Save a local, community based café in Hatagaya
I am Miki. I run a cafe in Hatagaya, Tokyo. Due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, I had to close the place for an unknown amount of time under the emergency declaration on April 7. While telling myself that it's gonna be alright, I'm trying to do the best I can every day by doing things such as delivering meals to my neighbors by bicycle. I believe that the day will come again when we will all meet and smile together again. So I would like to do what I can to keep the cafe going until then. I would appreciate if you could help me.
The founding of "Miki ’s Art Cafe"
In my 20’s, I lived abroad for seven years in total.
While working in the hospitality industry in several countries overseas, I was touched and inspired by many people around the world. I worked at Disney Cruises for two years, and I was very impressed with the way the service delighted customers.
After working on the cruise while traveling alone in the Southwestern United States, I met a Japanese woman, who was a physiotherapist. When I heard her story, I felt eager to return home and work in elderly care. Meeting her was a big turning point of my life.
After returning to Japan, I moved to Tokyo and immediately started the nursing work that I wanted to do. Nursing work taught me the importance of one-on-one connection and the joy of service that only I can provide. I began to think: What is the most important thing in our life?
I believe that nobody can live alone. Elderly seniors who live alone regain their energy by talking to others. You can smile or get emotionally enriched by having someone to talk to you and listen to you. Eating is also important, and sleeping is important too.
And just laughing, talking and listening are just as important. So I decided to open my own café and started to dream of providing a service that would allow me to see people in person, one on one. I wanted to create a place to make "encounters" that could change people's lives.
I do love cooking, even though I have never been trained professionally. So, I have my own style. I'd like to provide food that I have had overseas, as well as local Aichi prefecture specialties. And since I had been a vegetarian before, I would like to offer as much natural homemade food as possible. I found a vacant property in Hatagaya while riding a bicycle and doing my visiting care for elderly people. This place was in the downtown area of Hatagaya, where I lived for the first time in Tokyo. Since I was doing art activities in Scotland where I lived the longest, I named the place "Miki's Art Cafe".
All of the funds to open my café were from my own savings. The salary for nursing care was pretty low, but I had been saving money for four years. Because I was saving too hard, once I was featured in a close-up feature segment on "Poverty in women in their 30-40’s" on a TV show in Japan. To cut costs, we stripped the floor ourselves, painted the walls ourselves, and bought things from a recycle shop to decorate the café. Everything else was DIY. My friend had an electrician, so I asked for wiring. We also bought tableware at a recycle shop.
Since I am a very energetic person, I wanted to be the cafe owner who can share as much energy with customers as they need. And I opened my café, where people in Hatagaya could create a community, like a home that connects people of all ages, genders and nationalities.
What I value
Hatagaya is an area where many people live alone. Because of this nature of the city, the connections between people are tenuous. People who come to a small cafe-bar in a residential area want something to connect with. I wanted to become part of a small bridge that connects people.
I also wanted to connect with the local community by creating a small road from my side. I would love to liven up the local area together with the community, rather than just running a cafe. The street of my café is named Nanago-dori, which means number street seven in Japanese. I believe it’s a lucky number!
By holding children's events on a regular basis, and casual English lessons, and holding other activities other than eating and drinking, I have nurtured interactions between people of different generations. I'm glad that the children in the neighborhood called me "Miki-san" and they stop by on their way home from school.
Bridging international exchange is also very important. I rarely go abroad anymore. Instead, people from various countries come to Hatagaya. Even if there are people who do not know each other at all, I think that people will be connected more and more if there is a conduit. When people are connected, that person becomes a channel to another person. We have more acquaintances, fewer people are isolated, and some have become families. I want to keep this place as a place that creates the possibility of those connections and encounters.
This time, due to the influence of the coronavirus pandemic, I had to close my café for a while and I can no longer see everyone’s faces. How are you spending the time while you had been laughing so much? Are you able to smile and laugh? Is there anyone who can listen to you?
Use of funds
I would like to use this fund as running cost to continue the business and to provide a place where customers can return even after the end of coronavirus pandemic.
The target amount of 3 million yen will be used for about 1 month's basic expense from April 7 until May 6, when the emergency declaration will be effective. From then on, it will be used to cover the minimum running cost for several months after that. It is still difficult to forecast when this situation will be end to open the cafe again as before, but I will do anything to keep the cafe as a place where customers can return, and where I can provide services that will please customers. I will do everything I can to make it happen.
Return
*If you would like to have a receipt, please let us know.
1. Course A - 2,000yen
①1free drink ticket
②Thank you message from owner
2. Course B - 4,000yen
①1 free Drink & 1 free food ticket
②Thank you message from owner
3. Course C - 6,500yen
①1free drink ticket
②Miki’s Art Café original T-shirt (all size available)
③Thank you message from owner
original T-shirt design
4．Course D -10,000yen
Suitable for those who are not able to come to the café, like people from overseas.
①Thank you video message from owner (via Youtube)
5．Course E - 50,000yen
①1day whole floor charter free ticket
②Miki’s Art Café original T-shirt (all size available)
③Thank you message from owner
6. Course F - 100,000yen
①1month all-you-can-drink free pass
②Miki’s Art Café original T-shirt (all size available)
③Thank you message from owner
Finally
This is the message I sent to the customers the day before I had to close the café on 7th April. (Sorry, it's written in Japanese..)
I would be very encouraged if you could support and help me. Let us all meet again with a smile at Miki’s.
Miki's Art Cafe 3-16-3 Hatagaya Shibuya-ku Tokyo, Japan 16:00-24:00 Open Sunday・Monday Close (suspension of business at this moment ）
This project will be implemented as an all-in method. Even if it doesn't meet the target amount, fund will be carried out and we will deliver a return to all supporters.
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