Makanai in Japan 2026: The Staff Meals That Built Japanese Cuisine

At a glance: makanai

What is makanai exactly?

Makanai (まかない or 賄い) is the Japanese tradition of cooks preparing meals for themselves and their colleagues between scheduled service times. The word’s verb root makanau (賄う) means “to provide for / to manage / to support”. In a Japanese restaurant context, makanai is the meal the kitchen makes for the kitchen — usually simple, made from off-cuts, leftovers, or ingredients past their prime customer-facing freshness but still excellent.

The cultural function is broader than feeding staff. Makanai is where Japanese cooks:

• Train apprentices — junior cooks practice technique on staff meals before facing customers.
• Test new ideas — chefs experiment with combinations they would not yet put on the menu.
• Reduce waste — fish trimmings, vegetable peels, day-old rice become donburi or okayu.
• Build team culture — eating together as colleagues rather than as boss/staff.
• Document the kitchen’s identity — the makanai of a sushi house is different from a soba shop.

The Kyoto maiko origin

The most documented origin of formal makanai is in Kyoto’s okiya — the boarding houses of apprentice geisha (maiko). In Kyoto’s Gion district, maiko live communally during their training years (typically ages 15-20). Each okiya employs a dedicated makanai-san — a cook (almost always a woman, traditionally an older female who chose not to enter geisha life herself) — whose job is to feed the maiko, the senior geisha (geiko), and the household staff three meals a day.

The makanai-san’s cooking is the maiko’s daily sustenance, the rhythm of the boarding house, and a quietly central role in geisha culture. The food is simple, seasonal, and reflective of the household’s traditions. A makanai-san who has worked in one okiya for 30 years carries the household’s culinary memory.

The Netflix series and its impact

In January 2023, Netflix released The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (まいこさんちのまかないさん), a 9-episode series directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda based on the manga by Aiko Koyama. The series follows two best friends, Kiyo and Sumire, who move to Kyoto from rural Aomori to become maiko. Sumire succeeds; Kiyo struggles with the discipline. When Kiyo cannot continue maiko training, she becomes the okiya’s makanai-san — and the series finds its centre in her cooking.

The show was a global hit. It introduced Western audiences to:

• The makanai-san as a real cultural role
• The communal life of an okiya
• Kyoto’s culinary calendar
• Hirokazu Kore-eda’s quiet observational style
• Aiko Koyama’s gentle manga storytelling

Following the show, restaurants worldwide began offering “makanai menus” — staff-style simple Japanese dishes — as a movement.

Examples of classic makanai dishes

• Maguro no zuke don (まぐろの漬け丼) — soy-marinated tuna over rice. Made from tuna trimmings the sushi chef would not serve as nigiri.
• Tamago kake gohan (卵かけご飯) — raw egg over hot rice with soy sauce. The simplest Japanese comfort food, typical morning makanai for any kitchen.
• Curry rice (カレーライス) — Japanese-style curry, the universal staff favourite across all restaurant types.
• Yakitori bones broth ramen — at yakitori shops, the chicken bones become the makanai broth.
• Onigiri made with nori scraps — rice balls using leftover nori sheets and umeboshi or salmon trimmings.
• Soba kaeshi don — at soba shops, the kaeshi sauce becomes the seasoning for staff donburi.
• Yakimeshi (fried rice) — leftover rice transformed with whatever is in the walk-in.

The makanai movement in 2026

Following The Makanai TV series, several Japanese restaurants outside Japan have launched explicit “makanai” service tracks:

• London: a handful of Japanese-run restaurants offer Sunday-night makanai dinners — chef’s-choice menu at fixed price.
• New York and Los Angeles: pop-up makanai dinners run by Japanese chef collectives in 2024-2025.
• Tokyo and Osaka: established restaurants offering makanai-themed lunch menus showcasing simple staff cooking.
• Home cooking trend: cookbooks and YouTube channels focusing on makanai-style home Japanese cooking, cooking from leftovers and pantry staples.

Why makanai matters culturally

Makanai represents three things deeply embedded in Japanese culture:

• Mottainai (もったいない) — the principle of “what a waste!” Throwing away usable food is culturally taboo. Makanai converts what would be waste into nourishment.
• Apprenticeship through doing — Japanese cooks learn by doing the makanai cooking before being trusted with paying customers’ food.
• Community over individual — eating together as a kitchen team, with colleagues, before serving paying guests, is itself the cultural ritual.

For travellers visiting Japan, asking a sushi chef “what does the kitchen eat?” can sometimes prompt them to share a piece of makanai — informal, off-menu, special.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does makanai mean in Japanese?

Makanai (まかない or 賄い) means ‘to provide’ or ‘staff meal’ in Japanese. The word refers specifically to the meals prepared and eaten by cooks and waitstaff in Japanese restaurants between services. It is humble cooking, often made from leftovers and trimmings.

What is the Netflix Makanai about?

The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (まいこさんちのまかないさん) is a Netflix series directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, released in January 2023. The 9-episode series follows two friends, Kiyo and Sumire, who move from rural Aomori to Kyoto for maiko training. When Kiyo cannot continue, she becomes the makanai-san (cook) of the geisha boarding house.

Where did makanai originate?

The most documented origin is in Kyoto’s geisha boarding houses (okiya), where each household employs a makanai-san to feed the apprentice maiko, senior geiko and household staff. The role expanded to all Japanese kitchens over time.

What kinds of food are makanai dishes?

Classic makanai dishes include maguro no zuke don (soy-marinated tuna over rice), tamago kake gohan (raw egg over rice), curry rice, ramen made from yakitori chicken bones, onigiri using nori scraps and trimmings, soba kaeshi donburi, and yakimeshi (fried rice from leftovers).

Can I eat makanai dishes in a Japanese restaurant?

Sometimes — many Japanese restaurants do not put makanai on the menu, but a sushi chef or kaiseki cook may share a piece if asked respectfully. Following the Netflix series, some restaurants in London, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Osaka now offer explicit ‘makanai menus’ as a movement.

What is the cultural significance of makanai?

Makanai embodies three Japanese cultural principles: mottainai (waste not), apprenticeship through doing (junior cooks learn on staff meals before serving customers), and community eating (the kitchen team eats together as a ritual before service). For Japanese chefs, makanai is where they train, experiment and build team culture.

See also

• Best Japanese phrase books for travellers
• Okini meaning: Kansai-dialect thank you
• Arigato meaning
• Legal drinking age in Japan
• Kabukicho Tokyo nightlife guide