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Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Pot-Bellied Stove and a Rack of Wine
Cozy Restaurant and Inn “Yama no Ie Hasegawa”
deep in the mountains north-west of Kyoto, Japan

In my previous post about the carpet of yellow at the Iwato Ochiba Shrine in the mountains of north-west Kyoto, I mentioned that my inspiration for venturing out to see the shrine was a blog post by Britto about his bicycle ride there. He also mentions stopping for a bite to eat at the middle-of-nowhere restaurant Yama no Ie Hasegawa (山の家　はせがわ — “Mountain House Hasegawa”, with “Hasegawa” being the family name of the proprietor). As it so happened, on my trip out to the shrine, Paul and I were getting hungry about the time we came upon the restaurant's sign, and recognizing it from Britto's post, we stopped in.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 @ 50 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/4, ISO 1100 — map & image data — nearby photos
Sign at the Road

There wasn't much along this road through the mountain forest except mountains and forest, but behind the sign is an area of carved stone that reminds me of my “Mysterious Cut Stones in the Mountains of Kyoto” post.

The restaurant and its parking lot are set fairly far back from the road.

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/2.2, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos
Hammocks on the Front Porch
this is looking like my kind of place

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/5000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Two Seconds After Sitting Down
half a second after “Hey, Paul”

We ordered coffee and lunch and looked around inside (having sat outside in the enclosed patio). The far end of the large one-room floor, beyond the pot-bellied wood-burning stove, was sort of an open storage/kitchen area...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/5, ISO 5600 — map & image data — nearby photos
Preparing Our Coffee
heating water in the background; serving tray in the foreground

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 360 — map & image data — nearby photos
Almost Ready

There's a small second-floor open loft where you can stay for 5,000 yen/night (about $60/night)...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Small Loft Area

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 640 — map & image data — nearby photos
There Goes Our Coffee

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/1250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Vicks
a good-natured member of the restaurant staff

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/320 sec, f/2.2, ISO 1250 — map & image data — nearby photos
Another Good-Natured Member of the Staff

We thought that the lady might be the owner, but it turns out it's an older guy that could well be her dad. It adds to the quaintness to assume she's the daughter, but we don't know. She was very nice.

Near the entrance to the restaurant is a path leading up into the mountains...

Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 @ 24 mm — ¹/800 sec, f/2.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Mystery Path

I would have liked to see where it led.

I'd like to take Fumie here for lunch sometime... I think she'd really like it.

Update: I did, and she did. 🙂