I used to live in Kitakyushu (北九州). Not as a tourist passing through, but as a resident — for a full year back in 2015. During that time, Sandwich Factory OCM (オーシーエム) in the Kokura (小倉) district became one of those places I’d visit on a regular weekday without thinking twice. Nothing planned, nothing fancy — just a reliable stop that happened to make sandwiches I looked forward to eating every single time.
Eleven years later, I brought my family back. The sandwich tasted exactly the way I remembered. The line outside the door, though — that part was new.
Table of Contents
Sandwich Factory OCM Kitakyushu: Essential Visitor Information, Hours, and Location
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Sandwich Factory OCM (オーシーエム) |
| Address | 3-6 Senbamachi, Kokurakita Ward, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 802-0007, Japan |
| Japanese address | 福岡県北九州市小倉北区船場町３−６ (show this to a taxi driver or paste into Google Maps) |
| Hours | 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM (closes early when ingredients sell out) |
| Closed | No fixed closing day listed — confirm before visiting |
| Reservations | Not accepted |
| Payment | Cash and card accepted |
| Dine-in / Takeout | Both available |
| English menu | Yes — listed in both Japanese and English |
| Access | ~10-minute walk from JR Kokura Station, near Izutsuya Department Store (井筒屋) |
| Price range | ¥470–¥800 per sandwich (~$2.97–$5.06 USD / ~€2.66–€4.52 EUR) |
Prices converted at approximately $1 USD ≈ ¥158 / €1 EUR ≈ ¥177 (as of October 2026). Rates may fluctuate.
About the Area
Kitakyushu sits at the northern tip of Kyushu island, within Fukuoka Prefecture. The city draws visitors for the retro port district of Mojiko Retro (門司港レトロ), with its Western-style architecture preserved from the late 19th-century trading era, and for the Mt. Sarakura (皿倉山) night panorama — ranked among Japan’s top three night views. But Kokura, the city’s commercial heart and the location of Kokura Station (小倉駅), has a quieter pull of its own. The streets between the station and Kokura Castle (小倉城) are where locals eat lunch, run errands, and spend weekday afternoons. OCM has been part of that daily routine since 1978 — 48 years and counting.
The Line That Wasn’t There Before
When I lived here, OCM was a walk-in place. You’d head upstairs, order, sit down, eat. This time, a line ran down the narrow staircase and spilled out onto the ground floor. I asked the person at the back whether this was really the queue for a sandwich shop. It was.
Somewhere in the past decade, word spread. Maybe a TV feature, maybe social media — I’m not sure. But the shop I used to visit on a whim now requires a bit of patience. I almost skipped it. I’m the type who walks away the moment I see a queue. But we’d come all the way back, and I needed to know if it still tasted the same. So we waited.
The line moved faster than expected. A good portion of customers ordered takeout, which keeps the flow going. If you can time your visit outside the noon rush — before 11:30 AM or after 1:30 PM — you’ll likely skip the worst of it.
One thing to know: whether you’re dining in or taking out, everyone shares the same line. No separate queue, no reservation system.
How to Build Your Sandwich at OCM
The ordering system is what sets OCM apart from a typical sandwich counter. You don’t just point at a preset menu item — you build your own.
The shop sits on the second floor of a building along the route between Kokura Station and Kokura Castle. The staircase leading up is narrow and steep, so watch your footing, especially if you’re carrying bags or traveling with small children. Once upstairs, enter through the right-hand door and exit through the left.
If you’re eating in, grab a tray and utensils near the entrance. Takeout customers can skip the tray entirely.
Pick Two Fillings, Pay the Higher Price
Here’s how it works: choose up to two fillings for your sandwich. The price is simply whichever filling costs more — not both added together.
For example, if you pick Egg at ¥470 (~$2.97 USD / ~€2.66 EUR) and Chicken at ¥740 (~$4.68 USD / ~€4.18 EUR), your sandwich costs ¥740. Not ¥1,210. Just the higher of the two.
It’s a system that rewards creative pairing, and it’s arguably the reason most regulars never order a single filling. You’re essentially getting two flavors for the price of one — whichever one happens to be pricier.
Tell the staff your choices at the sandwich counter before you reach the register. The fillings and their prices are displayed behind glass with English and Japanese labels. If picking from scratch feels like too much pressure, six recommended combos with photos are posted above the counter — a reliable shortcut, especially on a first visit.
