Tori Bender (Hyogo)
軒下, Nokishita —under the eaves. Nestled in the quirky town of Kasai, about 30 minutes by car from Himeji City in Hyogo Prefecture, is an even quirkier shop, with a name that makes one think, what lies under the eaves? The answer to this question can be found in the eclectic mix of customers and the odd little decorative details located on and inside the shop building, which happens to be inside a kominka—an old, traditional Japanese house. Now in its tenth year, with opening hours Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, it’s easy to make the assumption that Nokishita is simply another weekend cafe-bar. Nokishita, however, goes against the grain by hosting its own unique subculture—a mix of retro antiques, a night cafe featuring local specialty coffee, and occasional sobauchi nights with fresh soba noodles made on location.
If chill lo-fi beats were a place, this would be it…
Located directly across from an AEON shopping center, Nokishita’s green exterior and outdoor foliage are a welcome sight. It’s impossible to miss from Kasai’s busiest road, with the name in hand-painted graffiti facing the streetside wall. On the front of the building, the owner Miyashita’s eccentric personality is first apparent on the eave of the first floor—the edge of the roof that sticks out over the wall. The corner of the eave, which had once crumbled off, has been replaced entirely with legos.
Upon entering Nokishita, it’s difficult to focus on just one thing. Houseplants and retro decorative goods line the walls, while customers lounge about on brightly-colored furniture which might have been pulled straight out of a 1960’s magazine. The smell of coffee and fresh-baked muffins fills the air, prepared by Madoka, who runs the cafe portion of the shop. Sitting down to enjoy a muffin or an iced coffee in itself is an experience due to the quaint and ever-rotating furniture. When asked what exactly is being sold in the shop, Miyashita enthusiastically responds with, “Everything!”
From cute cacti to wonky wind-up toys
Miyashita’s interests essentially all come together in Nokishita. Aside from running the shop, he often works as a gardener, trimming trees and plants in traditional-style Japanese gardens, as well as making original karesansui—Japanese rock gardens—and tsubo-niwa—a small, enclosed mini-garden. Nokishita is often filled with a variety of foliage available for purchase as well.
In addition to plants, the shop’s many shelves are lined with unique pottery, glassware, and other household items. It is particularly difficult to ignore the shelf of incredibly old toy figures which look like they were pulled out of a 100-year-old time capsule, and which also speak when you tug on the back levers.
The furniture Miyashita finds is unlike anything you’d find at your local shopping center. Everything brought in has an incredible amount of character. “I collect things from people I know and acquaintances,” Miyashita says when asked how he finds the things he sells.
Cozy chats with a late-night coffee and freshly baked goods
In the back of the shop behind the counter, Madoka waits with a variety of fresh muffins and specialty coffee sourced from local roasters and friends. The cafe—called Sukima.do—while located in Nokishita, is her own. In a country where izakaya and bar culture are so prominent on weekends, Sukima.do is a warm and safe retreat for those who might be less keen on drinking—particularly in the Japanese countryside, where most locals have to drive everywhere due to a lack of trains.
The cafe, now in its fourth year of operation, typically operates Thursday and Friday nights from 8:30 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.; and Saturday afternoons from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Hot drinks come out in lovely ceramic cups, and muffins are typically served with vanilla ice cream. As you sit on a Showa-era chair and enjoy Madoka’s expertly crafted pastries, it’s easy to suddenly get lost in the offbeat stories told by Miyashita and the shop regulars, who come from various parts of central Hyogo to sip on a coffee while the town sleeps. Even the local motorcyclists occasionally find themselves enjoying the sweets on cute ceramic plates—all too innocently—before finally riding off to bed.
Retro goods, gardening, muffins, and . . . soba?
Walk into Nokishita on the right night and you may find someone making soba (buckwheat) noodles by hand. This would be none other than local soba enthusiast Hideki Matsushita. Matsushita has been making soba as a hobby and hosting various soba-making events in the central Hyogo community for several years, including around two years at Nokishita, where he turns soba from powder to chilled noodles in the center of the shop. Most impressively, Matsushita has passed the fourth rank of the zenmenkyou (All-Japan Noodle Association) soba-making test, the highest rank being rank five. Sobauchi is a long and intricate process with several steps, so this is no mean feat. When you walk into Nokishita and find Hideki mixing soba by hand, you know you are in for a very special treat.
Most importantly
What really makes a place is the people you find in it. Snacks and oddities aside, the customers of Nokishita will make sure you do not forget them: antique collectors; coffee roasters; artists and illustrators; local skateboarders; motorcyclists; and restaurant owners. The people who return to the shop will leave a lasting impact on you. Everyone has a unique story waiting to be heard. Everyone is connected and awaiting the arrival of new faces.
“No matter who you are, people from all aspects of life are welcome,” Miyashita tells CONNECT. “That’s what I’d like to tell the [English-speaking community] in Japan. This is a traditional home in which people from all aspects of life come together.”
Madoka adds with a laugh, “There are many strange people here, so please come and join us if you’d like.”
Tori Bender is a teacher, artist, and editor for CONNECT based in Hyogo Prefecture. She loves mountains, rivers, and the Japanese countryside. In her free time she likes to paint, skateboard, and watch movies. She is happiest around close friends and with her mischievous orange cat, Sora. Tori’s Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/tori.bees.art