Ageki, located in the center of Inabe City, Mie Prefecture, is a town where old streets and new ventures coexist. Ageki once flourished as a post town in the 1930s, with around 100 shops lined up.
While many traces of that past remain, a new wind has been blowing through the town in recent years, and you can sense the warm connections between people of all generations.

If you get off at Ageki Station, which is the terminus of the Sangi Railway Hokusei Line, and walk straight to the right, the main street will appear.

As you walk up the hill, step into a side street and you’ll find a row of historic buildings, making you want to listen to the hustle and bustle of the past.
Mount Fujiwara stands directly in front of you, giving you a real sense of how closely “life” and “nature” are intertwined.

A quiet and relaxing break in a wooden school building

If you go further up the slope and turn a corner, you will see the “桐林館/Torinkan” a prewar wooden elementary school building (formerly Ageki Elementary School) and a registered tangible cultural property of the country.
Inside the building, classrooms and the principal’s office from that time have been restored to convey their appearance to the present day, and the space is filled with the warmth of trees, with wooden corridors and wooden-framed glass windows.

In what was once the staff room, there is now a writing cafe called “桐林館喫茶室/Torinkan Cafe” where you can quietly enjoy tea and light snacks (such as bread rolls).

*What is a “Writing Cafe”?
The rule is “no sound.” This is an experiential cafe where you can enjoy conversations with a notebook and pen.
This is not a café where talking is prohibited, but a space where you can enjoy communication without using sound. There are many ways to talk, such as writing, gestures, and sign language. Communicate with your hands. Communicate with your eyes. “It’s interesting because there is no sound.”
When something that is taken for granted disappears, new discoveries are made.
Come experience the “silent world” that can only be found at the “quiet” Torinkan.

The owner, Fumie Kaneko (pictured above right), is a qualified nurse and also works as a “community nurse” connecting people with disabilities with society in various ways.

As part of this initiative, we are focusing on exhibiting expressions and art by people with disabilities.

Red, yellow, green and orange. The bold and colorful collage is the work of Sakuya Yamashita, an artist who lives in the city. When the sunlight shines into the work, it looks like stained glass.

You can order coffee milk in an old-fashioned bottle at the the cafe. Its appearance is reminiscent of a nostalgic taste, and its gentle sweetness is comforting. The coffee used is from Coffee House Hibiuta, a welfare project in Tsu city.

Buy souvenirs from 松寿園/Shojuen, a long-established Japanese sweets shop that has been in business for 75 years

At 松寿園/Shojuen , a Japanese sweets shop near 桐林館/Torinkan, you can purchase seasonal Japanese sweets. The bean paste has just the right amount of sweetness and seeps into your body gently.

The store also displays wooden frames for celebratory sweets, which have been in use since the store first opened, giving you a sense of history here as well. The detailed and cute designs are eye-catching.

For lunch, we recommend “カドヤ食堂/Kadoya restaurant” a popular restaurant among locals.

カドヤ食堂/Kadoya restaurant, local people gather en masse around noon.

You can enjoy traditional set meals such as udon noodles with a strong dashi broth, freshly fried sweet croquettes, and fried rice that you can choose to have with either sauce or soy sauce.
They also take pride in growing their own vegetables, such as the green onions and pickled vegetables often used in their set meals.

When you step through the noren curtain, the staff always give you a warm welcome. Local conversation blossoms.

Kadoya restaurant is a place where both locals and non-locals will feel like they’ve come home.
It warms both your stomach and your heart, filling you up. I hope you enjoy this meal.