Toasted or Soft — Your Call
After picking your fillings, you can ask for the bread toasted. The staff will usually ask, or you can request it yourself. For dine-in orders, a warm toasted sandwich pairs well with certain combos — the Original + Chicken in particular. For takeout, soft bread holds up better during transport since toasted bread can stiffen by the time you find a place to sit.
We kept all our sandwiches untoasted this time around. Both versions are good — it comes down to preference.
Menu Highlights
OCM has 17 sandwich fillings in total, plus a full lineup of salads, soups, toasts, desserts, and drinks. Here are the most popular options.
Popular Sandwich Fillings
| Filling | Price (JPY) | USD | EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egg | ¥470 | ~$2.97 | ~€2.66 |
| Potato | ¥480 | ~$3.04 | ~€2.71 |
| Original (house meat sauce) | ¥490 | ~$3.10 | ~€2.77 |
| Tuna | ¥520 | ~$3.29 | ~€2.94 |
| Chicken | ¥740 | ~$4.68 | ~€4.18 |
| Pastrami Beef | ¥800 | ~$5.06 | ~€4.52 |
| Smoked Salmon | ¥800 | ~$5.06 | ~€4.52 |
All 17 fillings with prices are listed on the menu board (pictured above), which is written in both English and Japanese.
Recommended Combos
These combinations are posted at the ordering counter with photos. Each sandwich uses two fillings, and you pay only the higher-priced one.
| Combo | You Pay |
|---|---|
| Original + Chicken ★ Best Seller | ¥740 (~$4.68 USD / ~€4.18 EUR) |
| Potato + Pastrami Beef | ¥800 (~$5.06 USD / ~€4.52 EUR) |
| Smoked Salmon + Cream Cheese | ¥800 (~$5.06 USD / ~€4.52 EUR) |
| Tuna + Dry-Cured Ham | ¥780 (~$4.94 USD / ~€4.41 EUR) |
| Egg + Sausage | ¥750 (~$4.75 USD / ~€4.24 EUR) |
| Egg + Fried Shrimp | ¥750 (~$4.75 USD / ~€4.24 EUR) |
Sides and Drinks Worth Adding
| Item | Price (JPY) | USD | EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corn Soup | ¥470 | ~$2.97 | ~€2.66 |
| Onion Soup | ¥470 | ~$2.97 | ~€2.66 |
| Melon Soda | ¥320 | ~$2.03 | ~€1.81 |
| Hot Coffee | ¥390 | ~$2.47 | ~€2.20 |
| Cheesecake | ¥240 | ~$1.52 | ~€1.36 |
| Beer | ¥550 | ~$3.48 | ~€3.11 |
After ordering your sandwich at the counter, move to the register on your left to add any drinks, soups, or desserts, and pay there.
Dining In
The seating area has around ten tables. It’s compact, but turnover is fast — a table opened up for us just as we reached the front of the line.
If you’re traveling with children, you’ll be fine here. A growing number of smaller restaurants in Japan have adopted “no-kids zones” — partly due to limited space, and partly out of concern for noise in quiet dining settings. It’s something worth checking before you walk into an unfamiliar spot. OCM, though, is the opposite of that. We brought our young child, and several other families with kids were eating there too. It’s clearly a place parents have been bringing their children to for a long time.
A small condiment station sits in the middle of the dining area, stocked with salt, hot sauce, ketchup, and mustard. Grab what you need and return everything when you’re done.
When your order is ready, your number gets called and you pick it up at the counter. Sandwiches are assembled quickly once you’ve ordered, so the wait is short.
What We Ordered
Our family of three ordered two sandwiches, one soup, and two drinks. Here’s the full breakdown:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Original + Chicken | ¥740 (~$4.68 USD / ~€4.18 EUR) |
| Smoked Salmon + Cream Cheese | ¥800 (~$5.06 USD / ~€4.52 EUR) |
| Corn Soup | ¥470 (~$2.97 USD / ~€2.66 EUR) |
| Melon Soda × 2 | ¥640 (~$4.05 USD / ~€3.62 EUR) |
| Total | ¥2,650 (~$16.77 USD / ~€14.97 EUR) |
A full sit-down lunch for a family of three, under seventeen dollars.
