This video introduces Ms. Mochinaga Rio from “Koryū Junkissa Nagori” (Community Pure Café Nagori) in Joyful Minowa Shopping Street, featured in our fourth episode Part 1. The heartwarming story behind the café’s name is revealed: “Koryū Junkissa” (Community Pure Café) reflects their purpose of hosting events to promote local community interaction, while “Nagori” combines their feelings for the shopping street that retains traces of the Showa era with characters from the couple’s names. Filming took place on their second anniversary since opening, and the café has become so popular as a pilgrimage site for the drama “Machinami Terasu Yatsura” that visitors come from as far as Hokkaido. The flowers and illustrations decorating the interior are gifts from regular customers, including a 93-94-year-old artist grandfather and a flower arrangement customer who visits monthly. The café is introduced as a warm, community-beloved space supported by local people, with Part 2 to continue the story.
Hosts (Ishizaki & Takasugi) 0:00 Hello everyone. Hello.
Host (Ishizaki) 0:05 Welcome to the fourth episode of Joyful Minowa Shopping Street Official Channel. Today’s program is hosted by Vice Chairman of Joyful Minowa…
Host (Takasugi) 0:18 Yes, Takasugi here.
Host (Ishizaki) 0:20 And Secretary Ishizaki. Thank you for watching. This program introduces charming owners and hidden gems that other information shows haven’t fully covered. Please enjoy!
Today, we’re at a very lovely and charming café in Joyful Minowa. We’re visiting “Koryū Junkissa Nagori” (Community Pure Café Nagori) in Joyful Minowa Shopping Street.
Here’s the owner, Ms. Mochinaga Rio.
Mochinaga Rio 0:57 Hello, I’m Mochinaga Rio from Koryū Junkissa Nagori. Nice to meet you.
Host (Ishizaki) 1:05 There’s so much we’d like to ask you today, but we’re really curious about the origin of the name “Koryū Junkissa Nagori.” Could you tell us about it?
Mochinaga Rio 1:19 The name origin is a bit divided between “Koryū Junkissa” and “Nagori.” When we decided to open a café, we wanted to start with the concept of hosting events inside the café. So when thinking of a name, we wanted something that would convey that atmosphere, and when we researched, we wanted a name that wouldn’t overlap with others.
There are probably many other “junkissa” (pure cafés) out there. We wanted to create events where people from the local area and visitors from outside could interact and mingle, so we came up with “Koryū Junkissa” (Community Pure Café) first.
Host (Ishizaki) 2:04 I see. And “Nagori”?
Mochinaga Rio 2:07 “Nagori,” yes. When opening in Joyful Minowa Shopping Street, we were really attracted to the Showa retro atmosphere of this shopping street and wanted to operate here. Rather than just opening a new café, we wanted to create something that would blend in but also feel somewhat fresh. So we wanted a Japanese-style name.
In the end, we had two candidates: “Nagori” and “Akari” (light). “Akari” was inspired by the lights of the shopping street.
Host (Ishizaki) 2:46 Oh, wonderful!
Mochinaga Rio 2:49 That kind of feeling. Yes.
For “Nagori,” we had the image of this shopping street retaining traces (nagori) of the Showa era. But the final reason we chose “Nagori” was that if you take characters from my husband’s name and my name, you can force them to read as “Nagori.”
So instead of “Akari,” we decided to take it from the couple’s names and went with “Nagori.”
Host (Ishizaki) 3:20 That’s amazing!
Mochinaga Rio 3:22 Yes, actually.
Host (Takasugi) 3:24 How long has it been since you opened?
Mochinaga Rio 3:28 Since opening… today is April 15th, and it’s been exactly two years. It’s our second anniversary.
Host (Ishizaki) 3:39 Today? Amazing!
Mochinaga Rio 3:42 Today’s the anniversary. We’ve turned two years old. We’re entering our third year.
Host (Ishizaki) 3:47 Isn’t this incredible? We had no idea.
