On January 26th, a cafe "Kujira no Mori" (Ikariseki whale forest in Hirakawa City) opened in the Ikariseki area of Aomori and Hirakawa.

Yuki Fujita, who was born in Hirosaki and made a U-turn in Aomori for the first time in 12 years, is the owner of the shop, and the shop is run by his wife, Itsumi. The store's name was Whale Forest and the couple, and the couple loved whales, so it was decided immediately.

The renovated building was a drugstore that handled daily necessities and food, and was closed in 2013. It's been nearly 60 years old and was supposed to be destroyed in December of last year. Mr. Fujita said, "I heard that this was a place that locals often used and that students often gathered. The location was good and I liked the glass door facing the road, saying, "There is someone if you go there". I decided to create a cafe in order to become a store like that at the time.”

Fujita spent four months repairing with the help of local residents. Fujita, who loves to make home furniture by himself, divided a store of about 14 tsubo into a cafe with 10 seats and two spaces for workshops. The second floor is currently undergoing renovation and will be a tatami floor.

The theme of the cafe is "playing with the occasions", and the workshop will have seasonal contents. Mr. Fujita said, "Currently, we are making "Oni no Ishikoro," a decorative ornament made with pebbles for Setsubun. When March is near, a workshop for the Hina Matsuri. Participation fee is set around 500 yen, It will be fun even if you come empty-handed."

Fujita says that he is planning a hands-on classroom that makes the most of the nature of Igarigaseki. “Igarigaseki has a lot of snow and the prefecture is so hot in summer that the four seasons are clearly defined. We want to make it a place where you can enjoy the four seasons with your five senses.”

Business hours are from 11:00 to 18:00. Closed on Tuesdays and every other Wednesday.