MAMENT MORI COFFEE

Masatoshi Nakagawa, 41, a trail run guide and instructor in Komatagawa, Ryujin-mura, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture, has taken over the only coffee shop in the Ryujin hot spring resort area of Ryujin Village and is planning to revive it as a coffee bean roasting place and cafe. He hopes to make it not only a place for tourists and local residents to relax, but also an information center for outdoor experiences such as hiking in the mountains, and a base for communicating the charms of the area.
Originally from Nara Prefecture, Nakagawa moved to Ryujin Village with his family about seven years ago because he liked the village’s environment. He is active as a trail runner on mountain trails and also works as a tourist guide.

Mr. Nakagawa said, “One of our goals is to use this place as an opportunity to increase the number of people involved in Ryujin Village and to create a point of contact for local development. We want to energize this hot spring resort by coming up with mechanisms to get people to know and get involved in Ryujin Village. First, we would like to focus on promoting Ryujin Onsen using dragon wash roast,” he said. The full-scale opening is scheduled for this spring.