People fascinates me more than anything else. I have been amazed when some people shared their incredible life stories with me. Although many of these people are not celebrated or famous, I am sure many people will be inspired and encouraged by learning of the real life stories of people who chose to live meaningful lives. So here I go, starting with Mr. and Mrs. Murasawa, the founder, owner and operator of Yamane in the citiy of Miyazu, Kyoto, Japan.
I first visited Yamane this summer when it has become a cafe after 26 years of operation as Japanese Kaiseki restaurant. As I had casual conversation with them the few times I have visited Yamane, I have come to admire and respect them deeply.
Mr. Murasawa had a heart attack in December 2024, and when he recovered, he felt that he could not do all the work to serve Japanese course meal. So they opened up as a cafe in March 2025. In our conversation, I commented on how amazing that they decided to open up a cafe after running a very disciplined Kaiseki restaurant for all these years. To answer that question, Mr. and Mrs. Murasawa told me of their journey to reach where they were now.
Mr Murasawa trained as Japanese chef in the traditional vigorous path at a restaurant in the city of Kyoto. He married, and his wife naturally became his work partner. When he was ready to have his own restaurant, Mr. and Mrs. Murasawa decided to open up a restaurant near Oe train station. They were met with resistance by a couple owners of restaurants that already existed in the area. Mr. and Mrs. Murasawa were so angry with the resistance, they decided to be obstinate and opened a cafe, serving only coffee. They succeeded as a cafe, they continued to look for a location in the area by that no one would complain about. They found a place in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains about 10 minutes of drive away from the train station. Because it was so remote and nothing there, of course no water or electricity. They decided that this is meant to be, there should be water, so they hired a team to dig a well. The team dug and dug, and after going much deeper than the point that others would just give up, they hit the source of water. After that, they meticulously designed the building, and been there since then as Kaiseki Yamane. Because they were so remote from other human habitats, they did not have the Internet access until recently. In 2024, they installed Starlink, and they started to use Instagram.
After all the years of operating as the Japanese Kaiseki restaurant, raising their son, through ups and down of economy, Mr. and Mrs. Murasawa stayed focused in offering their best to the world through their craft, hospitality service through food. It turns out digging that deep, deep well for their water gave them advantage in all the food they servce, as water quality is so high. Over the years, they became a part of the community of artists and craftsmen in their area who cared about their crafts as much as Mr. and Mrs. Murasawa.
Then in December of last year, 2024, Mr. Murasawa had a heart attack. He thought when he left Yamane, that was the last time he would ever see the place. But with a simple stent operation, to his amazement, he recovered. In order not to strain his heart, Mr. and Mrs. Murasawa re-opened their business as a cafe which they operated together many, many years ago. They also turned part of their restaurant into an antique store of Japanese crafted dishes and accessories.
Cafe Yamane now serves galettes, savory buckwheat crepes, with locally grown vegitables and fish. Their brown sugar sherbet and parfait are heavenly. Their food is amazing! They continue to pay attention to all the element of serving food, in the spirit of Japanese omotenashi hospitality which stems from tea ceremony. The environment, integrating the seasonal elements like the most beautiful flowers blooming at the time, moon cycles, fish or meat available particularly for that time. The dishes are carefully selected to match the mood .
They continue their efforts to learn by visiting different places in the area. I was so happy when they came to my cafe, Project Kobo Place, on their day off. We bought the coffee tasting dishes for testing new beans from Yamane Antique store. They are traditional Japanese tea cups with covers which are perfect for coffee taste tests.
I love and respect how Mr. and Mrs. Murasawa lived their lives, how they continue to pay attention to life details to celebrate this fleeting moment.
FUJIKO SUDA 