Interview with producer Makiko Omoto
Cafe Cascade, located in the Bikan Historical Area, is easily accessible and within walking distance of JR Kurashiki Station.
It is a convenient place for both tourists and local residents.
We spoke with Makiko Omoto, producer of Cascade, a shop decorated with wisteria flowers.
How the shop came to be
Why did you open a new shop?
Omoto (surname only)
Cafe LINES, which was located in Funakura-cho, Kurashiki City, had to close temporarily because it was relocating.
While Cafe LINES, which also served as a wedding venue, was being transformed into a new venue, Chateau de Felicion, scheduled to open in September 2022, we opened Cascade as a sister shop.
Cascade will continue operating even after the new venue opens.
Why did you choose this location for the shop?
Omoto
The president was looking for a place that was uniquely Kurashiki. While searching, he found a very atmospheric traditional storehouse building in the Bikan Historical Area, one of Kurashiki’s signature tourist destinations. It was such a lovely property that we decided on this spot.
That’s when I was asked to produce it.
At first, we weren’t planning to open a cafe. It might have become a select shop selling souvenirs and other items.
But it’s such a great location, with a museum and a bus stop nearby, so I suggested, “Why not make it a bright, lively cafe and serve afternoon tea?”
Another reason was that Kurashiki Afternoon Tea had grown into a popular attraction in Kurashiki. I thought both local residents and tourists might enjoy it.
The now-closed Cafe LINES served Kurashiki Afternoon Tea.
The shop is very close to JR Kurashiki Station and easy to get to, and there’s a bus parking lot nearby.
People using the parking lot gather in the vacant lot between Cascade and Kurashiki Kokusai Hotel.
I thought it would be nice if people waiting for buses or heading to the station could use this place as a “cafe with power outlets” while waiting for their next train.
What is a cafe with power outlets?
Omoto
There are power outlets at every seat.
So when travelers say, “My phone battery’s run out,” they can charge it right away.
I hope it can be a place where people enjoy sweets while charging their phones and talking about their travel memories.
I’m always looking for cafes with power outlets myself, so I thought it was something we should have and installed them.
As we planned the cafe, I kept thinking that it needed to have something distinctive.
Achi Shrine has a wisteria tree over 500 years old, and wisteria is Kurashiki’s city flower.
I saw symbols representing wisteria flowers all along the main streets and thought, “That’s it! Let’s create a cafe filled with wisteria flowers!”
Botanical cafes have recently become popular in urban areas and look great on social media, so I decided to make it a botanical flower cafe.
When you decorate the shop with lots of wisteria, the flower clusters look like a waterfall flowing down from above, so I named it Cascade (meaning “waterfall”). Cascade means a waterfall of flowers.
The Nishikiya Group mainly works in bridal services, and the long, trailing bouquet carried by a bride in her wedding dress is called a “cascade.”
It’s an industry term, but since it has the meaning of “flowers,” I decided to use “Cascade” as the shop’s name.
I grew up in Kurashiki, but I’ve only seen Achi Wisteria once or twice.
Flowers have their season, so I miss it.
But here, flowers bloom all year round, so you can enjoy lunch or tea while “viewing the flowers” anytime.
The wisteria concept feels very Kurashiki, and I think it could become a new Kurashiki attraction.
Cascade carries on the legacy of LINES
The shop also retains some of the legacy of LINES.
This umbrella chandelier used to be in the LINES lobby, and the chairs were used in the chapel.
The interior is kept to white and gray to make the flowers stand out.
The wisteria is displayed in different colors in each area: purple, lavender, pink, and mixed.
Also, this was unexpected, but apparently customers often ask, “Is this Demon Slayer?” (laughs).
The “demons” in the manga Demon Slayer hate wisteria flowers.
The theme for the interior is “a photogenic spot wherever you sit,” creating a soothing space where flowers bloom all year round.
The exterior is a traditional storehouse building, giving it a retro feel.
If we made it too polished, we’d lose the charm, so we deliberately made use of its retro feel, attaching small branches and other things to create a flower gate with a botanical look.
A menu filled with Ms. Omoto’s favorites and personal touches
What are the shop’s signature menu items?
Omoto
French toast and ricotta cheese pancakes.
These two items were originally part of the Kurashiki Afternoon Tea menu, but they were so popular that they became regular menu items.
They were added to the menu because they were popular. Why did you include these items in the afternoon tea in the first place?
Omoto
Because I like them and often eat them when I have tea with friends in Tokyo.
