To enjoy a cup of tea surrounded by greenery: such a simple experience is enough to drain the stresses that cloud the mind. For today's introduction, we visited three spots where you can spend such a relaxing time among the trees!

・Yuzunoki Nemunoki Mizutamanoki

・Yoh Shomei Aso Museum of Art

・Mori no Jikan

The first place we visited was the popular cafe "Yuzunoki Nemunoki Mizutamanoki" in Yamato Town, Kamimashiki District, about an hour's drive from the center of Kumamoto City. On the way to the cafe, look for the blue hut with the "Rondo Museum" sign as a landmark to continue deeper into the woods.

Then a sign that reads "Yuzunoki Nemunoki Mizutamanoki" will soon come into sight.

If you continue climbing the steep hill ahead, you will come into view of a glass-walled cafe waiting at the top. Amazingly, the owner, Mr. Kosaka, designed and constructed the cafe himself!

After coming out to meet us, Mr. Kosaka graciously showed us to an upper-deck seating area  set within the trees that has a spectacular sense of openness to it. This special seating area features a breathtaking view of the Aso ridgeline.

The deck seats, which Kosaka handcrafted during the COVID-19 pandemic, are available in three types: "Sky Seats," "Aso Five Mountains Seats," and "Forest Seats." Regardless of the number of seats, only one group can be seated per type at a time, and reservations are required, which last for about two hours (deck seats are available in winter only to those who request them). Eucalyptus aroma spray is also provided to ward off insects, creating a pleasant, welcoming space for those who  desire nothing more than to relax carefree in the forest.

The view from within the restaurant is also superb, where you can also enjoy the comforting warmth of the wood interior. During the cold seasons, you can enjoy your meal while looking into the flames of the fireplace.

I ordered the most popular dish, the Yama no Miyako Picnic Plate (2,000 yen), which mainly uses ingredients from Yamato Town. "I want visitors to experience Yamato Town with all five senses while enjoying their meal amid this scenery," says Kosaka.

During our visit, the micro cucumbers and baby leaves in the salad, the sausages used in the wrapped baked goods, and the eggs from Yoshida Poultry Farm used in the Spanish omelette are all locally sourced from Yamato Town. The dish also uses plenty of seasonal vegetables available at Yamato Town's direct sales store. 

The wrapped and baked wieners made with Meishan pork from Sakamoto Farm are juicy yet have a refreshing aftertaste. The three side dishes for the day, which use plenty of seasonal vegetables, are carrot and dried daikon radish slaw, simmered hijiki seaweed, and marinated lotus root and sweet potato. There's also honey-lemon pickled Chinese cabbage, locally grown multigrain rice, and pumpkin potage, for a plentiful meal!

For dessert, I ordered a coffee-flavored white Mont Blanc, inspired by Mount Tongiri, which is located close to the cafe. Surrounding the Mont Blanc is a crunchy crumble that evokes the pebbles and nuts found on hiking trails. The white soy milk cream, reminiscent of snow-capped mountains, is filled with smooth Mont Blanc cream. If you eat the crumble together with powdered roasted brown rice, you can enjoy two deliciously contrasting textures.

The sounds of the trees rustling, the wind caressing your cheeks, and the birds chirping: all of these sounds of nature serve as the soundtrack to your visit. As you immerse yourself in the majestic nature of Yamato Town while enjoying a meal made with plenty of seasonal ingredients, the stresses of daily life will soon wash away. Be sure to visit this forest cafe to rejuvenate your mind and body.

                                     Spot information (as of November 2, 2023)

Minamiaso Village is the original landscape upon which the picture book author Yoh Shomei's based his paintings. The Yoh Shomei Aso Museum, which stands at the top of a hill, opened in 2002. When talk of land development on this site arose, the museum director, Hayama Shotei, built this private museum out of a desire to "protect these beautiful grasslands." Inside the museum, Yoh Shomei's original drawings, as well as works by the museum director, Hayama Shotei, who is skilled at both gardening as well as painting, are on display and available for purchase.

