From bureaucrats to farmers. A cultural hub in the countryside - "books & cafe Soramado"

Hello! I'm S, a new staff member at Minamisatsuma City Tourism Association "Kiyatmonse Minamisatsuma"! This time, I interviewed "books & cafe Soramado"!

Soramado opened thanks to connections with local people and various other connections. The owner, Soichiro Kubo, is a former bureaucrat at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. He currently farms with his wife, and manufactures and sells processed products. Why did he decide to become a farmer, and why did he decide to open a book cafe in Oura? We spoke to him!

Coffee and scone set. Beautiful glass and sky blue window frame pattern.

• Table of Contents
• What led me to become a farmer
• Selling processed foods, "Countryside life in Minamisatsuma"
• The Birth of "Sora Window"
• Sora Mado to open
• "A hub for disseminating culture"
• What I want to say to everyone
• in conclusion

What led me to become a farmer

──Why did you change careers from being a bureaucrat to being a farmer?

Kubo: "I didn't want to be a farmer from the beginning. I moved to Oura, my father's hometown, and one day a neighbor asked me if I wanted to take over their Ponkan orchard. I had no reason to refuse, so I decided to take it over."

The exterior of Soramado. It looks great at night.

--So from there you started to develop various things?

Kubo: "That's right. As I interacted with the local people, they asked me things like, 'Do you want to try growing pumpkins?' and as I accepted, I became a farmer before I knew it. I started out not knowing anything at all, but everyone who approached me was very kind to me, and the business expanded."

Mr. Kubo became a farmer before he knew it. It's a connection that only the countryside can make! I think Mr. Kubo's kind and cheerful personality is what attracted the local people.

Selling processed foods, "Countryside life in Minamisatsuma"

──How did the rural life in Minamisatsuma come about?

Kubo-san: "My wife made some pumpkin jam for me. It was really delicious. I thought it might sell."

--That's great! Did you rent a processing facility?

Kubo: "At first, I thought I would rent it. But it wasn't realistic because it couldn't be used for commercial purposes and it took about 40 minutes to get there... so I decided to build it."

-- Build it!? A processing plant...?

Kubo: Yes. (laughs) My relatives were happy about my move and helped me out. And so, "Nanatsu no Rural Life," which involves farming and selling processed foods, was born.

If it doesn't exist, create it. That's a bold move, isn't it?

Homemade jam. The cute labels are also handmade.

The Birth of "Sora Window"

--Have you thought about starting a book cafe from the beginning?

Kubo: "No, I hadn't thought about it either. Originally, we held events like the 'Coffee Party at the Museum with a View of the Sea' at the Kasasa Museum of Art and the 'Stone Storehouse Book Cafe' in the stone storehouse at Chojiya, but I never imagined we'd open a cafe."

Many books

--You've hosted a variety of events! I also love the view from the Kasasa Museum of Art!

Kubo: "It has a lovely view. I thought, 'I'd like to have a coffee here,' and when I planned it, over 100 customers came. The Ishikura Book Cafe was also started by Chojiya and Tsubame Bunko, who are of the same generation and have always been good friends. When Chojiya's Ishikura was renovated, we talked about holding some kind of event, and since there aren't many bookstores in Minamisatsuma, we started out by holding a second-hand book fair.

After that, Tsubame Bunko said, "We want to sell books at Chojiya on a regular basis," so my wife said, "In that case, let's serve coffee and make it a book cafe," and so we started holding the Ishigura Book Cafe every month."

This event was also held thanks to the connections made between people of the same generation! *Unfortunately, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the "Coffee at the Museum with a View of the Sea" event has been cancelled.

Sora Mado to open

--How did you end up opening Soramado after starting up the Ishikura Book Cafe?

Kubo: "Actually, I wasn't even thinking about opening a cafe. I wanted to rent farmland, so I contacted a landowner far away, but they said they would give me the whole vacant house and the land."

--...Is that even possible?

Kubo: "It's surprising, isn't it? (laughs) I didn't really want a house so I left it for a while, but then one day I went inside and found that the floors and pillars were surprisingly sturdy. I spent a year cleaning it up and found that it was hardly damaged at all. Because it's an old house I thought 'I could use it as a private lodging,' but there were a lot of criteria. Then my wife said 'Why not turn it into a book cafe?' so I thought I'd give it a try. Looking back, the position of the windows and the sunlight meant that the books didn't get any sunlight, so it was perfect for a book cafe."

In this way, support totaling 2.44 million yen from 285 people was raised through crowdfunding, and the old house was reborn as "books & cafe Soramado."

The stylish interior of the store. Apparently it was named "Sora Mado" (Sora Window) because of the sky-blue windows.

"A hub for disseminating culture"

--On your crowdfunding page you say you want to create a "cultural hub in the countryside." How is it going now that it's actually opened?

Kubo: "That's right. Oura is experiencing aging and depopulation, and the nearby shops and hospitals have closed. It takes 20 minutes to get to the nearest convenience store, and it's not easy to get to from anywhere. But through our various activities, we've found that even in this rural area, people are looking for cultural activities. That's why we want to make this a place for such people, and we still regularly hold events like Soramado Academia and Ishikura Book Cafe."

Is there anything else you have in mind now?

Kubo: "We want to be a hub for cultural activities, so we want to create a literary magazine. On social media, we post information about not only the shop, but also about galleries and artists in Kagoshima. We value these connections and hope that they will become an opportunity for our customers to learn about them."

"The Meiji Restoration and the Three Tombs of the Age of the Gods: Haibutsu Kishaku, the Satsuma Domain, and State Shinto," written by Kubo

What I want to say to everyone

--Finally, is there anything you'd like to say to everyone?

Kubo-san: "At Soramado, we offer a free drink to anyone who donates 10 or more books. A drink costs 400 yen, so that means 10 books, any kind, will cost 400 yen. It's a much better deal than taking them to a second-hand bookstore, so please feel free to bring them in."

Donate at a better price than selling to a regular store

--Thank you very much for taking the time to meet with us, Kubo-san!

At Soramado, you can relax in a quiet shop while reading a book, or you can purchase second-hand books. Books & Cafe Soramado is a hidden cafe that is only open on Friday and Saturday afternoons (closed on the fourth Saturday of every month). It's close to Kamegaoka, so why not relax at the cafe after taking in the spectacular view?

"books & cafe Soramado"

Opening days: Friday and Saturday (except the fourth Saturday of each month)

Business hours: 13:00-18:00 Number of seats: 10 (2 x 3 counter seats, 2 low table seats, 2 small tatami mat seats)

Parking: 4 spaces

897-1201 13647 Oura-cho, Minamisatsuma City, Kagoshima Prefecture

in conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid shift to online activities, with local events and festivals being canceled or scaled down. Minamisatsuma is experiencing depopulation and aging throughout the area, with schools closing and stores going out of business. However, at the same time, new facilities and stores are also being created.

We will continue to share information about wonderful shops and scenery, as well as local specialties that are filled with the thoughts and passion of local people!

We hope you will continue to support the Minamisatsuma City Tourism Association!