Last spring,
after leaving a café in Roppongi,
someone spoke to me first.
Minatsu—
at the time, wonderfully, with hair the colour of Ponyo.
She already knew sai sai achilles.
In short, bright Korean—
Her grandmother is Korean, she said,
and then, noticing my worn blue Balansa cap—
“Busan.
My grandmother lives in Haeundae.”
When you walk into the café,
you’ll see a large stainless steel La Marzocco at the centre.
Do you find yourself looking at your reflection first,
or at what’s on it.
And then, at some point,
you realise—
it’s just you.
On the same day,
but with Minatsu’s drawing on it.
And without noticing,
you smile.
Roppongi, Tokyo
bricolage bread & co.
A bakery and café where bread, coffee,
and people come together.
Minatsu.
A Gemini.
The daughter of Shinrou and Chini,
and the older sister of Mitsuki, just a year apart.
She works at bricolage bread & co. as a barista.
Though, as she says, “living there” might be closer.
I still remember the first day we met last spring.
It felt like your bright, gentle presence has somehow led us here.
If you were to choose one small thing that reflects you, what would it be?
My grandfather's ring.
When I meet someone, or when I travel alone,
I wear it like a small charm.
I often carry things that belong to my family,
so it might be the smallest thing that represents me.
I’ve always loved the time spent at bricolage bread & co.
What led you to start drawing on the coffee machine there?
It started as a thank you to Rashid and Ahmed.
(They were twin guests from Dubai, staying in Tokyo for a long time.)
They came to the café every day, had a lot of coffee,
called us by name, said hello, and taught us many things.
What I remember most is
seeing them outside on the terrace, as usual, on a rainy day,
and asking if they wanted to come inside.
And they said,
“Minatsu, it’s okay. We want to watch and feel the rain a little longer.
In our country, it only rains about five times a year.”
They were enjoying the rain.
On the day they were leaving,
I wanted to say thank you for calling my name,
for speaking to me in English I could understand (I understood about half of it),
for introducing me as a friend,
for teaching me so many things.
As I wondered if I could say all of that in English, and whether I had enough time,
I found myself drawing those words of gratitude on the back of the coffee machine.
Watching them look at the drawing,
I felt that maybe drawing could express my words and feelings better.
Whenever I see your work, something comes back.
Somehow, it feels better.
When you create, what kind of feelings or images do you think about?
I think about words.
Conversations with myself, conversations with someone else,
until the drawing is complete.
And maybe it’s always about love.
I think the drawings on the coffee machine are like love letters to myself,
and to someone who will see them.
Is there a place in Tokyo that you hold close to you?
A place where I can meet the people I care about.
That is my place.
That’s probably why I am here today.
Conversation with Minatsu
Words and photographs — Hyojin
Thanks to bricolage bread & co. and Anzu-san.
The conversation was conducted in Japanese.
For the original version, please switch the language to Japanese at the top of the page.