ぽけコヒー (Poke Kohi) is a very small, unpretentious little diner/ coffee shop just outside of Nishikajima station. The place is run by a middle-aged Japanese woman who wears a kerchief and listens to enka while she cooks up your food. The walls are decorated with posters detailing local events, and pictures of enka singers. There are only a few tables, and the overall atmosphere is very welcoming and homey. I had breakfast here a couple of mornings, and there is not much better than fried eggs, toast and coffee cooked by a grandmotherly woman who smiles as she serves you!
Poke Kohi
Insite Poke Kohi
I also had lunch and dinner a couple of times at the Pumpkin restaurant, also just across the street from Nishikajima station. This is also a place that caters to the local residents and the people who work at the nearby factories. It is larger than the Poke Kohi, and more modern. The walls are lined with bookshelves holding more than a thousand manga, which are provided for the customers to read while they eat their meals. There is a large menu, offering everything from pepperoni pizza to traditional Japanese meals. The owners are casual and friendly people, the food is good, and the price is very reasonable (a meal usually costs under 1,000 yen).
The Pumpkin restaurant
And finally, saving the best for last, a fixture among foreign visitors to Tenryu is Custer's. This small, modern and cozy coffee shop is run by a very outgoing man who also speaks English. The owner used to be a pilot (or so the rumor is), and the interior of the shop is tastefully decorated with a variety of airplane photos, airplane propellors, and miniature airplanes. He also has some typically Western items decorating his shop, such as a set of bull horns (or some animal horns).
If you find yourself in Tenryu, you should make some time to have lunch at Custer's - a local favourite! (On Kasai street - just down the road from Pumpkin; closed Thursdays. Tel: 053-925-5655).
Custer's - a Tenryu Tradition
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