The name ‘el camino del poeta’ expresses determination.

From the outside of the store, “el camino del poeta” gives off an unusual atmosphere, but the strangeness becomes even more intense when you look into the store. Not only are there bare driftwood, various kinds of ornaments, records, and books, but there are also poems written on the walls. The interior of the restaurant has such an atmosphere that one forgets that it is a restaurant, as if one has jumped into another country or world. First, I asked about the origin of the restaurant’s name.

The literal translation of “el camino del poeta” is “the pilgrimage route of the poet. There are many pilgrimage routes in the world. Among them, only the Kumano Kodo, of which there are many in Nachikatsuura Town, and Santiago de Compostela in Spain are registered as World Heritage sites.

Both Kumano Kodo and Santiago de Compostela are paths that people have walked, believing in something while questioning life and death. El Camino was originally targeting European tourists.
For Europeans, the phrase “el camino del poeta” means “is this what you are prepared to do?“ the owner Mr. yoshiaki said
He chose this name because he is creating a store with the themes of “connecting to life” and “liberating the mind” and emphasizing a deep and essential relationship with people.

Creating a base for experiences that lead to life

Sayuri, a native of Nachikatsuura Town, met Yoshiaki in Tokyo. They had a child and had lived in Tokyo and Kamakura. They both loved Kamakura, but what made them decide to open a store in Nachikatsuura?

It all started when Mr. Yoshiaki was counseling children as part of his work and met an elementary school student who really believed that the fish fillets sold in packets at the supermarket were swimming directly in the ocean.
“I was not connected to life, and therefore, I was not able to express my feelings.
The point is that when you are connected to life, to nature, and to other people, emotions are stirred, but you are just before you get to that point.“
Yoshiaki has done a lot of counseling work, but he has come face to face with the fact that there is a division of life in the first place.

In Nachikatsuura, on the other hand, Mr.Yoshiaki feels that there are many moments of connection with life. At first, he was on a tour (Kumano Inochi ni Tsunagaru Tabi) playing with urban children and their parents in the nature of Nachi-Katsuura with the theme of “life”. They have made it by bringing what they have to each other in the division of roles, with Yumiaki taking the approach of human relationships and the heart, and Sayuri connecting those people through food.

There were many points where the parent-child relationship was transformed as they engaged with people and nature in this way, but they created el camino del poeta in Katsuura with the desire to create a base for people to actually visit this land and to embody the power and strength of the chaotic land of Nachi-Katsuura That’s how he created el camino del poeta in Katsuura. Incidentally, the decorations that cover the interior of the restaurant were made from materials found in the area.

Sayuri was born in Nachi-Katsuura but left the prefecture once. She was one of those who originally left the prefecture to leave this town. She had experienced living in Tokyo and Kamakura, and each place had its own charm. However, meeting Mr. Yoshiaki in Tokyo made her realize many things about this town. ”I was able to rediscover things I had not noticed before,” he said, ”and I was able to rediscover the charms of the town from the person I trust the most. I was told that what I had taken for granted without knowing it was not the norm, and I learned how wonderful this town is when I was over 30 years old. ” She said with a smile. Listening to their stories, I strongly feel that this store is made possible by the charms and deep things that they feel in this town.

Elkami Yoasobi, play and free your mind.

They are also looking for ways to make the store what it will be when Corona dawns. One of the events that they hold regularly and that has been well received is “Erkami Yo Asobi“. A local pastry shop usually serves excellent shaumai, a charcoal maker has a gallery of his paintings, and a general store DJs. The time and space between the front and back faces, the true feelings and the depths of the heart, become a pleasant groove that liberates the mind.

Sayuri says, “When I travel, of course I am happy to have been there, but more than that, there are people who come back again and again, saying they are glad to have met this person in depth and want to do it again at that person’s place.“
When travelers dine at Elkami, they become deeply involved with the local people, she says.
That involvement turns into a passionate one, and sometimes they encounter scenes that bring them to tears, she says.

Yoshiaki says, “The people are very friendly. The common things of the local people become treasures for children in the city. Playing with the locals a lot leads to the liberation of the children’s hearts. I have experienced this. More ideally, the circulation of this flow will lead to the rediscovery and pride of the local people. I have an image of the hometown where the children will grow up becoming a place they can be proud of. Ostentatiously, but gratefully, there are many such nights. I believe it is our contribution to Nachi-Katsuura and our role to create such bridges and connections.“

Thanks to the coronavirus that spread soon after the opening of the restaurant, the past two years have been a time when he has been able to get to know the local people better, and that has led to this event.