Original + Chicken — The One to Try First
This is OCM’s signature combo and longtime best seller. The “Original” filling is the shop’s proprietary meat sauce — savory, with a depth that goes well beyond standard sandwich condiments. Paired with tender Kyushu-raised chicken, the sandwich is thick enough that you need to press the bread down just to take a clean first bite. The photos don’t quite capture the volume — fillings are stacked so generously that everything threatens to slide out the sides with each bite.
The chicken is cooked through but stays moist, and the meat sauce ties the whole thing together without overpowering it. If this is your first visit, start here. There’s a reason it’s been the number-one seller for decades.
Smoked Salmon + Cream Cheese
My husband ordered this one — the same combo he chose when we first came here together, years ago, before we were married. He remembered it without hesitation, and honestly, it’s the reason he kept suggesting we work Kitakyushu into our travel plans this time around. Some flavors just stay with you.
The smoked salmon isn’t overly salty, and the cream cheese adds just enough richness to balance it out. It’s a lighter, cleaner option compared to the Original + Chicken — a good pick if you want something less heavy. Priced at ¥800 (~$5.06 USD / ~€4.52 EUR), the sandwich is charged at the smoked salmon rate since cream cheese alone is ¥740.
Corn Soup and Melon Soda
The corn soup at ¥470 (~$2.97 USD / ~€2.66 EUR) is a smooth, mild Japanese-style corn potage — a creamy blended corn soup that’s a staple comfort side at casual restaurants across Japan. It pairs well with any sandwich on the menu. Our kid finished it without needing any encouragement, which is really the only endorsement that matters at that age.
Melon soda at ¥320 (~$2.03 USD / ~€1.81 EUR) each is one of those drinks you’ll find at old-school Japanese diners and kissaten — traditional Japanese coffee shops. It’s a bright green, sweet, melon-flavored carbonated drink that’s more nostalgic than sophisticated. If you’ve never tried one, this is a fine place to start. Personally, it’s one of my favorite things to order whenever I’m back in Japan.
Takeout Option
If you’re grabbing your sandwich to go, it comes packed in a clean plastic bento-style container with napkins and a wet towel tucked inside. It’s easy to eat at a park bench near Kokura Castle, along the river, or wherever you end up. Just keep in mind — if you asked for toasted bread, eat it soon. It doesn’t stay crisp for long.
Before You Leave
After finishing your meal, return your tray, cups, and utensils to the designated return area next to the register. It’s self-service — bus your own table, just like the locals do.
The Bread Behind the Sandwich: Shiroya Bakery
One detail that surprised me when I first learned about it: the bread at OCM is supplied by Shiroya Bakery (シロヤベーカリー), another Kitakyushu institution that’s been around for decades. The sandwich bread has a soft, slightly sweet quality to it — the kind that holds up to heavy fillings without falling apart or going soggy. That consistency isn’t accidental.
Shiroya’s most well-known product is Sunny Bread (サニーパン) — a small, soft roll filled with sweetened condensed milk. It costs next to nothing and locals buy it by the bagful. The Kokura branch is at the entrance of Uomachi Shopping Street (魚町商店街), a short walk from Kokura Station. If you’re curious, it’s worth a quick stop on the same trip.
The original Shiroya location is in Kitakyushu’s Kurosaki district. If you’re flying out of Kitakyushu Airport, there’s a small Shiroya counter in the terminal selling frozen versions of their popular items — worth grabbing on your way out.
Bread items at Shiroya range from ¥150 to ¥750 (~$0.95–$4.75 USD / ~€0.85–€4.24 EUR).
Worth the Wait
Sandwich Factory OCM in Kitakyushu doesn’t chase trends. There’s no Instagram-ready plating, no seasonal limited-edition menu, no flashy renovation. What it does is simpler: good bread, generous fillings, a fair price — the same formula since 1978.
Sitting inside on this visit, I watched a young couple order without glancing at the menu. Behind us, a mother guided her daughter through the filling choices with the kind of patient familiarity that only comes from years of repeat visits. The staff moved through orders with a calm, practiced rhythm — decades of the same motions, the same combinations, the same bread.
