Hideki Kimura
The third-generation owner of "Onomichi-Ya," a rice cake factory in operation for fifty-five years. Born in Kurashiki in 1957. An all-round athlete who plays karate, baseball, and triathlon. A kissaten lover for 15 years.
Kouhou Owashi
A potter. Born in Saga Prefecture in 1948. Opened "Washugama," a bizen kiln, in Kojima, Kurashiki-City in 1988. A kissaten lover for 38 years.
- Akahoshi:
- I'd like to begin by asking each of you how much of a regular you are. Mr. Owashi, how often do you come to a kissaten?
- Owashi:
- Almost everyday. It's usually Sepia, right over there. I come here on Sundays when Sepia's closed.
- Kimura:
- I'm here except when the shop's closed or on my day off. That would bring me here about four days a week on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
- Akahoshi:
- Both of you have a particular time of day that you come to a kissaten, don't you?
- Owashi:
- Around seven thirty to eight thirty in the morning. I also drop by in the early evening hours, so that makes it twice a day.
- Kimura:
- I come after finishing the delivery, around 11:30 a.m. to 12 noon.
- Akahoshi:
- Since when has making rounds to a kissaten become your daily routine?
- Owashi:
- It dates back quite a while from when I was still an office worker, so it would be about thirty eight years now. I've hardly missed a day since.
- Kimura:
- Mine's not that long. About fifteen years. I couldn't drink coffee. It's quite recently that I began drinking coffee.
- Owashi:
- Is that so? What did you drink then?
- Kimura:
- Mixed fruit juice or cay.
- Owashi:
- Cay?
- Kimura:
- Yeah. It's like tea with milk.
- Owashi:
- Oh, I get it. The one they drink in glasses this small in Turkey, right?
- Kimura:
- I decided to order coffee for a change one day, but Chika served me cay instead. (Laughter)
- Chika:
- That's because I knew you didn't drink coffee.
- Akahoshi:
- What do you do at a kissaten?
- Kimura:
- I'm here to see the other regular customers. That's why I only show up in the mornings when everyone's around.
- Chika:
- Different people occupy this counter at different hours.
- Kimura:
- There are times when I don't see a familiar face, and it makes me sad.
- Akahoshi:
- How many regulars are there?
- Kimura:
- About five. Those like Jiro and Some. I would ask "Hey, where's Jiro today? And Some?" when I don't bump into them. I get worried when that happens three times in a row.
- Chika:
- It's become a habit for them.
- Akahoshi:
- Do you also mingle with the regulars, Mr. Owashi?
- Owashi:
- I don't talk with other customers. It becomes endless once you strike up a conversation.
- Akahoshi:
- What do you do at a kissaten, then?
- Owashi:
- I read the papers. The Nikkei and Sanyo in the morning. Sepia offers a wide selection of newspapers like the Nikkei, Sanyo, and several sports newspapers. That's the reason why I go there.
- Kimura:
- But Mr. Owashi, you wouldn't come here everyday even if they had the Nikkei here, would you?
- Owashi:
- Ha ha ha. You're right.
- Akahoshi:
- You always sit at the same place, right?
- Owashi:
- At the counter right by the window. People would make room for me at the sight of me walking in.
- Akahoshi:
- That sounds like Moses' Ten Commandments.
- Kimura:
- This seat at the counter is where I usually sit, but there are times when it is occupied. It feels uncomfortable unless I sit at the counter once before leaving.
- Owashi:
- It must be noisy with five people sitting here.
- Akahoshi:
- There's one person with a big voice, isn't there?
- Owashi:
- There's one in Sepia, too. A group of elderly people. (Laughter) They have hearing problems that makes them raise their voices. The group shows up around 9:30, so I leave before that time.
- Kimura:
- I occasionally offer my seat at the counter when the shop becomes crowded.
- Owashi:
- Having been around for a long time, we start thinking as if we run the place.
- Chika:
- That's true. Everyone helps me out in many ways.
- Kimura:
- Jiro would fix anything that's broken. I pick up stuff that's no longer needed, and it's turned my place into a dump.
- Akahoshi:
- By the way, what are the points in choosing your favorite kissaten?
- Owashi:
- The atmosphere. This place has the best.
- Akahoshi:
- I see a twitch in Chika's smile.
- Owashi:
- The selection of reading material is important, too. Sepia has Sera and BE-PAL. I'm the one who requested them, by the way.
- Kimura:
- It's people for me.
- Owashi:
- A kissaten for you, Mr. Kimura, is a place to ‘gather' isn't it?
- Kimura:
- You're absolutely right.
- Akahoshi:
- What do you talk about every day?
- Kimura:
- I don't know. (Laughter) About insignificant matters. About kids, things that happened, and so on. We never talk about work, because it's depressing. It reminds us of life's hardships.
- Owashi:
- There used to be a neighborhood gathering place called Seinen-Yado that functioned as a local community. I think kissatens are serving such function today. A community where people who share interests can get together.
- Kimura:
- There's an inapproachable air at first. I started out with occasional visits and it took me quite a while before I began to show up regularly like this.
- Akahoshi:
- Is the taste of coffee that's served important?
- Owashi:
- Of course. That and the "class" of the owner.
- Kimura:
- As I told you, I couldn't even drink coffee at first, you know.
- Akahoshi:
- What do you usually order?
- Owashi:
- Coffee. Black.
- Kimura:
- I add sugar and milk to mine. I order coffee because it's quick.
- Owashi:
- The good thing about kissatens, for me, is that I come up with designs here. They keep handouts with blank backs ready for me, and I jot down the design that I come up with.
- Kimura:
- I bet all that activity around you inspires you.
- Owashi:
- Exactly. That's what a kissaten is about—hustle and bustle.
- Kimura:
- Activity in a kissaten is unique. Your mind is lured into thinking things you usually do not think about when you are alone in a coffee shop. About relationships, life, and so on. You wouldn't be caught thinking about such things if you were alone at a yakitori restaurant. There, it's usually things like, "this yakitori tastes good," or "I've got an early day tomorrow. Need to call it a day."
- Owashi:
- Music is also an important factor. This place plays good music. (Referring to the jazz music played at the moment.) This kind of music is good.
- Kimura:
- You often run into places that play cable broadcasting all day, but here they play their own selection from CDs.
- Owashi:
- I'd say a kissaten is a place of relaxation. The ultimate relaxation.
- Kimura:
- I like how we have the initiative. We can stay as long as we want, leave when we feel like it. Having said that, however, half of it is actually subject to the mood of the owner.