MOTIVATION｜Encounter at a talk show event

When she wanted to work in the public bathhouse industry in the future, she attended a talk show organized by an organization that was working to boost the industry. Hirose wanted to know how sento were run and what the current state of sento was like. She asked the event organizer to show her the backstage of a sento, and was later introduced to Minato-san, the current manager of Jujo-yu, who was very interested.
When he first met Mr. Minato, he only mentioned casually that he wanted to work in a job related to public bathhouses and coffee shops in the future. However, this encounter brought about a major change in Hirose's future. Two years later, around the time Mr. Hirose quit his job, Mr. Minato suddenly contacted him asking if he wanted to work with him at Jujo-Yu. Although Mr. Hirose could not immediately respond to Mr. Minato's invitation, having only met him once, he decided to work at Jujo-yu because he shared Mr. Minato's love for public bathhouses and his vision for the future.

ツナガリ｜夢より大事なもの

広瀬さんが十條湯に転職したのは、喫茶店と銭湯に携わるという夢のためだけではなかった。何よりも、大好きな喫茶店と銭湯の文化を守るために、自分にできることをしたかった。その想いは転職後、銭湯の経営の厳しさを知ってより一層強くなった。十條湯には、毎日のようにお風呂に入りに来る地元のお客さんがいて、彼らにとって生活の一部のような、欠かせない場所になっている。広瀬さんはそれを目の当たりして、絶対に守らねばいけないという使命感にかられたそうだ。もちろん、十條湯店長の湊さんも同じ想いで活動している。これからも人々の癒しの場を守っていくために。

Ecosystem｜More important than dreams

Hirose's decision to change jobs at Jujo-Yu was not only because of her dream of working in a coffee shop and public bathhouse. Above all, she wanted to do what she could to preserve the coffee shop and sento culture she loved so much. This desire became even stronger after changing jobs and learning about the harshness of managing a public bathhouse. Jujo-Yu has local customers who come to take a bath every day, and it has become an indispensable place that is like a part of their lives. Ms. Hirose saw this and felt a sense of duty to protect it. Of course, the manager of Jujo Hot Spring, Mr. Minato, feels the same way. He will continue to protect places where people can heal.

コツ｜愛される喫茶店をめざして

愛される喫茶店をつくるには、どうしたらいいのか。広瀬さんがよく通っていた東十条にある喫茶店。今は閉店してしまったが、長く喫茶店を営んでいたママに、お店を続ける秘訣を尋ねると、「平たい」コミュニケーションが大事だと教えてくれた。すごくいい顔を誰かにするわけでもなく、お客さん一人一人に来てくれたことに感謝して、お客さんに対してみんな同じ気持ちで接していく。これに加えて広瀬さんが座右の銘としている「一杯入魂」は、作るところから、お客さんが飲み終えるまで見届ける、という精神。それを全てのお客さん、全てのメニューに対して忘れないようにしている。こうしてお客さんを大切にしていると、また来てくれる。忙しいと難しいこともあるが、広瀬さんが「喫茶 深海」に勤めてからずっと大事にしているものだ。

Tips｜Aiming to be a beloved coffee shop

How can we create a coffee shop that is loved? A coffee shop in Higashi Jujo that Ms. Hirose used to frequent. When we asked the mom, who ran the coffee shop for a long time but is now closed, about the secret to keeping the store open, she told us that "flat" communication was important. It is not about putting on a very nice face to anyone, but thanking each customer for coming and treating everyone with the same feeling toward the customer. In addition to this, Ms. Hirose's motto is "Ippai Nyukon," the spirit of seeing to it that every customer finishes his or her drink, from the moment it is made. She makes sure to keep this in mind for every customer and every menu item. If you take good care of your customers in this way, they will come back again. Although it is sometimes difficult when the restaurant is busy, this is something Hirose has cherished ever since She started working at "Kissa Shinkai.

コレカラ｜時代は変わっても守っていきたいもの

「姿形は変わったとしても、人が集う場所として、十條湯を何十年先も残していきたい。」
サウナブームや、昭和レトロブームの盛り上がりとは裏腹に、喫茶店と銭湯はひとつ、またひとつと減っていき、後継者も見つかりにくい状況だと言う。そんな中で２つの文化を若い世代に伝えていくために、両方の文化を一度に堪能できる「十條湯」はとっておきの場所。今後もこの魅力を強みにしていきたいと、広瀬さんは語ってくれた。そして、そこに集う人たちの憩いの場を守っていくために、今まで通り趣味の喫茶店巡りをしながら、後継ぎを探している店はないか、情報をキャッチしていき、味の継承や、お店ごと引き継ぐなど、様々な形で喫茶店を継承するための活動を続けていく。
進化が求められる時代を生きる私たちにとって、変わらないものが一つでも傍にあることは想像以上に癒しの存在になるのかもしれない。喫茶店や銭湯がそうしたもののひとつになればいいと、広瀬さんは願っている。

For the Future｜What we want to protect even as times change

Even though the appearance may have changed, I want to preserve Jujo-Yu as a place where people gather for decades to come."
Despite the sauna boom and the Showa-era retro boom, the number of coffee shops and public bathhouses is decreasing one by one, and successors are hard to find, she says. In order to pass on these two cultures to the younger generation, Jujo-Yu is the perfect place to enjoy both cultures at once. Ms. Hirose said he hopes to continue to use this attraction as a strength in the future. In order to preserve this place of relaxation for the people who gather there, she will continue to visit coffee shops as she always has, as a hobby, and catch up on information on whether there are any stores looking for successors, and continue her activities to pass on the coffee shops in various ways, such as passing on the taste or taking over the entire store.
For those of us living in an era that demands evolution, having even one unchanging thing nearby may be more therapeutic than we can imagine. Hirose hopes that coffee shops and public bathhouses will be one of those things.