You can make one-of-a-kind original goods,
Atelier and a collection of more than 2,900 different stamps,
Enjoy a menu featuring organic ingredients
A new space that combines a café and

A new style of "Tsukuru Cafe

　Just a 15-minute drive from Wasada Town, a commercial complex of department stores and stores in Oita City, a 50-year-old rice warehouse has been renovated into a stamp studio and a café with a menu of organic ingredients in the same space. I learned of this new style of ”Tsukuru Cafe,” where a stamp atelier and a café with a menu of organic ingredients are located in the same space.

　At the atelier, which offers a wide variety of stamps (2,900 types and more than 300 stamp stands), visitors can create their own original designs by stamping on paper crafts and eco bags sold in the store!
　In the café space, the owner and his wife believe that "what builds the body (internal organs) and spirit is daily food," and they offer macrobiotic lunch limited to 20 servings per day, stone oven baked pizza using domestic organic wheat and organic vegetables, and other dishes that are safe and healthy for the body and that revitalize the cells of the body and make you feel energetic. The menu is safe and healthy, and is designed to revitalize and energize the body's cells.

　Just a little stamp on something small, such as a plain white postcard or letterhead, or a paper plate or paper cup used for a picnic or field day scene, will make it personal and special.
The owner, Hajime Kurokawa, says, "I opened this shop because I wanted to create many one-of-a-kind items and memorable moments. I opened this shop to create many one-of-a-kind items and memorable moments," says owner Hajime Kurokawa, as he introduces his atelier and café menu in detail.

 

Renovated 50-year-old rice warehouse

　The store with a strong presence was renovated from a large 50-year-old rice warehouse. The parking lot, store entrance, and other areas where people come and go are well maintained, and the red color of the large stone building stands out dazzlingly.

　Originally a warehouse, it is surprisingly large in depth and height compared to a typical café!

The entrance is on the left as you face the building from the parking lot. The steps and trees lined up rhythmically in the gravel create a casual look to the stately building, making it very fashionable!

 

The store is divided into various sections

　The interior of the store is very spacious, with high ceilings and a sense of openness. Within this vast space, there is an atelier space, a space for selling organic food and food products, and a space for displaying miscellaneous goods, with large tables set up all around.

　The table set can be used as a production table as well as a cafe! There is also a book corner♪

▲A space for displaying and selling sundries available at the atelier (left image) and a corner for selling safe and secure food made from carefully selected ingredients (right image).

 

KID'S Corner

　The most eye-catching feature in the store is the ”Kid's Corner” ☆ We have large, easy-to-use stamps that even small children can use with ease, and we are happy that they can play with the postcards we have on hand as they like. It is a place for free crafts and parent-child interaction during summer vacation and other times of the year.

 Please click to enlarge the atelier fee.

When using a large stamp with a rainbow-colored stamp stand, the key is not to try to apply the color all at once, but to press the stamp repeatedly against the stamp stand at different angles to allow the colors to mix! By doing so, you will get a beautiful gradation.
　The owner's wife, Ms. Yuhime Kurokawa, was the one who taught us how to do it. She taught us in detail on the side, so it was easy to understand and enjoy with peace of mind☆.

　After this, we had a chance to experience stamping, which we will introduce in detail along with the miscellaneous goods in the atelier later☆.

 

Food-related Corner

Food” is at the heart of ”living” because it creates the body and spirit of a person. We want to be a place where we can advocate the importance of rice and wheat as staple foods.
　The food and ingredients sold in the store are all labeled ”domestic,” ”organic,” and ”handmade,” and are carefully selected based on the belief of the owner, Kurokawa. All of them are labeled "domestic," "organic," and "handmade.

Among them, ”Nazuna salt,” a natural salt produced by the ”Nazuna no Kai” organized by Mr. Katsuto Akamine, who has successfully cultivated plums without pesticides and chemical fertilizers and perfected the ”recycling agriculture method,” and "homemade pickled plums" made by hand using this salt are popular. The "homemade pickled plums" made by hand using this salt are very popular. Incidentally, all the salt used in the restaurant's food menu is made from this "Nazuna salt!

The ”Nazuna salt” (450 yen) and ”Nazuna salt sun-dried in the sun” (500 yen) are handmade from remote seawater, and the ”salted Yokan" (600 yen), made by a local confectioner using sun-dried salt, are also available. Salted Yokan (600 yen)" (left image)
　Sun-dried salt crystallized in the sun over a period of 2 to 4 months. The grains are large and sparkling (right image).

