Interview with mug manager Kenta Chiba
If you want to relax and unwind in Tamashima, mug is an essential place to visit.
We spoke with mug manager Kenta Chiba about how he opened the cafe, the things he cares about, his aspirations for the future, and what he would like to try.
What led you to start mug?
Chiba (surname only)
Before starting mug, I worked at a cafe in Toiyacho, Okayama.
Actually, I chose that job not so much because I wanted to run a cafe, but because I admired cafes that were involved in music.
I’ve always loved music and been interested in organizing music events.
At the cafe, I was put in charge of planning and running music events, while also learning the ins and outs of running a cafe.
I wanted to do more with music, so I also organized music events on my own.
After working at the cafe for a while, I joined a major music company, then returned to the cafe world.
At that time, because I loved the Bikan Historical Area, I worked at a shop in the place I had always admired.
So music was what got you started! What kind of music do you like?
Chiba
I guess acoustic music.
I don’t play an instrument myself, but I used to DJ, selecting music.
But I DJed to liven up events; what I really like is relaxed acoustic music.
So I’ve asked bands we invited to events to perform acoustic sets.
And I thought, “I’d like to do that at our place, mug, too.”
Why did you open the shop in Tamashima?
Chiba
Before it became mug, there was another food and drink business here, and it was a place that featured music.
That appealed to me, so I chose this location.
Did someone approach you when the shop became available?
Chiba
An acquaintance asked me, “It’s a bar where you can play music. Do you know anyone who’d like to run it?” That’s what prompted me to go and take a look.
At the time, I wasn’t planning to open my own cafe.
But when I visited the shop, I liked the location.
I don’t know why, but I blurted out, “I’ll do it!” and everything fell into place from there.
Nearby are Kurashiki Sakuyo University, known for music, and Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, where students study the arts.
I thought that if I opened a shop here, it could be a place for young students to showcase their work, and they could come up with and put on events themselves.
Have students actually organized events here?
Chiba
We often held student-organized events when we first opened. I’m sure putting on events themselves was fun for the students, too.
I’d like to plan and create events together with them. Even if they don’t get it right at first, they can learn how to do it here, and eventually put on events themselves at other venues.
Subtle attention to the background music
I heard you pay special attention to the background music.<
Chiba
We change the music depending on the time of day.
In the morning, we try to play music without vocals. A lot of it includes sounds from nature, too.
At lunchtime, we choose lively, bright, pop music.
From late afternoon into the evening, we play more mellow music, and at night we often put on moody tracks featuring wind instruments.
We want to support local artists, so we sometimes play their music, too.
A shop built together with artists
When I think of mug, I picture the illustration of a girl. It’s also part of your logo, isn’t it?
Chiba
That’s right. We had it drawn by a chalk artist based in Osaka.
They had never done a large chalk artwork before, but they created it as a challenge.
Since it’s chalk, it can be erased, but it’s become the shop’s symbol, so we can’t erase it now.
mug is something we build up gradually.
When we first opened, the shop was really bare.
That was intentional, though. I wanted to display the work of artists I met while running the cafe.
The accessories and other goods we sell in the shop are the same. Artists we met here asked, “Could I put some things on display?” and the selection gradually grew.
I want customers to visit us and make new “discoveries.”
For example, I want them to discover which shop the dried flowers came from.
How would you like to develop the shop in the future?
Chiba
As well as music, I want to focus on food.
I’d like to serve homemade dishes using local ingredients as much as possible.
I love Okayama and Kurashiki, and I want to help Kurashiki thrive. I think using local ingredients is a way to promote the fact that “Okayama has delicious food.”
Actually, I love visiting roadside stations.
The vegetables at roadside stations are labeled with the name of the farm they came from, and I look up more information about the farms and their producers.
Sometimes we use those vegetables, too. I want our customers to enjoy more of Okayama’s delicious ingredients.
The peaches we use for Kurashiki Afternoon Tea were like that, too. A young person had started a peach orchard in Tamashima, and we decided to use their peaches because we wanted to support them.
It may be difficult to pay special attention to everything, but I’d like to focus on specific things.
Can the shop be reserved for private events?
Chiba
Yes, we take private bookings. You’re free to use the space however you like!
People use it for dinner parties and post-event gatherings. We have set menus, so they’re often booked together with all-you-can-drink options.
We also have a projector, so you can hold presentations or report meetings. We’d like people to use the space for all kinds of purposes.
You can book the whole place for groups of around 10 or more, so please get in touch.
What are your aspirations for the future?
Chiba
I’d like to continue putting on music events, supporting local artists, and making this a cafe that also pays close attention to its food.
Recently, we also hired someone who has experience working at a bakery. I’d like to develop the menu with him and eventually offer bread, too.
I want to put even more effort into our events and menu.
From the Writer
At first glance, mug has a cozy, charming atmosphere, but it offers more than just lunch and cafe fare.
It also holds music events from time to time, and supports and promotes artists.
When you visit, try looking for the artists’ work displayed throughout the shop.
It’ll be exciting to see how mug continues to evolve as it grows together with the people it meets at the shop.
mug details
| Name | mug |
|---|---|
| Address | 1F, Shin-Kurashiki Inoue Building, 439-3 Tsumajiri, Tamashima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-523-5150 |
| Parking | Available 5 shared parking spaces |
| Hours | 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (last orders at 5:00 p.m.) *Open at night only for private bookings and music events |
| Closed | Thursday Thursdays and the third Wednesday of each month |
| Payment methods |
|
| Reservations | Accepted |
| Seating | 18 seats Number of sofas: 1 Number of counter seats: 4 Number of tables: 5 |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restroom | Western-style toilet |
| Website | mug: Facebook |
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