New venture in Yamashita, Minami-Aso Village: Turning a villa into a cozy coffee shop

Text & Photos / Joel Fukuzawa

When people think of Aso, their impression might still be limited to the vast grasslands, the rich scent of rice, and the classic Romon gate of Aso Shrine. In reality, Aso can be divided into "Omote-Aso" (Outer Aso) and "Ura-Aso" (Inner Aso). The earliest settlers in Aso mostly gathered in Omote-Aso, which is the area that most people now associate with Aso City.

Ura-Aso, on the other hand, was developed as a leisure and resort destination around the time just before Japan’s economic bubble was about to burst. This area is now known as"Minami-Aso Village."

So, driving through the tunnel of Green Road into Minami-Aso Village, you’ll see many sights that differ from the traditional image of Aso—little wooden cabins serving German beer and sausages, Italian pizza baked in earthen ovens, and along the loop road with views of Mount Aso, there are numerous small cafés.

Seven years ago, the Harada family opened Cafe Scarecrow here. Mrs. Harada had the idea that since her husband had retired, they could find a place to combine living and a café. When customers came, it would bring in some income to help with household expenses, and even if no one visited, they’d still have a quiet space for reading and listening to music.

So, they gradually moved north from their hometown of Kagoshima and found this house at the foot of Mount Aso. It was originally a villa belonging to a university professor. The Harada family fell in love with it at first sight and bought it without hesitation.

Mrs. Harada’s name is “Harada Eiko,” a very witty elderly lady. “My name is Eiko, the ‘Ei’ from ‘eiga’ (movie), so I absolutely love watching films,” she began. Hearing this, I could hardly contain my laughter.

She then added, “I love Al Pacino from The Godfather, and I also like his role in Scarecrow, so I named the shop after that. See? Isn’t my café name more unique compared to the others around here?” At this point, I could only nod vigorously—when meeting a die-hard fan, you’ve got to show plenty of agreement (no doubt about it).

Unlike her mother, Mrs. Harada’s eldest daughter, Miss Harada Seiko, is much more reserved and shy. It’s said that she studied in Beijing for four years, but asking her to speak Chinese still makes her a bit bashful. However, it’s certain that friends from Chinese-speaking regions won’t have much trouble communicating here. Aside from her four years in Beijing, before returning to Aso, Seiko had been working in hotels and dessert shops in Kyoto.

After her parents bought the house, she immediately and resolutely decided to move back and live with them. The main reason was her ever-growing collection of books. “I love buying books and always keep them neatly after reading. But over time, they’ve really piled up. Since my parents bought this house, and it suits my love for reading, I naturally rushed back without hesitation,” Seiko happily explained her reason for returning.