Yoh Shomei was born in Kumamoto City in 1946 where he spent his childhood before moving to Tokyo to study at a university. He initially set out with the aim of becoming a fashion illustrator, but was influenced by several picture book authors of his generation and began to try his hand at them. His landscape paintings, depicting beautiful scenes reminiscent of Mt. Aso, remain highly popular to this day.

The museum has a café where you can try herbal tea, coffee, and black tea made with herbs grown in Aso (400 yen each). The "Blue Bee Tea" I ordered that day was inspired by the blue bees (beautiful black-bodied bees with striped blue hairs) that visit the grasslands behind the museum every year. It has a subtle sweetness to it. Apparently the drinks on the menu can also be taken out and enjoyed outside.

Going beyond the exhibition room, where about 70 works are displayed, leads to a vast 67,000m2 garden from which you can see all the way to the Ariake Sea.

There is also a tree house tucked away in one corner of the vast gardens.

The grassland that spreads out beyond the door of the exhibition room is a space that is brimming with the director's deep love for nature. The walking course that leads up, down and around the hills through the grasses, some of which grow as high as one's height, takes about 20 minutes. The view before you during the course is nothing but green hills under the sky. This grassland, with its diverse landscapes, is a place that the director has carefully watched over for 20 years.

Like many of Aso's grasslands, these fields undergo controlled burning every March. Two to three weeks later, the burnt black earth is covered with green grassland again. The burning season is a rare opportunity to see the burrows of animals such as rats as well as the untouched earth they occupy. The sight of this grassland, which tells the story of the history and richness of the Aso area, is sure to be a soothing experience for visitors.

                                             Spot information (as of November 2, 2023)

Mori no Jikan is located in the forests of Oguni Town, on the border between Kumamoto and Oita prefectures. Within the wooded grounds, there is a old rice storehouse, a deck space, private rooms and other spaces. Even we visited on a weekday, we were surprised by the never-ending line of customers.
 

At first glance, waiting in line in the city can seem stressful to many people. But here, it was striking to see families and friends looking up at the forest and saying things like, "It must be beautiful in autumn," as they waited their turn, all with smiles on their faces and looking quite comfortable.

"I want people to spend time relaxing and enjoying nature," said owner Hashimoto, who opened Mori no Jikan in 2019. The location started as a cafe that operated out of an antique shop, after which the owner also opened a restaurant, and has been operating a food and beverage establishment at this location for over 10 years. In addition to the lunch plates and carefully selected sweets, the soothing aura that Hashimoto and his staff give off is enough to make you feel glad you came.

I ordered the "Toro Toro Pudding" (300 yen). Just as  Hashimoto said, "It will lose its shape in no time!", and the photo below was taken three seconds after it was brought to me. As the story goes, Hashimoto's child had atopic dermatitis and couldn't eat eggs, so he had to find some way to use the eggs piling up from the chickens he kept in his garden, and this pudding was the solution.

The only ingredients used are eggs, milk, and sugar. These simple ingredients are used without any unnecessary additives, and are slowly steamed over low heat to bring out the melting texture. The pudding's shape is almost miraculous, and the melting texture is irresistible...! "I check the condition of the eggs each time and adjust the ratio of ingredients," says Hashimoto. This is an excellent dish that has been served for over 20 years, with repeated improvements in pursuit of the perfect taste.

Next, we ordered a "Brown Sugar Walnut Milk" (600 yen), made with Jersey milk, brown sugar and crushed walnuts, and the "Baked Cheesecake" (500 yen).

When brown sugar, walnuts, and Jersey milk are blended together and heated, fluffy foam like this naturally appears. When they're in season, they use walnuts picked grown on site in the gardens. The hot milk with the gentle sweetness of brown sugar and the fragrant texture of the walnuts is a nostalgic yet fresh drink that envelops you in its deliciousness. It also goes well with baked cheesecake, which is characterized by its creamy texture and refreshing sweetness.

Mori no Jikan is open during the pleasant seasons, and is closed from the end of November until mid-April. Please check before visiting.

I can't wait for spring to arrive.

                                             Spot information (as of November 2, 2023)