Bringing Light to Mabi — Tabibito Chaya, a coffee and matcha shop that brightens the darkest nights

The population of Mabi, which stood at 22,797, fell by about 2,000 following the damage caused by the July 2018 heavy rains.

Some people have moved without changing their resident registration, so the actual number of people who have left Mabi is thought to be higher than the figures show.

During the day, the area is lively with the sounds of levee repairs, house demolitions, and new construction, but at night, it falls silent.

When we visited in March 2019, about 8,000 people were living in temporary housing, and the number of people actually living in Mabi had fallen dramatically compared with before the heavy rains.

Directly across from the Marbie Fureai Center in Yata, Mabi, wrapped in silence, is the Tabibito Chaya, a traveling tea shop that offers comforting light and warm drinks.

People affected by the disaster in Mabi and volunteers gather here, and it is becoming a welcoming place for the community.

Ryosho Hara, originally from Kurashiki, ran Tabibito Chaya at night and, during the day, worked on home repairs as part of “Disaster NPO Tabibito” and “Mabi Reconstruction Base Takeakari.”

We spoke with Hara, who works independently, at Tabibito Chaya and would like to introduce him and his work.

About Tabibito Chaya

Tabibito Chaya, a matcha and coffee shop, operates irregularly, only at night on the grounds of Mokko-bo Miyake, across from the entrance to the Marbie Fureai Center.

Its illumination makes it easy to spot, even at night.

For opening information, check the Stories on Ryosho’s Instagram.

Tabibito Chaya is a wooden mini-truck converted into a camping kitchen car, serving a menu centered on matcha and coffee.

The shop reportedly rents a parking space from the campaign office of Kurashiki City Council member Hiroshi Moriya, about 50 meters to the west, for Tabibito Chaya’s parking.

It is a mobile kitchen car that operates in a street-stall style.

▼The menu when we visited in March 2019 was as follows.

The matcha brown sugar latte is carefully prepared by whisking the matcha, and its sweetness makes it less bitter. It’s highly recommended.

Ryosho Hara’s activities

We heard that after the July 2018 heavy rains, you spent most of your time working in Mabi, away from your base in Saitama Prefecture. Could you tell us about your activities?

Ryosho

While running a market, a share house, and a radio station from my base in Saitama, I traveled around the country as a traveling merchant in a kitchen car.

When a disaster strikes while I’m traveling, I join forces with my traveling-merchant partner in Saitama to help out as “Disaster NPO Tabibito.”

After the July 2018 heavy rains, I also put out the message, “Travelers should be the ones to go to disaster-stricken areas,” and brought together travelers and small-business owners from across the country.

Our activities included running the Shimoari and Asahimachi satellite sites of the Kurashiki City Disaster Volunteer Center, responding to specialized needs such as heavy machinery, carpentry, and nursing, and supporting events, meal distributions, community gatherings, and local activities.

I’ve been working in the hope that, even in a small way, I can help kindle the light of Mabi’s recovery.

Why Tabibito Chaya opens on the pitch-dark nights in Mabi

Ryosho

After the July 2018 heavy rains, the Marbie Fureai Center directly across from Tabibito Chaya was used as a waste collection site.

This place used to be Mr. Miyake’s woodworking workshop.

Mr. Miyake, a carpenter who carefully repaired and reused things, was working right near the waste collection site.

This place was also badly damaged, but the disaster volunteer center prioritized work in living spaces and inside homes, so volunteers hadn’t been able to get to it.

Seeing him repairing things with care and cleaning up by himself despite being at a loss, my friends and I helped with the cleanup.

One reason I run Tabibito Chaya here is that I want to make Mr. Miyake happy. He comes by almost every time we’re open, and he seems pleased when people gather here.

Just being able to see how happy Mr. Miyake looks makes it worthwhile, I think.

My shop is a tiny, two-tatami-mat-sized shop on wheels that I run by myself.

Even if not a single customer comes, I can still open because it’s such a small kitchen car.

I want to bring even a little light to Mabi, which is pitch-dark at night. That’s the feeling behind what I do.

From the Writer

I was struck by how Ryosho Hara looks each person who visits Tabibito Chaya in the face and eyes, and speaks with them heart to heart.

About 11 months have passed since the July 2018 heavy rains, but Mabi is still very dark at night.

I felt that the strength of young local people like Ryosho is essential to Mabi’s recovery in the years ahead.

A comforting, heartfelt cup of tea eases the tension and fatigue in your heart; conversation flows, and before you know it, you’re smiling.

A place gathered around Ryosho’s kitchen car, where people of all ages, from young to old, come together at night to relax and warm both body and soul.

I hope more people will come to know the delicious cups Ryosho makes and the feelings he puts into them.

Mabi’s recovery has only just begun.

Tabibito Chaya details

Name	Tabibito Chaya
Address	Yata, Mabi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture / Across from Marbie Fureai Center (40-1 Yata, Mabi, Kurashiki City)
Parking	Available Parking lot of the campaign office of Kurashiki City Council member Hiroshi Moriya
Hours	Irregular Around 8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. *For details, check the Stories on Ryosho’s Instagram.
Closed	Irregular
Payment methods	Cash
Reservations	Not accepted
Website	Ryosho’s Instagram

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