Host (Takasugi) 3:50 This is like free advertising for you today, right? On weekends, customers come, right? And this is a pilgrimage site, representing the shopping street.
Mochinaga Rio 4:06 Yes, thankfully.
Host (Takasugi) 4:07 Do people come from far away?
Mochinaga Rio 4:11 The farthest customer I’ve heard from came from Hokkaido. They came all the way by plane.
Host (Takasugi) 4:19 For that drama.
Mochinaga Rio 4:21 Yes, that drama “Machinami Terasu Yatsura” (The Ones Who Light Up the Streets) that aired in April 2024. A fan saw it and called us.
Host (Ishizaki) 4:40 Wow, amazing.
Mochinaga Rio 4:42 I think they were a student. They asked, “I want to visit during summer vacation. Are you open?” Of course, please come!
Host (Takasugi) 4:47 That must make you happy.
Mochinaga Rio 4:48 Yes, it does.
Host (Ishizaki) 4:49 That’s really wonderful.
Mochinaga Rio 4:50 Yes, it was.
Host (Ishizaki) 4:55 The main character was hiding there in the drama, in the kitchen!
Host (Takasugi) 4:57 Secret meetings happened here.
Host (Ishizaki) 5:30 Cream soda, right?
Host (Takasugi) 6:01 In just two years, it’s not exactly brand new anymore, but it has a different taste – run by a married couple with that family-safe feeling. Local people come here, as well as tourists and people from far away.
What kinds of customers do you have? Any particularly memorable ones, though you probably can’t say who specifically?
Mochinaga Rio 6:33 Memorable customers… Actually, many of the things displayed in our store are gifts from customers. Like these flowers displayed here – they’re from a customer.
From the artificial flower shop in the shopping street.
Host (Ishizaki) 6:54 Ah, Marika-san.
Mochinaga Rio 6:55 Yes, that’s right. They hold classes monthly, and customers eat lunch here during those times.
Host (Ishizaki) 7:07 So when they go to Marika-san’s, they always come to Nagori.
Mochinaga Rio 7:10 Yes, exactly. We receive flowers and such.
There’s an illustration of Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower that’s not visible in this shot, but displayed over there. That’s also from a customer who comes about once a month – a grandfather who’s about 93-94 years old. He travels around Japan drawing pictures. He tells us “I went here this month” or “I’m going there next month.”
Host (Ishizaki) 7:46 Uh-huh, uh-huh.
Host (Takasugi) 7:48 You’re well-loved.
Host (Ishizaki) 7:49 You really are loved.
Host (Takasugi) 7:48 By people other than your husband too.
Host (Ishizaki) 7:50 Absolutely.
Mochinaga Rio 7:54 Each item in the store actually has hidden episodes with customers behind it.
Host (Ishizaki) 8:02 That’s wonderful.
Mochinaga Rio 8:03 Yes, we’re supported by everyone.
Host (Ishizaki) 8:07 Actually, I think I understand how that bear got here – someone won it at the Joyful year-end sale and brought it here, right?
Mochinaga Rio 8:21 Yes, that’s right. From a customer.
Host (Ishizaki) 8:22 I thought so – the bear from the year-end sale is here.
Host (Takasugi) 8:30 It’ll appear later. It’ll appear later for relaxation.
Mochinaga Rio 8:38 The expression changes when you look at it from different angles.
Host (Takasugi) 8:41 The legs look good. That angle is nice.
Host (Ishizaki) 8:44 We’ll insert it in photos later. Exactly.
Mochinaga Rio 8:48 We’re still looking for a name for the bear, so please give it a name if you’d like.
Host (Ishizaki) 8:53 The bear that someone won at the Joyful prize is here.
Host (Ishizaki) 8:57 Thank you everyone.
Mochinaga Rio 9:00 Thank you very much.
Host (Ishizaki) 9:01 This concludes Part 1, and we’ll continue with Part 2 next, so please watch that as well.
Everyone 9:07 Thank you for watching. Thank you very much.
Please note that this transcript was generated by AI and may contain some unnatural expressions or errors. We appreciate your understanding.