Japanese required: Moderate
Cost: 2000 yen or more per person
Good for: Single people, couples, small groups (up to around 4)
I went to Kamimaezu and had lunch at a restaurant located on the second floor of the Orchid Garden near the subway station (a post about the garden will come sometime in the future). The restaurant itself is pretty decently sized, and it has a few windows to look down at the orchids which gives it a more open feel. There are several tables, and all of them seat a maximum of four people.
I went there by myself, and it gave me a very similar feeling to the Flow Cafe: a nice place to just chill out and relax for a while. The servers were, as per the norm, friendly, and I actually talked a bit with one of them about myself and shared some other small talk while I waited for my food. I ordered some pasta with an oil base and a mix of greens and meat. When I first got the dish, I was a bit suspicious of whether I would actually like it or not. Although the presentation was lacking, I actually really enjoyed the pasta.
After I'd finished eating, a Japanese couple caught my eye. They were the only other customers in the restaurant at the time, and the woman seemed like she was interested in talking to me. I smiled and bowed my head toward her, getting a similar response, which led to her walking over and talking to me. She offered to take my picture, and I accepted. After that, she invited me over to sit at their table (which was only a couple steps away from mine), and I fell into having a conversation with them.
I spent perhaps twenty to thirty minutes chatting with the two of them, finding out more about them as well as sharing quite a bit about myself. The woman admitted that she actually wanted to talk to me but felt too shy because she doesn't speak English. Once I did a Japanese gesture toward her (bowing my head), she felt more comfortable with the thought that I might actually speak Japanese. Once she realized that I am actually fluent, she opened up and I feel like the three of us became rather friendly in a pretty short period of time. They even took a picture of the three of us using their camera and printed it out for me to have.
The most surprising part was what happened after all of this. They paid for my food. This kind of generosity is rare, but the woman explained to me that she really enjoyed meeting someone from a different culture and said it was thanks for being good company. When I told this story to my friends (Japanese or otherwise), they were all as surprised as I was. Not only did I get to have a fun time hanging out with a pair of friendly people, but they also paid my way! While the food was good, the company definitely topped off my experience.
