'Takoyaki' czar looks to spread tentacles to U.S.

Morio Sase,president of HotLand Corp, is aim for expanding the market to the U.S. and he said
"I worried whether Americans could eat octopus, but 'takoyaki' sales at a special event proved they love it,". HotLand Corpoperates operate about 300 Tsukiji Gindaco takoyaki outlets across Japan and 11 in other parts of Asia.He also said "Gindaco grew to become the No. 1 brand here and it's time for us to open the first one in the U.S.,". The company aims is having 20 stores in California by 2010. The 44-year-old president's confidence is backed by the recent trend in the U.S. toward healthy Japanese food, including sushi, sashimi and tofu.

from The Japan Times. Published: June 5, 2007