Urahoro is a town about an hour's drive from Obihiro. In November 2024, a new cafe, Kissa futatsuki, opened here. Housed in a renovated single-family home that was once a hair salon, the cafe is popular for its limited-quantity one-plate lunches featuring local ingredients and its a la carte dinner menu.

The calm and welcoming interior

The owner, Tomomi, is from Urahoro. After working as a dental hygienist in Obihiro, she decided to pursue her long-held passion for cooking and changed careers at the age of 30. She gained experience working for about four years at places like Morihico Coffee and the restaurant Gohanya Haruya in Sapporo before returning to her hometown to open her own cafe.

The name "futatsuki" (月月) is a nod to the character for "tomo" (朋) in the owner Tomomi's name.

The idea for the cafe sparked from a conversation with her friend, Koike, during a drive. They were talking about how nice it would be to open their own places someday when, by a stroke of luck, they were introduced to the very property Tomomi had always admired for its "cute exterior." Koike, a hairdresser who also wanted to run her own business, and Tomomi, a chef, solidified their plans and decided to rent the former hair salon together.

The building before renovations

(Left) Koike of ugen, (Right) Tomomi of futatsuki

After about six months of renovations, they created a multi-purpose space within the same building, where Hair Salon ugen and Kissa futatsuki operate independently.

The entrance is past the hair salon, at the end of a simple hallway.

The cafe has tables for two and four, as well as counter seating. It's a great spot to relax alone, spend time as a couple, or have fun with a group of four! The interior is charmingly furnished, primarily with antique items carefully selected by the owner over time.

The very popular "Daily Lunch Plate" for 1,200 yen

The cafe's most popular item is its signature "Daily Lunch Plate." Featuring mainly local vegetables, the plate is packed with various side dishes and comes with rice, miso soup, and tea. Limited to just 10 servings a day, it often sells out shortly after opening. On this day, the plate included a generous assortment: fried tofu with a soy-based sauce, a hamburger steak with onion sauce, spice curry, spinach and watermelon radish with a mustard dressing, carrot and burdock root with homemade mayonnaise, and a spring roll with nagaimo yam and watermelon radish.

During cafe hours, the space is perfect for those looking to unwind, offering hand-dripped coffee made with house-roasted beans and desserts like cheesecake and gateau chocolat.

"Pumpkin Cheesecake" 600 yen & "House-Roasted Coffee (Ethiopia)" 600 yen

"Winter Special: White Kidney Bean Oshiruko" 600 yen

The dinner menu is primarily a la carte, with course meals available upon request. All wines are natural, starting from 850 yen per glass. You can also enjoy craft beer from Sapporo's Streetlight Brewing and Hokkaido Classic beer.

The blackboard with the evening's a la carte menu

It's a place where you can feel comfortable coming alone, even just for a cup of coffee at night. Beyond the joy of eating and drinking delicious things, another charm of Kissa futatsuki is the opportunity to meet and connect with wonderful local people.

True to this vision, Kissa futatsuki aims to be a place where anyone can stop by, cherishing its connections with the town's residents. It's a "home-like place" where you can be yourself without any formality. This atmosphere has been nurtured naturally through the daily life of the cafe.

"We did a lot of pop-up events in 2025, so in 2026, I want to focus on keeping the cafe open so that more people can enjoy this space," says Tomomi. She also mentioned her interest in obtaining a hunting license to serve venison at the cafe. Coming from a farming family, she hopes to deepen her communication with local producers and incorporate even more local ingredients into her cooking.

With its local ingredients, handcrafted space, and personal connections, Kissa futatsuki stands as a gentle and integral part of daily life in the town of Urahoro.