This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit Tochigi for some much needed rest and relaxation. While it was just a weekend trip, I think I’ve fallen in the area.
The pace of life and the treatment of fellow humans was the most welcome change. In Japan, there’s this concept of “Slow Life”. Slow Life is the simple idea of living life simpler and slower. The ideals of organics and local food are part of Slow Life as is the idea of natural goods. So, you will often see a lot of earthen colors, natural woods, and the like. Slow down. Enjoy your coffee. Notice your surroundings.
I strive for Slow Life, but as I live in the Yokohama/Tokyo area, where the pace of life is decidedly Fast Life, can make this difficult. Experiencing Slow Life, if even for the weekend, has given me enough of a taste that I think I know how to get there from here.
The first place we went to was a cafe for lunch called Cafe Shozo. Approaching the cafe from the dirt parking lot the first thing we see is the following sign.
It says “Please don’t be a nuisance to the people around you.”
We sat outside in perfect autumn weather, sunny with a slight chill in the air. I ordered an egg sandwich with some french roast coffee.
After lunch, the next stop was to go visit some Llamas on a Llama farm. We couldn’t really pet them, they were cute. Minus the spitting. Thankfully they didn’t spit too much.
The short hike up the mountain to the farm was enough to make you feel like you were a million miles away from the city and all of the stress it brings with it.
Alas, it was getting late, so we decided to head into town to a group of shops where our friend works.
We first stopped at a used book store. The atmosphere at the store was really great. They played classical music and they had a room where you could sit, drink tea, and write letters or read.
Walking to some of the other shops in the area, we saw the owner of Cafe Shozo roasting some coffee at his shop in town. We talked about coffee and how fresh roasted coffee is catching on in America and Japan.
Staff waving goodbye at the cafe upstairs.