”It’s interesting,” he said. ”There are a lot of people in the city who put on masks and cover their emotions. But I’ve spent a lot of time here, and the people here are really interesting. They bare their feelings and everything. (Laughs.) They don’t understand what a store run by a poet is like. I explain everything that this is what I meant to do. But, you know, there are things we can do that go beyond words. This place is pleasant and interesting.”

It is not enough to simply do what is interesting. But Yoashiaki never forgets to be humble. ”Courtesy and humanity are important. I’m still a newcomer to the area. That’s true. So I’m trying to manage to do things from scratch, piece by piece,” he said. Without human connections and trust, it won’t continue. Perhaps that is why people gather here.

Considering the places they have lived, the land, and the people all together, the two believe that this town will become the center of the world, no joke. It is because of the two perspectives of Yumiaki, originally an “outsider,” and Sayuri, a local, that they are able to see and feel what they see and feel. Without compromise, but with their feet firmly planted on the ground, they are steadily gathering and releasing the energy of this town.

They deviate from their daily routine and return to their true selves. I believe that Elkami Yoasobi has become an essential event for such a way of being in Elkami.

Homemade food made with someone in mind

It is always Sayuri who cooks at Elkami. Her family has been in the fish business for more than 100 years, so she has witnessed the difficulties of the business from her childhood, and how to convert living things into money. “If we can’t sell it today, it will be rotten tomorrow. We are kept alive by offering people the chance to eat it in its most delicious state, and converting that into money.,” she said. “In such a situation, there must have been a lot of trial-and-error in accordance with the times, and that’s how we have been able to survive,” says Sayuri. Before starting the restaurant, Sayuri had no experience working in a restaurant, nor did she have a cooking license. Even so, her respect for and commitment to ingredients is due to the fact that there were people close to her who had gone through trial and error.

What is interesting about Sayuri’s cuisine is that in a town famous for its tuna and seafood, not a single dish or menu item is the same as any other restaurant. Most of the ingredients she uses are ones that have been seen at other restaurants, including not only tuna, but also fire mussels, turban shells, and moray eels. Tuna, in particular, is a tourist resource and a traditional industry, so he feels it is important to carry on the tradition, but he also thinks it would be interesting to have a new option as one of the choices, rather than serving the same menu as other restaurants. It is also interesting to note that they do not have a fixed menu, but rather come up with a menu based on the ingredients available that day.

She says, “In Nachikatsuura, seafood is in season, and I want to create dishes that I want people to try because they are available right now. And my fundamental stance is not that if I do this, I will win or make money, but I want first and foremost for the children to eat it, and I want to connect them to it. I want to serve something that I am not ashamed to introduce to these children and that they will eat. I want to make dishes that are made with someone in mind, and my menu is basically for children and their families.”

I make dishes by knowing what people like and dislike, what they can and cannot eat, and how to place the chopsticks according to their dominant hand. She says that he stands at the restaurant thinking, “How can I make this person feel comfortable in this space and free himself/herself?“ Sayuri’s cooking is based on her thoughts about the ingredients, customers, the restaurant, her family, and many other things. Because of the name of the restaurant and the fact that the original target audience is European, the menu is not only rice and catfish, but also olive oil, bread, and other combinations of Western and Japanese cuisines are key to enjoying dishes that are different from the rest.

Today’s dish!

”Seared sea bream with salted plum sauce.”

As mentioned above, Elkami basically serves its customers its ingredients in their most delicious state. On the day of our interview, we were served a dish of seared sea bream with a nice salted plum sauce. Not only was it chewy and tender, but it also had a strong fish flavor. This is because the sea bream had been squeezed at around 1:00 p.m. that day and filleted shortly before being served. The sea bream is more than delicious without any condiments, but by putting on the condiments, I was able to enjoy different kinds of flavors. The condiments served with the sea bream were white ume plum, which was dipped this year, next to it was salted ume plum, which was made by drying the ume vinegar from pickled ume plum in the sun, and wasabi (Japanese horseradish). What’s more, the salted ume is specially made by a local every year to match the sea bream, and since you can enjoy multiple flavors on one menu, it might be fun to find out which flavor you like best.