Having finished a long morning of sightseeing, we were in desperate need of refreshments but as it was Wednesday, many places in the Japanese town of Takayama were closed.
We tramped around the many traditional restaurants with garish coloured lettering and pictures of food on their walls which wasn’t what we wanted. Eventually we came across “Cafe Hello”:https://www.facebook.com/cafe.hello.takayama/ and sat at a counter in the window.
Fortunately there was an English menu which was fairly limited but after a few days on raw fish and miso soup, there was plenty to tempt. For example: egg and bacon Panini, granola and yoghurt were all on the breakfast menu whilst sandwiches and soups were available later in the day.
Roy had the only beer left in the house whilst I had an excellent cup of coffee which took some time to make, but was totally worth it. We shared a cheese and ham Panini served beautifully on a rectangular wooden board with salad leaves.
It was a delightful place with old wooden ceiling beams and window frames, yet the interior was modern, light and bright. A kettle boiled on a heater in the middle of the room, creating a cosy atmosphere on what was a cold day. The equally delightful and friendly young girl behind the counter told us the place had been open less than a year.
This was a small café and we expected an equally small loo but in fact it was huge for a café with only a couple of tables and perhaps one or two upstairs. There was also a tiny table and two chairs outside for better weather.
All in all, a great stop and just what we were after.
