I love Hirosaki (1): The oldest coffee house in Tohoku

Last year, I first read about the town of Hirosaki (弘前) when I was preparing for my autumn trip to Aomori prefecture. It was simply a transit point for me, a place to take a break before I took the Resort Shirakami (リゾートしらかみ) train down Aomori’s scenic west coast for the final leg of that Aomori expedition. As a result, Joanne and I spent just a day there – which we realised was not enough!

As fate has it, we were “forced” to return to Hirosaki again this time, because all the hotels in Aomori city were fully booked, and Hirosaki is the nearest town with accommodation. And because we stayed there for four nights, there was plenty of time to explore the charming town a little more.

Manchan’s distinctive western style shop front.

I would like to introduce some interesting shops I discovered during this trip, because yes, Hirosaki has more than just apples and the Neputa summer festival.

First up: Manchan cafe (万茶ン), said to be the oldest coffee house in the whole of Tohoku region and the fourth oldest in Japan

According to the Hirosaki tourist brochure, coffee was consumed in Hirosaki over 150 years ago. At the time, warriors of the Hirosaki domain were dispatched to Ezo (present-day Hokkaido) to help man the northen defenses, and coffee was provided in their rations as a protection against edema. It is said that the period was the first time Japanese commoners drank coffee. It was only in the 1910s, however, when cafes came into fashion in Japan.

Manchan was set up in 1929 by Mrs Kane Kozai, who ran the shop with her husband. It was then passed on to her daughter-in-law, Mrs Yoshiko Kozai, who run it to raise up her two sons.

The current owner, Mr Hiromasa Kozai, is the younger son of Yoshiko, and is now 55 years old. He told me that business has been badly hit since the March 11 disasters. Indeed, the cafe had only one customer when we entered, and it was only over an hour later before two individual travellers came in.

Well, the history is nothing worth raving about if the coffee isn’t good, and since I’m writing about this, you know it must be worth the space. I really liked the Osamu Dazai blend coffee, one of the two specials here. It was thick, aromatic and rousing. I daresay it’s one of the best coffees I’ve ever drank. I ordered two cups and bought some more back in powder form.

If you can read Japanese, Mr Hiromasa Kozai has written a very long and detailed version of the shop’s history here (pdf format).

You can find a simple map here.

From Michinoku bank on the main street, look out for this sign pointing into the small alley.

Very spacious inside, but as mentioned, business has hit the doldrums. Mr Kozai told me that business has never been so bad before – especially during the summer festival period. But because Joanne and I were the only customers after this lady left, it gave me a lot of time to chit chat with Mr Kozai.

The crane relief was supposedly a gift from students of the former Hirosaki High School (旧制弘前高校) to Mr Kozai’s grandfather. The words “Manchan” was added on, and it has since been the symbol of the shop.

This chandelier is another piece of antique – it’s been part of the decor since the coffee house opened in 1929!

Mr Kozai preparing our orders behind the counter

I ordered the Grilled apple and ice-cream set, which comes with a choice of coffee or apple tea. (850 to 900 yen)

You can buy the special coffee powder blends as a souvenir. I bought a box of the Osamu Dazai blend, and am looking forward to reproducing the wonderful coffee I had at Manchan.

Before we left, I asked Mr Kozai who is likely to take over the shop after he retires. He said, as a matter of fact, that it is likely to close in about five years’ time, after he decides to call it a day. His only child – a daughter – has just graduated from university in Tokyo and is unlikely to take over. What a pity! If only I could persuade him to sell the place to me (given that I even have the money)…

More to come!