When raising children, you increasingly get called “〇〇’s mom” or “□□’s dad,” and your life tends to revolve around your children.
This is even more so when a child has a disability or developmental concerns, and outings that require the parent and child to go together become more frequent.
Raising a child with a disability calls for more support at home than raising a typically developing child, but no parent becomes a specialist in raising a child with a disability the day a doctor tells them their child has a disability.
Parents of children with disabilities are people, too.
They need time to talk with someone about their children, their relationship with their spouse, and other things—with “me” as the subject—to enjoy good food and feel refreshed.
At Usagi Cafe, within walking distance of Kurashiki City Office, peers with experience raising children with disabilities provide a cafe-style place for consultation for the parents of children with disabilities or developmental concerns.
Here, we introduce how to use the cafe and the thoughts of its operators—information we hope everyone will know, not just those directly affected, but also anyone who may have someone affected in their circle.
The information provided was current when this article was published in September 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is Usagi Cafe?
Usagi Cafe is a cafe-style place for consultation run by the certified NPO Parent Support Step, an organization that supports parents of children with disabilities (hereafter referred to as “Step”).
Step’s members, including its core operators, are parents of children and adults with disabilities.
Its activities consistently focus on parents, and Usagi Cafe is also for the parents of children with disabilities or developmental concerns.
It is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday (and once a month on a Sunday or public holiday).
It also holds “Usagi Shokudo,” an evening cafe for fathers, about once every two months. As the name suggests, this evening cafe is for fathers of children with disabilities or developmental concerns.
At lunchtime, most of the staff and visitors are women, while at Usagi Shokudo, both the staff and visitors are men. It serves as a peer-support space for fathers.
Cafe menu provided by peers with experience raising children with disabilities
For parents raising children, especially those raising a child with a disability, mealtimes can be taken up with caregiving and helping their child with daily routines and language development, leaving some with no time to enjoy their food at a leisurely pace.
At Usagi Cafe, peers with experience raising children with disabilities serve warm meals.
The most popular item is the daily lunch special.
The menu when we visited was a three-color chicken soboro rice bowl.
It comes with a side dish as well as a rice bowl and miso soup, making it a nutritious meal.
Drinks (coffee, tea, and cafe au lait) are included, too, so it looks like a great chance to enjoy a lively chat after the meal.
The daily lunch special is available in limited quantities, so if you want to be sure to get one, make a reservation before visiting.
There are also desserts such as parfaits and French toast, and many people seem to order sweets as well as drinks.
How to use Usagi Cafe
Usagi Cafe’s concept is “a place that is always there for you.” That’s why you can visit without a reservation.
Since it looks like a private home in a residential neighborhood, you may wonder, “Is it okay to go in?” But on days when it is open, a sign is displayed outside and the front door is open.
The front door may be closed on days when the air conditioning or heating is on, or when it is raining heavily, but if the Usagi Cafe sign is displayed outside, it is open.
Bringing your own food is generally not allowed, but if you are visiting only for a consultation, you can use the cafe without ordering anything.
Even if you visit alone, staff will talk to you as fellow parents raising children with disabilities or developmental concerns, asking things like, “How have you been lately?”
You can also visit with a group.
They welcome parents of children with disabilities or developmental concerns, friends they regularly talk to about parenting worries, and anyone else who can help visitors directly affected feel comfortable during their visit.
However, due to space limitations, groups should be around four people, and visitors should understand that this is a place for consultation and support.
For those unsure about visiting
If you’re interested in Usagi Cafe but can’t quite take the first step, there is also an official LINE account.
It shares information about events hosted by Usagi Cafe, so we recommend signing up as a kind of good-luck charm and checking for events you might be able to attend.
More than 1,000 people have signed up for the official LINE account.
It’s reassuring to think that there are so many parents of children with disabilities or developmental concerns in Kurashiki City.
Usagi Cafe has been operating for more than 10 years. We spoke with Ando Kiyoko, who continues to run a place for parents alongside peers raising children with disabilities.
Usagi Cafe details
| Name | Usagi Cafe |
|---|---|
| Address | 2463-6 Shinden, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-431-1651 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | 10 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Closed | Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday Open only once a month on Sundays |
| Payment methods |
|
| Website | Certified NPO Parent Support Step |
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