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The 2027 Beans Shop <In the Middle of a Dream> Episode 12: Interior and Exterior (1)

2024年7月18日 11:54

About a week had passed since that conversation. August had arrived in Tokyo, and the intense heat continued. I hadn't been to the shop, but since they roast coffee there, the heat was quite severe. However, having roasted there myself for over twenty-five years, I understand it well. Some in the same industry have said, 'It's actually not so bad here, because the air conditioning breeze gets pulled this way and flows toward the exhaust fan,' but it was still hot regardless.

A bean shop is a great job in the winter, but a tough one in the summer. Still, you can't just take the summer off. Whether sales are good or bad, whether the work is hard or not, it is a job that continues all year round.

About a week after our last meeting, I received a call from Mr. Tanigawa.

“I went to see <Shozo Cafe>. I also went to <Iriya Plus Cafe>.”
“How were they?”
“Both were wonderful shops. I understand well what you were saying, Mr. Yamashita.”
“That’s good to hear. Miyakoshiya is, of course, a great shop too, but in terms of funding, it’s not the kind of shop anyone can just open.”

Mr. Tanigawa said, “I’m sorry to ask, but I’d like to talk a bit more.”
“That’s fine. I’m free.”
“Would tomorrow at 1:00 PM at the Miyakoshiya in Yebisu Garden Place work for you?”
“Understood. I’ll be waiting at 1:00.”

The heat was intense the next day as well. When I was waiting at Miyakoshiya, Mr. Tanigawa and Keiko arrived. Since we were talking about the interior and exterior, I had thought it would be better for Keiko to join us as well.

After brief greetings, Mr. Tanigawa said, “I’m thinking of asking you, Mr. Yamashita, to handle the cafe’s interior. What do you think?”
“I’m very happy you’d say that, but that’s not a good idea,” I replied.

“If I make a cafe and you run it, Mr. Tanigawa, it won’t truly become a great cafe. You can only create a truly great cafe if you build it yourself. However, I can give you plenty of advice, so you should definitely build it yourself. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me anything. You’ve seen many cafes in Chiang Rai, starting with <Hana no Ki>, and you should just give shape to all the things you’ve experienced in your life so far. That is what building a cafe is all about. Of course, your own sense will be tested when you do that.”

As we talked about various things, the three of us worked out the plan. For the accommodation wing in the storehouse, we would build four rooms, all twin rooms, each eight tatami mats in size, equipped with a shower and toilet. We wouldn't include a bathtub; since we couldn't pipe in hot spring water, wouldn't it be much more pleasant to have a proper shower room separate from the toilet? For those who want to take a hot spring bath, they can just go for a day trip to the Toyosaki Hotel or the old Matsuzaki Prince Hotel.

Since the rooms are twins, we will place two single beds. In addition, we will build a slightly wider built-in counter along the wall to serve as a desk or table. We will provide a chair that matches it. However, apart from that, we will place one armchair in each room where guests can sit and relax. Of course, it’s fine if the chairs are different in each room. In fact, it might even be better if they are different.

Naturally, it’s fine if all the furniture is second-hand. An armchair where one can relax will also help express the individuality of each room. Basically, we will not use glass, steel, or plastic furniture.

The floor will be wood, and if the budget allows, the walls will be white plaster; if not, we will use white fabric wallpaper. We can decorate the walls with simple frames containing the many photos Mr. Tanigawa has taken of the town and cafes in Chiang Rai.

Next is the lighting; recessed spotlights might be good to make the rooms look spacious. We will need lamps for the bedside tables and the counters, but nowadays, cute desk lamps and bedside lamps are sold at surprisingly low prices. We should just choose those. The rest is just a matter of taste.

Also, since there seems to be a little extra space in the storehouse, we decided to make that a reading room. We will place tall, built-in bookshelves along the wall and fill them with many books that Mr. Tanigawa and Keiko like. We will place several armchairs here as well, each one different, and provide a side table for each.

Next is the main building where the cafe is located. The cafe is basically there to serve as a bed and breakfast for the guests staying in the main building, but if other tourists or townspeople use it, that would also make us very happy.

Considering the guests staying with us, since there are only six rooms, six tables should be enough, but I think four-person tables are better because they can be used more comfortably. If we add four two-person tables, that would be thirty-two seats, but if a large table is better, that should be fine too. If we add a counter to the cafe, we can create about six seats there, so that alone would make it a fairly large cafe with thirty-eight to forty seats. However, even though it’s a cafe, it’s not Starbucks or Tully’s, so we can’t pack in that many customers. It’s better to keep it spacious. In that case, it would feel full with about thirty people. But unlike Tokyo, I don’t feel like that many customers will come.

If we build a terrace, we could create seating there too, but since a terrace is unusable when it’s hot, cold, raining, or windy, I feel it’s better not to include it in the official seat count. We can just set up tables and chairs from inside when it’s usable.

The interior is basically the same as the rooms: wooden floors and white plaster or fabric wallpaper. If we fill it with second-hand furniture curated with Mr. Tanigawa’s sense, that might be enough to create the foundation for a good cafe.

Keiko said only one thing: she wanted to hang a large reproduction of a painting by Carzou on the wall, depicting a woman looking at the sea. Keiko said, “When our cafe is finished, I really wanted to hang that on the wall. Of course, a reproduction is fine, but I want to hang something large on the wall.” If Miyu-chan from the <Matsuzaki Town Hall Squirrel> heard that, she might be happy.

The rest is the relationship between the breakfast time for guests and the cafe’s opening hours, but we can just separate that by time. We should set the breakfast time for guests staying with us from 7:00 AM to 9:30 AM, and make it a cafe open to anyone from 10:00 AM. I think closing at 5:00 PM is fine. That’s because coffee is something you drink in the morning. Haruki Murakami also says, <Morning coffee, evening beer, and Fitzgerald late at night.>

Since the main building also uses the second floor, we will create single guest rooms and a private space for Mr. Tanigawa and his wife on the second floor. As for the roasting room, since it’s a 1kg roaster, we decided not to build a roasting room partitioned with glass. However, if we don’t place it inside the counter that separates the shop’s kitchen from the seating area, customers might touch it and get burned. It is important to place it in a position where customers cannot touch it.

We will probably need a workspace close to the front desk, and if we don’t think through the fine details well from here on, it will end up being an inconvenient workspace.

That fills up the main building. If we can go with this plan, we will need a carpenter or an architectural designer. I asked Mr. Tanigawa, “Do you have anyone in mind?” “No.” “Neither do I.” If we were in Tokyo, I would still have some acquaintances, but if they are from Tokyo, they would have to stay in Matsuzaki or commute. That would be an unreasonable request for the other party. In the end, we might have no choice but to look for someone working in carpentry or architecture in Matsuzaki.

At this moment, Keiko said, “Why don’t we consult with Miyu-chan?” “Oh, that’s right. There’s Miyu-chan,” I thought. For now, consulting with Miyu-chan might be the best thing to do. I remembered the face of our savior, Miyu-chan, also known as the <Matsuzaki Town Hall Squirrel>.

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