Cafe Return

[Three years of learning about “Soup that sustains life”]

The owner came across the book “Soup that Supports Life” by Tatsumi Yoshiko, a cooking researcher, and wanted to feed this soup to his mother who was fighting an illness. That was the first step that led to the opening of the shop. He learned the soup from Tatsumi’s apprentice in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, once a month for three years. This soup is the basis of this shop, so the main role in my shop is soup, says the owner. The family home where he grew up ran a clothing store called “Nodaya.” The owner recalls, “The shopping street lined with shops was very lively.” However, Nodaya closed its shutters and became vacant. The owner reopened the shop as a cafe in March 2016, hoping that many people would try the soup he learned and bring back the liveliness of the area by gathering people. The name of the shop, “Kikyorai,” comes from a poem by Kitahara Hakushu. The poem, which is filled with feelings for his hometown, Yanagawa, was set to music by composer Kiyoshi Nobutoki. The owner told us, “It was a memorable song that my teacher in elementary school used to make us sing.”

On this day, we had a set of keema curry made with a special soup and Yanagawa nori seaweed harvested in the Ariake Sea. When I took a sip of the soup, it had a very gentle flavor.

Time flows slowly inside the shop, which is decorated with wooden furniture. The owner said, “I hope you can spend some relaxing time here.” The soup is also available for takeaway. Many customers buy it for elderly family members who have difficulty eating. The calm atmosphere of the shop exudes the same gentleness as the soup.