Hyogo is home to many amazing Hyogo Field Pavilion spots, offering captivating experiences. Today, we’re introducing “Inagawa Town’s Satoyama: Past & Present ~ Exploring Satoyama, Harvest Experience, and Café Lunch,” a certified program in Inagawa Town.
Inagawa Town, Hyogo, is a place where the beauty of satoyama landscapes still exists. At Oka no Ue no Café Solario, located in the town’s southern area, you can enjoy a delicious meal along with satoyama walks and hands-on harvest experiences! I spoke with the café’s manager, Takaoka Kazuya, to learn more about these unique activities.
First, we headed into the hills right behind the café. There, we learned about the important role of satoyama in the community.
Satoyama refers to an intermediate zone of mountain foothills and forests around homes and rice fields, shaped by human use for daily life. However, with urbanization in recent years, the use of satoyama has decreased, bringing humans and wildlife closer together. In fact, wild boars have recently been spotted near the base of the hills, and there have even been cases where rice fields were trampled, leaving them unable to be harvested.
Just next to where Mr. Takaoka was explaining, there was a large cage. This is a trap used to catch wild boars, and apparently, one or two boars are caught each year. The caught boars are sometimes served as wild game dishes.
Next, we moved towards the fields where the harvest experience takes place. From the café on the gentle hill, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the satoyama landscape. Since we visited in winter, there were no crops in the rice fields or gardens, but it’s easy to imagine how the scenery changes with the seasons—spring and autumn offer a completely different charm compared to winter. Along the way, we also came across an old kiln used for charcoal production.
After about a 5-minute walk from the café, we arrived at the neatly maintained fields with rich, dark soil.
Unfortunately, due to the winter season, there were no vegetables ready for harvest, but we had the chance to ask Takaoka about the types of vegetables typically grown here.
Back at the café, it was time to enjoy a delicious lunch! Takaoka, who is also a skilled chef with awards in cooking competitions, prepares each dish with care. The meals feature fresh, seasonal vegetables harvested right from the garden in front of the café. Popular lunch options include the “Black Wagyu Hand-formed Hamburg Steak Lunch” and the “Solario Lunch,” where you can choose from three main dishes.
On that day, we were lucky enough to have wild boar meat available, so I ordered the special “Wild Boar Stew Lunch.” Wild boar is often said to have a strong flavor, but this dish had no noticeable smell and was incredibly tender—so soft it could be cut with chopsticks—and the rich sauce paired perfectly. If you’re lucky, you might also have the chance to enjoy this special menu item during your visit!
Lunch is served from 11:00 to 14:00, but after that, the café is open for coffee and treats until 17:00. The desserts, made by the café’s pastry chef, are a must-try, especially the cream puffs, which are hugely popular!
At Oka no Ue no Café Solario, you can experience, learn about, and enjoy the beauty of satoyama. While it’s definitely worth a visit just for the café, please note that reservations are not accepted, and the café is open only from Monday to Friday!
【Oka no Ue no Café Solario】
Hours:
-Lunch: 11:00 – 14:00
-Café: 14:00 – 17:00 (Last Order 16:00)
-Closed: Saturdays, Sundays, and New Year’s holidays
Access:
-Public Transportation: Kawanishi-Noseguchi Sta. (Hankyu) → 25 min by Hankyu Bus → Get off at Sashikumi-ohashi stop → 10 min walk
-By Car: Kawanishi IC → 7 min drive
（HP）https://solario-cafe.hp.peraichi.com