I left Kitakyushu eleven years ago, and a lot has changed since then — in the city, in my life, in the length of the line outside this building. But the sandwich hasn’t changed. If you find yourself in Kokura, whether on a day trip from Fukuoka, a stop between Mojiko Retro and Mt. Sarakura, or just near Kokura Station with time and an empty stomach, Sandwich Factory OCM is worth the detour. And if there’s a line, stay in it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): What to Know Before Visiting Sandwich Factory OCM
What is Sandwich Factory OCM in Kitakyushu?
Sandwich Factory OCM is a sandwich specialty shop in the Kokura district of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It opened in 1978 and has been operating continuously for 48 years. The shop is known locally as one of Kitakyushu’s “soul food” spots — a place where multiple generations of Kokura residents have been eating since childhood. It sits on the second floor of a building along the walking route between Kokura Station and Kokura Castle, near Izutsuya Department Store.
How does the ordering system work at Sandwich Factory OCM?
You choose up to two sandwich fillings from a selection of 17 options displayed behind the counter. The unique part: you only pay the price of whichever filling costs more, not both combined. For example, choosing Egg at ¥470 (~$2.97 USD / €2.66 EUR) and Chicken at ¥740 ($4.68 USD / ~€4.18 EUR) means your sandwich costs ¥740 — not ¥1,210. After selecting your fillings, you can request toasted or soft bread. Then move to the register to add drinks, soups, or desserts, and pay. The menu is displayed in both English and Japanese, so ordering is straightforward even without Japanese language skills.
What is the most popular sandwich at OCM?
The signature and best-selling combo is Original + Chicken, priced at ¥740 (~$4.68 USD / ~€4.18 EUR). “Original” refers to OCM’s proprietary house meat sauce, which is paired with tender Kyushu-raised chicken. The filling is generous — thick enough that the sandwich requires a firm grip to keep everything from sliding out. It’s the recommended starting point for first-time visitors and has held its position as the shop’s top seller for years.
How much does a meal cost at Sandwich Factory OCM?
Individual sandwiches range from ¥470 to ¥800 (~$2.97–$5.06 USD / €2.66–€4.52 EUR) depending on the fillings selected. Corn Soup costs ¥470 ($2.97 USD / €2.66 EUR), Melon Soda is ¥320 ($2.03 USD / €1.81 EUR), and Cheesecake is ¥240 ($1.52 USD / €1.36 EUR). As a reference, a family of three can have a full lunch — two sandwiches, a soup, and two drinks — for approximately ¥2,650 ($16.77 USD / ~€14.97 EUR) in total.
Prices are converted at approximately $1 USD ≈ ¥158 / €1 EUR ≈ ¥177 (as of October 2026).
Is Sandwich Factory OCM family-friendly and accessible for tourists?
Yes, OCM welcomes families with children. The dining area has a mix of two-person and four-person tables, and the menu is bilingual (English and Japanese) with six recommended combos posted with photos at the ordering counter for anyone unsure about what to pick. Note that the staircase to the second-floor shop is narrow and steep, so use caution if you’re carrying bags or traveling with small children. Both dine-in and takeout are available — takeout sandwiches come neatly packed in a bento-style container with napkins and a wet towel.
What bread does Sandwich Factory OCM use, and what is Shiroya Bakery?
OCM’s sandwiches are made with bread from Shiroya Bakery, another longtime Kitakyushu institution. The bread has a soft, slightly sweet texture that holds up well under heavy fillings. Shiroya Bakery is best known for its Sunny Bread — a small, soft roll filled with sweetened condensed milk, priced affordably. Items at Shiroya range from ¥150 to ¥750 (~$0.95–$4.75 USD / ~€0.85–€4.24 EUR). The Kokura branch is located at the entrance of Uomachi Shopping Street, a short walk from Kokura Station. Frozen Shiroya products are also sold at Kitakyushu Airport.
How do I get to Sandwich Factory OCM from Kokura Station?
Sandwich Factory OCM is approximately a 10-minute walk from JR Kokura Station. Head toward Kokura Castle — the shop is on the second floor of a building near Izutsuya Department Store, along Senbamachi street. The address is 3-6 Senbamachi, Kokurakita Ward, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 802-0007, Japan. If taking a taxi, show the driver the Japanese address: 福岡県北九州市小倉北区船場町３−６. The shop is open from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM but closes early when ingredients sell out. No reservations are accepted, and the lunch rush (roughly 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM) tends to have the longest wait times.