Matsuya Iwade Store Reverses Late-July Switch to 24-Hour Operation After Just Two Days

It has been learned that Matsuya Iwade Store (0710), the only Matsuya location in Iwade City, Wakayama Prefecture, has scrapped its switch to 24-hour operation just two days after rolling it out on July 31. As of August 2, the store’s hours on Matsuya’s official website read “5:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. the next day (last orders 30 minutes before closing).” The 24-hour operation notation added on July 31, along with the accompanying note about a late-night closure during the Obon period (August 3–15), has both disappeared, and the listing has reverted to the regular hours that had been in place since June.

Official Website’s Hours Revert to the Regular Format

Matsuya Iwade Store’s listed hours had briefly switched to 24-hour operation on July 31. At that point, a note had also been added stating that the store would close only from 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. during August 3–15. As of August 2, however, both of these have been removed, and the listing has reverted to the regular hours that had been in place since June.

Point in Time	Listed Hours
From July 31	24-hour operation (closed only 3:00–5:00 a.m. during August 3–15)
As of August 2	5:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. the next day (last orders 30 minutes before closing)

On July 31, both Iwade Store and Kainan Store had switched to 24-hour operation together, but this time it is Iwade Store’s listing that has reverted to regular hours.

Around 40 Stores Nationwide Announce Late-Night Closures for Obon

On Matsuya’s official website, around 40 stores nationwide have announced late-night closures spanning early to mid-August, including Matsuya Kishiwada Store, Imaike Store, Gifu Akanebe Store, Kasugai Store, Anjo Nishikimachi Store, and Kinokawa Ohashi Store, also in Wakayama Prefecture. All of these normally operate 24 hours a day and close only for part of the late-night hours during the Obon period.

Iwade Store had also joined this group of 24-hour stores on July 31, announcing that it would close only from 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. during August 3–15. But without waiting for that period to begin on August 3, it scrapped the switch to 24-hour operation altogether and reverted to its regular “5:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. the next day” hours. Since 3:00–5:00 a.m. already falls outside those regular hours, the store has not taken the “normally 24 hours, closed only during Obon” approach seen at other locations, but has instead abandoned the expansion to 24-hour operation entirely.

A String of Changes to Operating Hours Since June’s Switch to a Matsunoya Co-located Format

Over the past month and a half or so, Iwade Store has seen one change to its hours notation after another. The store closed for renovation from June 15 to 24, and reopened with its co-located brand switched from My Curry Shokudo to Matsunoya. Around the time of that reopening, a note reading “last orders 30 minutes before closing” was added to the hours listing.

As an extension of that trend, the switch to 24-hour operation was rolled out in late July, only to be reversed in early August. From the changeover to a Matsunoya co-located format to the back-and-forth over late-night operating policy, this is a store whose operating style has shifted dramatically in a short span of time.

The Only Matsuya in Iwade City

Iwade Store is the only Matsuya location within Iwade City, Wakayama Prefecture. The nearest sister store is Matsuya Wakayama Kano Store in Wakayama City, about 11 km away, and there are no other Matsuya locations nearby.

The store is also of the “Matsunoya co-located” type. Of the six Matsuya stores currently operating in Wakayama Prefecture, three — Iwade Store, Wakayama Kano Store, and Arida Inter Store — are Matsunoya co-located locations. Nationwide, there are 472 Matsuya stores co-located with Matsunoya, led by Tokyo with 48 and Saitama Prefecture with 43; Wakayama Prefecture, with just 3, falls into the minority group. Given that these hours belong to one of the region’s rare Matsunoya co-located stores, it’s likely been a whirlwind few days for locals.