The cafe "Manmaru Cafe" (Matsubara, Aomori City, TEL 017-752-9929 ) opened near the Shiko Munakata Memorial Hall and celebrated its first anniversary on March 24th.

You can choose a seat according to the age and purpose of the child, such as a tatami room with a playpen, a raised tatami room, and a table seat.

The owner, Yuka Kuryu, said, "I wanted to create a place where mothers who are raising children can casually stop by with their children and spend time at their leisure."

"I've always loved children and wanted to be an elementary school teacher," says Kuryu, who spent a year in the United States as a university student in an au pair (a study abroad program in which students go to school while staying in a homestay and helping with childcare and housework for a fee). After returning to Japan, he worked as a lecturer at elementary and junior high schools in the prefecture, but decided to start a business and retired in 2017. While preparing for the opening, she gave birth to her first son in 2020 and opened the store in March last year.

Ms. Kuryu said, "While raising children, I realized that there weren't many shops where parents and children could easily take a break. I saw mothers struggling to raise their children and friends who worked hard to cut down on their own time. I thought, let's do it, and that was the impetus for starting the business," he recalls.

"I'm aiming for a normal home-style meal, but I'm always thinking about menus through trial and error," says Kuryu. The menu is "Hamburger Lunch Manmaru Hamburg" (1,000 yen) and "Plate Lunch Manmaru Plate" (900 yen), which is based on one soup and three side dishes. The half-sized "Lunch Mini" for children is "Manmaru Hamburger Mini" (600 yen) and "Manmaru Plate Mini" (500 yen). Drinks include coffee, dandelion coffee, rooibos tea, Aomori apple juice, and orange juice (all above 300 yen), and the meal menu and set costs 200 yen (100 yen for children). As snacks, prepare "Manmaru Cookie" (150 yen), "Manmaru Pudding" (300 yen), and "Today's Cake" (400 yen).

Mr. Kuryu said, "I started the restaurant with the sole purpose of wanting people to relax while eating. It makes me happy when customers say, 'It's been a long time since I've been able to relax.' Elderly customers and babies shake hands. When I see the scene and the smiling faces of the mothers, I feel glad that I started the store," he said with a smile. "I want to create a store where everyone can feel at home and relax. In the future, I'd like to hold events such as storytelling and handicrafts," he said.

Business hours are from 11:00 to 15:00. Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.