Interview with Umemoto, owner of cafe Saisai
We interviewed the shop’s owner, Umemoto Chikako.
This article presents the interview conducted during our initial visit in February 2021.
A series of events brought her back to her hometown of Tamashima
Could you tell us how you came to open the shop?
Umemoto (surname only)
Before moving to Tamashima, I lived in Fukuoka.
My husband’s job involves frequent transfers, and we’ve moved nine times so far.
When our child started high school, I wanted us to settle down, so we bought a house in Fukuoka, where we had enjoyed living.
But after the Kumamoto earthquake and my husband’s transfer to Kurashiki City, we thought about moving to Tamashima.
Actually, my family home is in Tamashima.
So you’re back in Tamashima after a long time. Has it changed much?
Umemoto
Yes. It’s been 30 years since I lived in Tamashima. The roads have changed.
I did come back once a year, though. New roads had been built each time, but it’s changed a lot compared with the past.
Whenever I came back, we’d meet up at a friend’s shop in the Tamashima shopping district.
Life in Fukuoka was good, but my family home in Tamashima was here, my mother and sister were here, my husband was transferred within Kurashiki City, and there had been an earthquake, so we sold our house in Fukuoka and came here.
She wanted to open a shop while renovating the old house
How did you find this house?
Umemoto
As we were preparing to move back to Tamashima, I searched online, thinking an old property might be nice.
I emailed a construction company I happened to find, and they replied right away.
They said, “We have some older properties, so please come and see them.” This was the first one I looked at.
They showed me other properties too, but it was difficult to get a car into them, and their locations posed challenges.
But this house faced the road, and although there were trees in the garden, they let me see inside too, and I thought it was lovely.
It was also close to my family home, and my mother could continue living almost as before. That helped make up my mind.
We viewed the property in the summer of 2017, spent New Year’s in Fukuoka, and then moved into this house in June 2018.
My husband and I liked the house even more than we’d expected, so during the design stage, I told the people at the construction company that I wanted to try running a shop.
A building where home life and the shop could coexist
Oh! You hadn’t originally planned to open a shop?
Umemoto
That’s right.
I’d vaguely thought, “I’d like to do something when I quit my job.” When I mentioned it during the design stage, the plans came together in no time.
I also told them, “The shop doesn’t need to be open every day,” so the entrance was designed to be used by the family in everyday life.
So your family uses it regularly?
Umemoto
That’s right. Normally, it’s the family entrance.
When the shop is open, we come and go through the back.
The area that’s now the parking lot used to be a beautiful garden.
The previous owners kept it beautifully, but we needed parking and had construction work to do, so sadly we cut down all the garden trees.
The building has been replastered with stucco, but we haven’t changed much. It’s mostly as it was.
We changed half the ceiling to let in more light.
The step up at the entrance is also unchanged.
The kitchen, however, was raised one step to accommodate the plumbing. As a result, it became a single step, making it easier to enter the house, which was nice.
Old buildings have a reputation for being cold, but it’s warm here.
Umemoto
The only heating in the residential area is a wood-burning stove.
The wood stove can’t heat the cafe area, so we use a kerosene heater and air conditioning.
So that’s why there was firewood in the garden. Mystery solved.
The shop is filled with the things Umemoto loves and wants to do
The things you have in the shop are lovely too.
Umemoto
These are made of clay.
What, really? Even when you look closely, you’d never think they were clay. The colors, shapes, and textures (at least in appearance) are so detailed—they look just like the real thing.
I teach clay classes four times a month.
I also ask a candle-making instructor to hold a monthly workshop where we make botanical candles.
For the morning class, I serve a bread lunch, and in the afternoon, I serve cake.
I’m taking lessons in breadmaking and currently learning about natural yeast.
The bread I serve varies; some is made with natural yeast, and some is regular bread.
By holding classes, I can make good use of the shop even when I’m not serving lunch.
The Kurashiki Knotting cushions on the chairs are lovely too.
Umemoto
The ones here now are store-bought, but I’ve made some myself too.
It’s different from Kurashiki Knotting, but I’ve also been learning to make “Ako gabbeh,” and I use it in the shop.
I happened to have a loom, so I started taking lessons. When I go to class, I fold up the loom and take it with me.
I’d also like to try kintsugi, pottery, and stained glass, but I don’t have the time…
Why not visit this warm, welcoming old-house cafe?
When I first visited cafe Saisai, I fell in love with it at first sight and was filled with the desire to tell as many people as possible about it!
Through the interview, I realized that the appeal lies not only in the lunch but also in the building and its decorations, because the shop is filled with the things Umemoto loves and her sense of style.
You may understand what I mean when you visit.
And Umemoto still wants to take on many more challenges.
A year after my visit, she may have started something new, with her creations displayed in the shop too.
cafe Saisai feels like it will keep evolving, and it’s a place to keep an eye on.
Please be sure to make a reservation before visiting. Enjoy your Saisai lunch!
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
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