Beyond the black exterior walls, steam, laughter, and the aroma of pizza

As you walk down Fuse Shopping Street, there’s a corner where the atmosphere suddenly shifts.The exterior is predominantly black. In the center hangs a neon pizza sign.A mom’s bike is parked in front of the store, with a child seat in the front basket.

Right in the middle of this scene—one that makes you want to stop in your tracks—is“That’s PIZZA Fuse Branch.”

This shop, which boldly and unpretentiously bears the name “Pizza,” is filled with an unpretentious warmth and a deep connection to the local community.

Push open the entrance door, and the fragrant aroma of fresh-baked pizza tickles your nose, while the flames in the wood-fired oven flicker across the counter. Watch the artisan skillfully stretch the dough. Plates lined up on the counter. A child smiling as they take a big bite of pizza.

Each of these “moments” flows seamlessly together.

Pizza is all about the dough. 100 hours of flavor development

That’s PIZZA cherishes the philosophy that “the dough accounts for 90 percent.”The ingredients are wheat, water, salt, and yeast. Surprisingly simple. But that’s precisely why it’s so profound.

The dough is prepared by carefully gauging the daily temperature and humidity, as if attuning to the “mood” of the dough that day.

Fermented over four days—a total of 100 hours—the dough is light and fluffy, yet full of depth.When it enters the high-temperature wood-fired oven, it bakes instantly, resulting in a crispy, aromatic crust and a soft, chewy interior.

They say, “You can tell a craftsman’s skill by the color of the underside,” but here, every pizza is baked with a deep desire to delight the person sitting right in front of you.

It’s “pizza,” not “pizza”

Owner Yohei Kajiwara trained at the famous Neapolitan restaurant “Il Pizzaiolo del Presidente.”
However, he isn’t aiming for a high-end “pizza.”It’s the everyday “pizza” that’s deeply rooted in daily life.

Its origins lie in a scene he witnessed on a street corner in Naples.

Locals gather at pizza shops as a matter of course, laughing and chatting. It’s the kind of place where “being there” feels more meaningful than “eating.”

That’s PIZZA’s signature dish, the Margherita, costs 950 yen. The pricing is kept on par with Naples because “we want to deliver the authentic taste as part of everyday life.”

It’s nothing special. But for some reason, you find yourself wanting to eat it every time.Even during my interview, the laughter of a family saying, “We always order this here,” lingered in my ears.

The flames of the wood-fired oven and the energy of the town

The blazing red wood-fired oven—a symbol of this restaurant—is a custom-made unit shipped by boat all the way from Naples. At temperatures exceeding 500 degrees, the pizza bakes in just a few minutes. Even the sound of the fire seems to echo the very pulse of this town.

Following a renovation in 2021, a bright dining area bathed in natural light was created on the second floor.

The space also hosts pizza-making classes for children and rakugo events.Before we knew it, the pizzeria had transformed from “just a place to eat” into “a place to gather.”

Mr. Kajiwara says,“A great town has a ‘cool pizza place.’”

The “cool” he’s referring to here isn’t about design or trends.It’s about a place where people gather, connections are formed, and things start to happen—an atmosphere where culture, like skateboarding, fashion, and music, intersects with everyday life. And the pizza shop stands right at that intersection.

An Unchanging Vision and a Town That’s Slowly Changing

That’s PIZZA was born in Fuse. Mr. Kajiwara, too,grew up in Fuse. The chain is now gradually expanding its reach to Minami-Horie, Umeda Toyosaki, and Tamatsukuri.

Even so, he’s always to be found behind the counter at the flagship Fuse location.In 2025, it will mark exactly 10 years since the shop opened.
Even after 10 years, the sight of him standing in front of the oven remains unchanged.

Yet, all around him, the character of the neighborhood is gradually changing.There are more children now. Cultural events have started to be held.It feels as though even the most ordinary days have become just a little more vibrant.

From a pizza shop to falling in love with the town

“I came here to eat pizza, but somehow I’ve fallen in love with this town.”

That’s the kind of atmosphere you’ll find at That’s PIZZA. It’s unpretentious, yet somehow dignified.While waiting for your pizza at the counter, you might catch someone’s laughter—and for some reason, it feels comforting.

Perhaps it’s not large-scale development or new facilities that change a town. It’s the back of a single person, continuing to bake pizza in front of a wood-fired oven. The flame glowing on that back slowly warms the town’s landscape.

Popping into this pizza shop might just be the first step toward rediscovering the town of Fuse.