The menu includes soups and curries made with organic ingredients, instant foods made with domestic wheat, rice, and high-quality vegetable oil, organic pasta, and a variety of other foods not commonly distributed!
Kurokawa says, "For some reason, the producers of the organic domestic wheat, rice, vegetables, and other products we offer here, as well as the manufacturers who develop products using these products, are not very commercial, so you probably won't see them in the supermarkets you often go to for your shopping. (Laughs). That is why he wants to create an opportunity to sell them at TUKURU&CAFE and offer them to as many people as possible.

▲In addition to ingredients and foods, there is a wide selection of juices, teas, seasonings, breadcrumbs specially designed for macrobiotics, and other products that you have never seen before!
　In addition, handmade pop-ups stamped with stamps were displayed throughout the store, creating a very soft atmosphere.

 

Accessory-related corner

The accessories are made by a local artist, "Blue Sky. It is surprising that rings and earrings are sold for only a few hundred yen each, even though they are made of natural stones and Swarovski beads!

 

2,900 different stamp ateliers*!

　Here, we introduce "Stamp Atelier" in detail again☆.

　The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Kurokawa, who used to be in the seal business, wanted to "convey to many people the joy and excitement of the moment when a stamp is applied to an ordinary, plain piece of paper, making it look cute or fancy. They opened "Your Atelier TUKURU&CAFE Nozuhara Soko" with a full cafe menu so that customers can relax and enjoy the space.
　The "Stamp Atelier" is a space where you can freely create what you imagine, with a huge variety of stamps (2,900 types and 300 types of stamp stands) that you will not find anywhere else. The most attractive feature of the Atelier is that visitors can use it for as many hours as they wish upon application.

The stamps include large stamps that combine various design motifs into one, as well as music notes, staves, world maps, animals, and many other unique stamps. You will have a really hard time deciding which stamp to use, so take your time and let your imagination run wild before making your choice.
　First, a sample introduction for reference.

 

Various Samples

▲For example, for paper materials to be used in scenes such as athletic meets and picnics. Even if your child is not good at sports, this kind of thoughtfulness will make the field day a fun and happy memory in his/her mind.â

One customer designed a chopstick bag for his child's weaning ceremony! The ideas vary from person to person, and we often get a lot of ideas from our customers☆.

You can stamp your own design on a plain eco-bag! You can also stamp on paper plates, lunch boxes, coasters, etc.
　Next, we introduce the stamps.

 

Various Stamps

This is a very valuable antique stamp set that is also the collection of the owner's wife, Yuhime. Just looking at it makes my heart skip a beat.

 The stamp stands range from small to large, and are available in a variety of subtle colors, but none are chipped or broken, showing that each stamp is carefully maintained and used.
　Now, let's introduce the materials and ringing goods at the end.

 

Various goods - Apply for atelier after purchase☆.

In the atelier, not only paper materials such as paper cups, plates, paper bags, postcards, and letterheads, but also eco-bags, photo frames, lunch boxes, aluminum cans, congratulatory gift bags, and more. You will be surprised at the variety of materials on display. Visitors can choose the materials that best suit their tastes and purposes and apply to use the atelier when making a purchase. Of course, you can also just purchase the materials, but we encourage you to bring your own materials and apply to use the atelier.

You can also stamp on wooden trays, plates, forks, and spoons! You can also enjoy creating your own personalized room by stamping your favorite items on teapots, porcelain dishes, spice cases, and other kitchen utensils☆.

The design of the gift bag is a small step in the right direction! The moment you see this congratulatory gift bag will surely remain as a beautiful memory.

 

Stamp Atelier Experience ~Turn an egg case into an original paper box♪

I found a colorful ”egg case” among the goods introduced above, which is a little unusual.

 

Atelier rental fee

Paper: 500 yen (not included) up to 3 stamped items. Paper: 500 yen (not included) up to 3 stamps, more than 3 stamps + 200 yen per item.
Fat fabrics: 550 yen (not included) up to 3 stamped items. More than 3 stamps: 250 yen per item + 250 yen per item
Fat metal, wood, plastic: 650 yen (extra)
　　　　　　　　　　　Up to 3 stamped items. More than that, 1 item + 300 yen.
Ceramics: 750 yen (not included) up to 3 stamped items. Any more than 3 stamps: 350 yen per item.

If you bring your own fat materials, the amount of each atelier use plus 100 yen.

 

How to use Atelier

1. purchase materials that suit your taste and purpose.
2. pay the usage fee at the same time you purchase materials at the cash register
3. necessary tools for use in the atelier will be lent out (practice materials, cloths for wiping, etc.), and you will listen to instructions and notes on their use.
4. choose a stamp and start creating. There is no time limit, so take your time and choose your stamps.
5. After the production is finished, wipe off the ink neatly with the cloth provided and put it back in its original position.

