsue) temporarily. It just wasn't the same with her husband not around. The shop would be closed most of the time. Mrs. Fujinoki finally decided to close the store for good by late 2009 after being informed that the city was planning to redevelop the area and the tofu shop was one of the targets for demolition.

The tofu shop was demolished by early 2010. Many fans were very disappointed when they found out the shop no longer exists. It was a difficult moment for many to accept. Even knowing the shop no longer exists, many fans still visited the place. It is just an empty land with patch of weeds and gravel.

Fujinoki's eldest daughter 吉野圭子 (Keiko Yoshino) always wanted to see her father's tofu shop restored somewhere else. On September 17th, 2012, with the help of the director of Toy, Doll & Car Museum and the owner of カーランド "Carland", they were able to restore the storefront of the Fujiwara Tofu Shop along with a fully-functional AE86 donated by 得知雅人 (Masahito Tokuchi,) the owner of Carland.

The museum opens to the public on a daily basis. Be sure to check out the link beow for direction. As a die-hard Initial D fans, I will definitely visit the museum when I visit Japan in the future. However, I will also visit that empty land that once stood the legendary Fujiwara Tofu Shop (or should I say Fujino Store Tofu Shop.) It's a holy land that gave birth to many young dreams. It must be a humble feeling to find the root of something that has influenced so many young people worldwide in the past two decades.

| Museum Address |
» 〒370-3606 群馬県北群馬郡吉岡町上野田2145
» TEL: 0279-55-5020
» Google Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/wG43w

| Original Tofu Shop Address |
» 群馬県渋川市渋川寄居町2167
» Coordinate: N 36°29'49.02" E 139°00'9.60"
» Google Maps | http://goo.gl/maps/ese1y
» Street View | http://goo.gl/maps/bZ4UZ

| Work Cited |
» 伊香保の博物館に「藤原とうふ店」を再現 | http://auto.hobidas.com/auto/carnews/article/133846.html
» 永远消失的「藤原豆腐店」| http://www.17utt.com/2012/0912/14173.html
»「頭文字Ｄ」のロケ地 | http://cass.jam.tc/taiwan/jayid1.html
» TOFU NO MORE: The real Initial D “Fujiwara Tofu Ten” location | http://noriyaro.com/?p=5461
» 館長のひとりごと : イニシャルD | http://blog.livedoor.jp/splendore_ikaho/ar...s/51674290.html
» 頭文字Ｄの旅（秋名編）| http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/651574...4066/photo.aspx
» 栃木エリアＤ峠ドライブツアー | http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/777shootingstar/17000/