Old folk house café Coha in Aira, Kagoshima, starts its Sunday opening
Owner Tomoko Yamada installing the sign of Nichi Café
In July, Coha, a café in an old folk house in Aira City, Kagoshima Prefecture, started “Coha’s Nichi Café,” opening on Sundays twice a month.
Coha opened its doors in October 2018 on Prefectural Route 40, close to Kenmin no Mori and a tourist attraction Yamada Triumphal Arch. Although many people visit the area on weekends for outdoor activities, the café used to be open only on weekdays. Tomoko Yamada, the owner, decided to offer drinks and desserts on some Sundays, and since it opens only two Sundays a month, she recommends making reservations by phone before visiting.
Yamada spent two and a half years renovating the 130-year-old old private house almost single-handedly. It has both table and counter seats, and on some days, her dog Johnny, a toy poodle, greets customers at the café.
The Sunday-only Nichi Café offers Cake Set (800 yen, including a drink) with a choice of chiffon cake, baked cheesecake, and panna cotta, to name a few. The drink menu includes coffee, tea, orange juice, and apple juice (500 yen each). On weekdays it offers lunch set meals, featuring spicy chicken curry, stewed hamburger steak, and other dishes served with a dessert and a drink.
Before opening the café, Yamada used to make and supply chiffon cakes. Even now, she always prepares her chiffon cakes. She said, with a smile, “I can’t offer anything fancy like cake decorating, but I’ve taught myself to make chiffon cakes taste better than anything else.”
Opening hours: noon – 4:00 p.m. (closed when cakes run out). Business days are announced on Instagram.