As you can see, there are so many stamps to choose from that it is hard to know what to design and how to design it! So we decided to ask for your advice.
　I have rarely used stamps at home or at work, so he showed me the size and shape of stamps that are easy to handle, and proceeded to show me how to use a simple stamping pad that even a beginner can use with just a little ”pop” of the stamp to get a good ink. I was told about the size and shape of the stamps, which are easy to handle even for beginners.

The first time you go to the studio, you may feel quite nervous because you cannot afford to make any mistakes! However, the atelier has a great service where you can borrow the same material you purchased for practice. When stamping on a thick, hygroscopic material like an egg case, it is recommended to press the material firmly so that the ink hits the paper evenly while supporting the material with your finger from below.

Thanks to the practice, I managed to press it beautifully!

The stamp with the word ”thank you” or ”thank you” engraved on it is dipped in transparent ink, pressed onto the material, and then sprinkled with a special powder. Then, when the excess powder is removed, the letters appear as if they are floating in the air.

The transparent ink and special powder harden and begin to glow gold☆This is how they firmly adhere to the material!

(laughs) It would be a waste to store the eggs in the refrigerator, as the case would become invisible, so I would like to use it on my desk as a storage case for small office supplies such as sticky notes and paperclips.

Yuhi Kurokawa (left), the owner's wife, who gave us the stamping instruction. She is very attentive, so if there is anything you don't understand or would like to try, please ask her for advice☆.

 

Cooking Introduction

 As mentioned above, ”Food is what creates our body and spirit. We want to be a place where people can reevaluate the importance of rice and wheat, the staple foods of the body, and take in safe and healthy foods. The café menu is healthy, wholesome, and nutritious, including a limited 20-serving macrobiotic lunch using carefully selected natural and additive-free ingredients such as organic vegetables, natural salt produced by the ”Nazuno-no-kai” and additive-free miso prepared by hand, and brown rice vegetable curry without animal fats and oils.
　The pizzas baked in the stone oven are made with thick pizza dough made simply with domestic organic wheat and Nazuna salt, organic provolone cheese from Kisuki Dairy, organic maple syrup, and other high-quality ingredients!

 

Limited to 20 servings per day ☆ Macrobiotic lunch 1,000 yen (not included)

The café menu is prepared by Ms. Koga, the mother of the owner's wife, Yuhime, who used to be the representative of Doraku, a store dealing in additive-free foods. The menu includes ”macrobiotic” dishes that do not use animal ingredients or fats, and are prepared with a total balance of yin and yang, and all of the dishes will energize your body from the core! The most attractive point of their macrobiotic cuisine is that they use only the finest ingredients, especially salt and miso, which are natural and additive-free.

☆Image shows the August macrobiotic lunch☆.

Rice balls with brown and black rice
Miso soup using long-aged handmade miso
fried hijiki and pumpkin
Brown Rice Beef Noodles
Handmade Tofu
Fried fu
Fried soy protein
Seasonal organic vegetable tempura
Organic vegetable salad, cucumber

Tofu is handmade using organic soybeans grown without pesticides in Oita Prefecture and bittern produced in the process of making Nazuna salt☆ Also, the staple rice is made with brown and black rice topped with roasted sesame seeds and sun-dried sesame salt, bringing out the best of the ingredients using natural salt, while maintaining sweetness without using sugar, and vegetables are made with whole vegetables including their skin, seeds, and scum! The dishes are prepared using whole vegetables, including the skin, seeds, and scum, to allow the body to take in the maximum amount of nature's own form without eliminating energy! The macrobiotic lunch set, with its commitment to "authenticity" and "quality," is also recommended for small children☆.

 

Stone oven baked pizza Margherita 800 yen (not included)

The dough is made with domestically produced organic wheat and Nazuna salt to bring out the firm chewy texture, and is rich with locally grown tomatoes, fresh basil, and organic provolone cheese developed by Kisuki Dairy Industry! And it's amazing that you can enjoy it at this price!

When focusing on wheat and rice as staple foods, he came up with the idea of a pizza menu as a direct and tasty way to eat wheat. The owner, Kurokawa, thought that a stone oven was necessary in order to serve pizza in better condition, so he installed it by hand.
We were planning to invite our neighbors who are helping us with exterior and interior work to set up the restaurant and serve pizza and other dishes at the pre-opening, but in fact, the stone oven was finally finished the day before the pre-opening, and we served pizza that was almost in prototype form at the pre-opening! ...... (chuckles). But even so, our neighbors still said warmly, "We can't wait to see what the future holds," and their support inspired us even more. Thanks to them, we are now proud of our pizza, which is second to none (laughs).
　The dark flavor of the flour and the chewy texture are so strong that the dough alone represents quite a presence that makes you crazy about the pizza☆.

