A gateway to discover the charms of various parts of Japan. Travel at the "Traveling Cafe"

This "Traveling Cafe" will open a brick-and-mortar store in Koenji, Tokyo in March 2021. At the cafe, you can experience the charms that they discovered during their travels around the country. Why not relive their journeys here at "Traveling Cafe" and discover the charms of Japan that we don't yet know about?

I enjoyed "discovering the good things about the places I travel to" and "learning about the favorites of locals."

The "Traveling Cafe" project, which gained popularity through social media, was launched in 2019. After graduating from a Western confectionery school, Tamaki worked as a company employee while making curry as a hobby and serving it to friends, and Tsunekawa, who worked in the fashion industry, met and Tsunekawa invited them to work together on their shared love of "travel."

When they travel, they set up pop-up shops to make and sell spice curry and cream soda that are full of the local flavor. They also post about these pop-up shops on social media, aiming to let people all over Japan know about the hidden charms of each region.

When asked why he started this project, Tsunekawa told us:

"I like to travel because I like to 'discover the good things in the places I visit,' and Tamaki likes to 'discover the favorites of the people who live there.' We like to discover things ourselves, not things and places that are listed in guidebooks. As we did this, we wanted more people to know about the charms of the regions that we discovered during our travels." (Tsunekawa)

The couple's travel motto is to discover the hidden charms of local areas. Even now, when they travel, they don't do too much research beforehand, but rather go to the location and explore the charms of the area for themselves.

"We value the feeling that comes from going to a place and thinking, 'this is great.' We also ask local people about anything that interests us. In particular, when we talk to local people and find out what their favorites and recommendations are, we often make new discoveries." (Tsunekawa)

Drawing inspiration from what they discover on their travels, they have expressed the charm of each region in the form of spicy curry and cream soda.

Our physical stores are a gateway for travelers, helping them rediscover the charms of different parts of Japan.

As a "traveling cafe," they have visited a total of 22 locations, from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south. In March 2021, they opened a brick-and-mortar store in Koenji, Tokyo. What was the reason for them to set up a brick-and-mortar store after traveling all over Japan?

"Until now, we've mainly been communicating through social media, but by opening a brick-and-mortar store in Tokyo and having more people visit, we thought we could more widely spread the idea that there are discoveries that can only be made by actually visiting a store or a travel destination. By having people experience traveling in this store, we thought that more people would feel like 'I want to actually travel around and discover the charms of various places on my own,'" (Tsunekawa) said.

The "Traveling Cafe" is a "travel destination" and the people who visit are "travelers." And through the existence of a physical store, we want to convey that there are things you can encounter by actually visiting a travel destination as a traveler.

They also say that the reason they set up a base store was so that they could "continue to be travelers."

"What may seem normal to people who live in a certain place is often a major discovery for those of us who don't live there. I think I'm able to have this perspective because I'm visiting as a traveller, not as a resident.

So, we feel that we need to have a base in order to continue to have a traveler's perspective and spread the word about the attractions of each region, even though we are good at finding them." (Tsunekawa)

Traveling at a Traveling Cafe

The Koenji store was created with the desire to encourage more people to visit and discover the hidden charms of local areas. So how can you experience the discoveries and charms of local areas that they make on their travels here?

"The menu reflects the ingredients and scenery that we found fascinating in the places we traveled. For example, for our Spring-Colored Cream Soda, we made our own syrup using cherry blossoms from Yamaguchi Prefecture. When we saw the cherry blossoms, we wanted to convey this beautiful scenery through a cream soda, so we asked the producers directly if we could sell us their cherry blossoms. They were surprised at first, but we're really grateful because the cream soda has a spring feel to it in taste, aroma, and appearance. I think that through this menu, people can learn about the spring scenery of Yamaguchi Prefecture that we encountered and were captivated by." (Tsunekawa)

Other items on the menu include coffee beans from Yuge Roastery in Hyogo Prefecture that the chefs discovered and fell in love with while traveling. As you savour these dishes, you can chat with them over the counter, asking them questions like, "What memories does this dish bring to mind?" This will help you to picture the local scenery even more vividly. Only at a brick-and-mortar store can you hear about their travels directly from the chefs, rather than through social media, and relive the local charms by tasting them for yourself.

The interior design of the store, which they built from scratch, is also a reflection of the ideas they gained during their travels.

For example, when you open the door and go up the stairs, the space is distinctively divided by brown wood.

"By intentionally adding steps and the movement of passing through, we were able to create the same sense of excitement that you get when traveling. We also made sure that no matter where you sit you can see the whole shop. Just because you visit a place doesn't mean you can know everything about it, right? We wanted this cafe to be the same.

Also, some days we chat at the counter, and other days we sit alone thinking in the partitioned space by the window. I want this to be a space where people can experience the fun of the unconventional travel we have taken." (Tsunekawa)

"Traveling Cafe" is run by two people who have been exploring the charms of their travel destinations on foot. The menu and atmosphere, born from their travels, will help you realize the charms of various parts of Japan and the joys of traveling that you cannot get just by reading a guidebook.

First, visit a "Traveling Cafe" at your travel destination. Then, after experiencing their journey and learning about the charms of the region, you might want to start planning your own trip to visit that region.

Traveling Cafe

*Please check the official website for the latest store information.