Maki & Koji TANABE : Mammacafe 151A

“We offer mamma’s meals served using organic ingredients grown by farmers who we meet through once-in-a-lifetime encounters.”

This cafe is located across the road from Kiba Park. Maki and Koji Tanabe called in to this cafe space while they were looking for property in the area and it stole their hearts. They open at 8am and close at 7pm. Their favorite part of the day is serving breakfast to the neighbors in the morning with the sun rising beyond the park. “Mamma” means “mother” in Italian. And in Japan mamma’s meals for children are made full of love and hope that their children will grow healthy and strong. 151A is a play on words in Japanese and is pronounced “Ichigo-Ichie” meaning “a once-in-a-lifetime encounter”.

The couple look for organically produced vegetables from all over Japan. Their suppliers are like-minded farmers and include a rice grower on the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Pref. and a tea farmer in Ureshino, Saga Pref., who were both introduced to them through friends in what they like to refer to as “once-in-a-lifetime encounters”. These days, they hold cooking events for neighbors, in particular for busy working mothers who find it hard to juggle time to cook for the family. The event is designed to support them and encourage them to have their own free time as well. It’s also their wish to spread these precious “once-in-a-lifetime encounters” in the area.