A lot of lovely shops have opened in a place called Arai. It looks like they’re running some kind of project together with the city.

Places like this one

It’s a renovated old kominka house. The atmosphere was great, but the walls are all glass, so it was a little chilly. Then again, compared to the cold back in Korea..

RIVET

The entrance

A clock

Nicely retro.

Today’s menu

Lunch only has a few options, but apparently dinner has far more. Anyway, we came just to give the place a try, so if it’s good we can always come back.

A frog

Where on earth do you even find something like this.. It’s cute.

Inside

Being out in the countryside costs this place nothing at all. You could pick it up and set it down in Shibuya or Sangenjaya as is, and it wouldn’t feel out of place in the slightest.

Soup

The bowl is lovely, and it tastes good too.

One-plate antipasto assortment

Every single thing on it was good..

Pasta with potato, broccoli and tomato in anchovy sauce

Whoever cooks here clearly has a good sense for it.

Mikkabi beef hamburg steak

This one was surprisingly good. Mikkabi is a place name nearby, and this is a hamburg steak made with wagyu raised in that area, full of juices with a deep, meaty flavour. I never thought I’d get to eat a dish like this locally..

Bread

Juice

Coffee

Apple pie for dessert

They’re good at desserts too. I promised myself I’d come back here for dinner.

The toilet

The interior of the toilet was so artistic that I couldn’t not photograph it..

They seem to be trying all sorts of things to revitalise the area, and a kominka cafe like this feels like a good way to do it. If lovely places like this open with help from the city, visitors will follow and the area will come alive with them. It’s a really good concept.

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