The afternoon tea spread is mostly made up of things I want to eat!
I oversee everything, from the taste to the presentation.
I try to make the afternoon tea cute enough to be enjoyable just to look at, but I also believe it has to taste truly delicious, not just look good.
I design it through close consultation with the bridal pastry chef, who usually makes wedding cakes and wedding favors.
So that you don’t get tired of eating, we make sure the sweets on the three-tier cake stand each offer a different level of sweetness.
Why do you serve vegan curry?
Omoto
Veganism is currently a worldwide trend.
We have a cafe called Cafe Seed of Life in Okayama, where we serve vegan curry and Buddha bowls.
A Buddha bowl is a vegan dish that lets you enjoy vegetables prepared with a variety of seasonings and cooking methods. It’s said to have gotten its name because the bowl piled high with vegetables looked like Buddha’s belly.
Vegan dishes were well received at Cafe Seed of Life, so we decided to serve vegan curry at Cascade too.
We make the curry roux with a broth made from more than ten kinds of vegetables, without using meat, fish, or other animal products, and season it with spices.
My main profession is voice acting, and at one point I realized that what you eat can slightly change your state of mind.
You might become more aggressive or feel calmer. Your energy level changes too.
When I thought about it, food is another life that we take into ourselves, so it didn’t seem strange that what we put into our bodies could affect our state of mind.
When I’m acting a role, I need to be in a neutral state, as close as possible to zero. That’s when the soul of the character comes down to me effortlessly. If I have personal distractions, I can’t get deeply into the role.
When I thought about what I had eaten on occasions when I was able to concentrate and give my best performance, I realized it was after eating a lot of vegetables.
I’ve also had experiences where certain foods made anxiety wash over me and narrowed my perspective.
Those experiences led me to “veganism.”
I do eat meat, but before acting jobs, I eat vegetable dishes to get into a neutral state.
I thought, “If I’m going to eat vegetables, I want them to be delicious!” So I developed the cafe menu around the things I wanted to eat and started serving them.
We also have meat dishes and fish lunches.
Wisteria in Full Bloom All Year Round
Omoto
I really love spending time in nature and looking at flowers.
Flowers have what you might call “the energy of flowers.” Don’t you think they have an open, outward-reaching power?
Colors also have psychological effects. Looking at bright, vibrant colors can make you feel more open, refreshed, and positive.
Being in nature makes me feel as though my inner axis is coming into balance.
It’s the same for actors and businesspeople: when your mental state is low, you can’t perform well.
When that happens, going to see the flowers quickly lifts my spirits and brightens my mood.
I hope Cascade can be a place that makes people feel refreshed, as if they were enjoying the blossoms.
It’s also relaxing, and I think you’ll enjoy taking photos here.
Looking Ahead
How would you like customers to spend their time here?
Omoto
There’s a town overseas that’s full of wisteria. The entrances and windows are covered in wisteria, and it’s so beautiful.
I thought it would be wonderful to spend every day in a place like that, and it inspired me, too.
When you’re tired from work or meeting someone important, I hope you’ll come here in the spirit of going to see the flowers, enjoy the blossoms in full bloom, and spend a fun, relaxing time over a delicious lunch or sweets.
Wisteria goes well with kimono, too.
The space is designed to look great in photos from anywhere inside, so I hope you’ll find your favorite angle and take some pictures.
What are your goals for the future?
Omoto
I’d like to add a few more items to the menu. I’m thinking of adding light desserts and snacks, too.
We’re also planning to add more flowers.
In fall 2022, a new venue, Chateau de Felicition, will open.
When weddings aren’t being held, we plan to serve lunch and afternoon tea at the cafe.
I hope lots of people will enjoy both Cascade and Chateau de Felicition.
As for my main line of work, this year (2022) marks the 30th anniversary of Kirby, and the new game, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, will be released on March 25, 2022. There’ll also be a festival in the summer, so I’ll do my best to make sure everyone enjoys that, too!
Ms. Omoto is the voice actor for Kirby in the Kirby series.
From the Writer
Cascade, with its wisteria flowers and distinctly Kurashiki feel, is filled with the owner Ms. Omoto’s personal touches and favorite things.
You’ll want to photograph everything—the food, the sweets, and the interior.
There are all kinds of ways to enjoy the cafe, from taking a break between sightseeing to spending time with someone special or charging your smartphone.
Why not relax and enjoy something delicious at this photogenic cafe, where every corner makes a great picture?
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a search term to find articles on this site
