Shibuya, one of the most popular districts of Tokyo, is home of Matcha cafe Omi-ya, a very cozy coffee shop that only opens on Sundays. This lovely place is run by Yukari Nabae, a very dynamic and friendly young woman, whose love for matcha and tea ceremony runs in her family, and as she explains in her own words “First of all, my parents are great connoisseurs of tea ceremony. And because of their influence, I started learning it in 2000. I loved it at once.!! Then, in 2013,I studied at the International University of Japan, in the graduate school in Niigata, for one year. There, I wrote a business plan that involved opening a Matcha cafe in Brooklyn. And as part of the research process, I visited a tea plant in Shiga prefecture. After my graduation, I met the owner of the restaurant/Izakaya, Omi-ya, that serves a local cuisine of Shiga prefecture because he is from Shiga prefecture. And as he was just thinking of how to use the place on Sundays when the Izakaya is closed, we agreed in opening the Matcha cafe Omi-ya on Sundays”
Yukari is definitely a woman who inspires us all with her passion for healthy food and matcha, which I gladly tried myself.
Yukari also tell us about the food she prepares herself at the cafe “ Before opening the cafe, I sometimes cook on weekends but I bought a recipe book specialized in traditional Japanese Kaiseki cuisine, which has been my inspiration since because most of the dishes I serve are inspired by this book. I also would like to cook Chakaiseki/Kaiseki cuisine (dishes served before tea ceremony) someday in the near future”
If you in Shibuya or near Shibuya on Sunday visit Yukari and her heart-warming cafe, you will have a great time.
Yoneko: Writer and consultant 