Spaice Coffee Interview
“I was born in Fukushima. The main reason for starting this coffee shop is the Tohoku Earthquake. This is the origin story of my coffee shop.”
His name is Yuhei. He’s originally from Fukushima. He is the force behind Spaice Coffee in Katsuura.
The Tohoku Earthquake, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, occurred on March 11, 2011. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan. The ground shook for six minutes. After the earthquake, Yuhei returned to his high school, which had been converted into an evacuation site, to help his community recover. Having experienced the earthquake firsthand, he believed he could connect with his friends and neighbors and help them. However, when confronted with their loss, he discovered there was more that needed to be done.
The Tohoku Earthquake, also known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, occurred on March 11, 2011. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan. The ground shook for six minutes. After the earthquake, Yuhei returned to his high school, which had been converted into an evacuation site, to help his community recover. Having experienced the earthquake firsthand, he believed he could connect with his friends and neighbors and help them. However, when confronted with their loss, he discovered there was more that needed to be done.
“I lost my words. I felt powerless. From this volunteering experience, I learned that I should do my best on what I want to do, and this is my mission.”
His mission led to the creation of Spaice Coffee. But what is important to him isn’t the coffee he makes, rather the connection that corresponds with the act of making and drinking coffee together.
Yuhei has lived in Katsuura for eight years, and run the mobile coffee cart for five.
“To me, coffee is one of the very important tools. I wanted to create a place that brings people together. When I thought of such a place, I thought of a cafe, which serves coffee.”
“When I first started in Katsuura, there was no coffee culture.”
As he considered what to do after moving to Katsuura, with the coffee cart in mind, he consulted with many people. They told him nobody would buy coffee, nobody would drink coffee. Many told him to get a real job before starting his own business.
Flash forward to now, Yuhei sees this obstacle disappearing:
Flash forward to now, Yuhei sees this obstacle disappearing:
“People started recognizing my business and thinking that I work hard. I feel that, little by little, I have been able to create a community.”
“My day starts with the morning market. This is my everyday life.”
Yuhei can be found at this morning market in Katsuura every day except Wednesdays, when the market is closed. To accurately represent the image of coffee and what a coffee shop should be, Yuhei has created a character to represent Spaice Coffee. When he wakes up in the morning and changes his clothes, it represents him turning a switch, and becoming this character.
“To me, when people think of a worker at a coffee shop, they think of someone with a white hat and glasses. But then when you try to look for such a worker at coffee shops, you wouldn’t see any. I figured I should dress like one that represents everyone’s image of a coffee shop worker.”
“My standard for selecting coffee beans is connections with people.”
Yuhei does not simply select the beans he thinks will make a good coffee that everyone can enjoy. Unless he is able to establish a good relationship with the coffee bean farmer, price and taste are inconsequential.
“Once I establish a good relationship with a bean farmer, the beans I want will come around naturally. What’s important is for a farmer to select beans I look for, that’s the most important thing. Whether I like the taste comes next.”
As Yuhei continues to chase his mission and foster the coffee culture in his community, the connections he makes everyday create a sense of achievement and satisfaction for him.
“To me, the sense of achievement is not when people come to my shop. I would feel the sense of achievement when I can establish a connection with people. Making friends is fine, but I’m talking about a relationship that goes beyond friendship. When that happens, I would feel that my day was extremely good.”