Kokubunji, located at the geographical center of Tokyo, is where Rion was born and grew.What kind of a town is it?In this corner, Rion staff members visit the people and places in town and report on their charm.This time, we visited Café Slow, a pioneer in the organic food café movement in Japan.The relaxed atmosphere of this café, where time moves slowly, gives one an opportunity to reflect on one’s surroundings, like the things we eat and use and how we connect with people and nature.Inside the café(Left) A space for parents and children to play together. It’s a raised area with a tatami floor, with toys and picture books provided by the café.(Right) The interior is decorated with straw and clay, giving a warm feeling to the stoic building that was originally a factory.T h i s I s s u e ’s T h e m e[Slow Liv ing]After interview19Coordinated by Sanae TanahashiAt Café Slow, you can reflect on yourself and your surroundings while enjoying the seasonal dishes and spending time in a relaxed space. The café uses materials that can be returned to nature as much as possible, taking care to use them as long as possible. As an analogy, Mr. Yoshioka brings up a South American folk tale passed down in the Andes region, called “One Droplet from a Hummingbird.” The tale teaches us of the importance of doing what each of us can do within our capabilities, however insignificant it may seem, just like the hummingbird that puts out a fire with droplets of water. Thanks to this idea, which Mr. Yoshioka has put into practice, I think we can enjoy such a relaxing atmosphere, which words alone cannot adequately describe.(Yuki Okabe, Rion Technical Journal Staff)A place to relax, connect, and become awareCafé Slow serves fair-trade coffee and vegan meals based on organic ingredients. Mr. Yoshioka, the representative of the café, tells us how the café came to be.“In my previous job at UNESCO, I was constantly driven by a strong sense of urgency about the situation surrounding climate change. I wondered how I could make people aware that we have many things we can do in our daily lives to reduce our impact on the planet. My solution was to communicate this in the form of a café.”Mr. Yoshioka thinks that the word “slow” in the name of his shop can also mean “connection.” “The convenience and technologies in our civilized society are driving nature and humans further and further apart,” he says. “The result is that we’re unable to see that our own lifestyles are destroying nature. I think ‘being slow’ is a way of reconnecting to nature once again under these circumstances.”The interior of the café is packed with ideas for conserving resources. Most of the furniture is second-hand. Even the grand piano used for events was donated. The interior walls are made from straw and clay. The floor is made of wood from Okutama. Wherever possible, materials that are local and will be returned to soil have been chosen. In addition, the café has been designed to make it comfortable for a diverse range of people to spend time there and to allow easy access for people in wheelchairs and those with baby strollers. There’s even a space for children to play. It’s a space that’s comfortable for both the earth and people.Café Slow moved to Kokubunji in 2008. At the time, the concept of ‘organic’ had not yet permeated everyday life in Japan and was sometimes even viewed with skepticism. But the café was welcomed with open arms by the local shopping population. That was when Mr. Yoshioka knew that “Kokubunji was the perfect place for Café Slow.”“Kokubunji is located along the Chuo Line and is a place where there’s a moderate turnover of residents, while having a healthy population of people who have lived in this area for generations and have a deep love for Kokubunji. I feel that the culture of Kokubunji has been nurtured in this open atmosphere, without a sense of stagnation. In that respect, I think Kokubunji has the potential to become a slow city.”Next year the café will mark the 25th anniversary of its opening. When asked about plans for the café’s future, he replies that he would like to achieve full power self-sufficiency. The café is already using solar power for its lighting, but he wants to be able to produce all of the electricity he consumes at the café, so that it does not place a burden on the community in which the power plant is located.Instead of just dreaming solutions to large-scale issues such as environmental and human rights issues, the café shows us how everyone can do their best to contribute to solutions. Café Slow, which aims to serve as an oasis in the Tama region, is visited by people not only from Kokubunji but also from far away.OUR FAVORITE TOWN, KOKUBUNJI— RION STAFF SHOW YOU AROUNDCafé SlowCafé Slow is an organic-food cafe that proposes a way to pursue an ecological lifestyle. It first opened in Fuchu in 2001 and then relocated to Kokubunji in 2008. Offering vegan dishes and coffee made from carefully selected ingredients, it also holds events and exhibitions in its gallery, making use of its large space.Atsushi YoshiokaRepresentative of Café SlowAs the former Secretary General of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, he had been active in the protection and promo-tion of World Heritage sites for 30 years. After experiencing first-hand the ways of living of indigenous people in Ecuador, South America, he created Café Slow in 2001 to propose a lifestyle that’s feasible in local communities and kind to the earth. In 2019, he opened another café named the Cafe Local in the Kokubunji Station building in Tokyo.m e e t sKOKUBUNJIRion
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