Local Heroes: Rios Bakery & Cafe, Ashiya, Hyogo

One thing about Japan I love is the amount of small, self-owned, mom and pop and family-run small business there are everywhere you go. Whether it is in the middle of Tokyo or in the wilds of Hokkaido (or, more recently, Sado-ga-shima), there are modest, but beautiful sake breweries, cafes, clothes shops, tofu producers, second hand records stores, electrical shops, etc. The fact that Japan has officially been in recession for the last couple of decades still (despite business closures) hasn't managed to kill of this wonderful aspect of life in the country.

Rios Bakery and Cafe is one of those owner operated businesses that continue to pop up. Rios (named after the owner apparently) has the advantage of being found in Ashiya City, the wealthiest city in the whole of Japan. So, whilst it possibly isn't typical of your average SME, for me it is a fine example. I forget what it was before, but noticed the previous store had closed and was being refurbished. It reopened under its new guise last year. My mother-in-law sensitive to my love of bread (and particularly toast in the morning!) had been buying freshly baked bread from Rios each time we visited. It was lovely. To be honest, bread in Japan is still a relative novelty (compared with England where it is a staple of the diet any hour of the day) and good bread in Japan isn't everywhere.

It was only when we were in Ashiya in May that we made a point of popping in there for a late breakfast one mid-morning. It lived up to promise of its beautifully-designed exterior. The coffee was spot-on made in front of us and the bread and pastries a rare treat. So I decided to take a few photographs of Rio and his lovely cafe to celebrate the millions of small, independent businesses across the country that add so much to the social fabric (and economy) of Japan. I hope you enjoy the pictures and maybe you could visit Rio in his cafe one day too?