 

Interview with Hajime Kurokawa and his wife Yuhime

　By stamping even a small piece of paper while imagining the scene in which it will be used by the recipient or yourself, the moment becomes memorable and one-of-a-kind. We would like to offer such ”moments of the heart,” and at the same time, we would like to steadily transmit the joy and spirit of life to the children who will be responsible for the future from this place, while providing them with quality food necessary to nourish their bodies and minds.

 Q: When is the opening?

Hajime: "It is January 4, 2014. After deciding on this warehouse, we renovated it ourselves and built a stone kiln, but we managed to give it shape while learning a lot from our neighbors."

Q: Until then, what?

Mr. Ichi:We both ran our own seal companies. We enjoyed our work, but we were so busy working every day that we didn't have much time to spare, and we began to ask ourselves the question, ”What does it mean to live your life? I was beginning to question what it meant to live my life. So I decided to take the plunge, hand over the company to someone else, and do whatever I thought I wanted to do at the time.”

Q: Being the president of a company and the owner of an atelier cafe seem like completely different worlds.

Mr. Ichi:Of course there was. But the Stamp Atelier is something that his wife always thought about. The fun and shape of the stamped moment will remain in your memory, or the moment you receive a handmade gift. ...... Even a small piece of paper will remain as a memory, won't it? I wanted to create a place where many people could feel such thoughts and feelings. However, I felt that this alone would not be interesting enough for the customers, and I was very interested in natural food and health, partly because of the teachings and influence of my mother-in-law, who originally cooked here, so I studied a lot while working with the people of the Nazuna no Kai, and with her help, I decided to create a café and menu. I decided to offer a menu as well."

Q: How do you feel now that the Atelier Cafe is actually open?

Yuhime:We didn't make a big announcement when we opened, but we were very grateful to our neighbors and other people involved in the preparations up to that point, so we invited them to the pre-opening to enjoy our pizza and café menu. At that time, we were still new to pizza and could not provide very good food, but they looked at us warmly and gave us a good experience (laugh). Slowly, however, we began to receive many visitors. Just seeing the children enjoying stamping and the interaction between parents and children fills us with a sense of joy that we have opened this atelier café.

Q: By the way, how did you collect the huge number of stamps and stamp stands?

Yuhime:I was originally in the seal business, so I also loved stamps and had a little collection of my own. And when we decided to open the store, our collection was not enough, so we got almost the entire series from a certain stamp company (laughs).

Q: What are your goals for the future?

Mr. Ichi:We hope that by using our atelier, people can feel their own hearts and the hearts of others, and that this will help them build good relationships with each other. We would also like to continue to provide a place where people can have a good chance to learn about the importance of food, while communicating the high quality products born from cultivating the fields with conviction and the thoughts of the makers.

Thank you for your time!

 

Access

Address: 641-1 Takeya, Nozuhara, Oita City, Oita Prefecture
Phone: 097-588-0369
Business hours: 11:00-18:00
Closed: Monday
URL:http://tukurucafe.jimdo.com/

guidance

Go straight on Route 210 with ”Wasada Town” on your right. You will make a left turn ahead, so if you are going by car, you may want to stay in the left lane.

▲You will soon see a "Nozuhara" sign (left image), but it is easier to understand if you go straight here instead of turning. The point to turn left will be the traffic light behind the road sign (right image) posted shortly thereafter (lower left image).

Turn left onto Route 442 and follow the road for about 7 minutes. You will see a rural landscape that is the complete opposite of the commercial landscape you had seen before.

▲Cross the Nanase River bridge (left image). After crossing the bridge, turn right. (Right image)

After about 5 minutes, you will come to an intersection called "Nozuhara Chugakko Iriguchi (entrance to Nozuhara Junior High School). Turn right, and you will immediately see a slope.

▲After climbing the hill, you will see a red sign for the cafe next to a path that looks like the entrance to a residential area. Go to the back of the path next to it.

Continue in the direction on your left, looking at the large parking lot on your left. After a few meters, you will see a large warehouse that seems to suddenly appear on your right.

The parking lot is next to the ▲ warehouse. It takes about 15 minutes by car from Wasada Town, but the area has a very quiet countryside.

 

MAP

641-1 Takeya, Oaza, Oita City, Oita Prefecture, 870-1211 Japan

 

Interview and editorial staff

Model Report: Nozomi Nakamoto
Photography and production: VOKE Ltd.