A step into the past, for a sandwich that transcends time.

I don’t want to start this section of parchment on too much of a negative note, but I’m going to anyway; it’s normal to smoke indoors here.

An example of how this affects what could have been such a harmonious experience is a moment of heartbreak and frustration that occurred today. We stumbled upon a tiny little sandwich café that was like stepping back in time. It was beyond immaculate and was still decorated with the same items and furniture that I would assume were part of its creation some 50–60 years ago.

An elderly gentleman greeted us and showed us to a table amongst the five other empty tables in the café. Now, I’m not the tallest chap in the world, but when I sat down, I thought, Well, this must be how Shaquille O’Neal feels every day. The table and chairs were so small that when I raised my heels, it lifted the table up.

Laminated menus were provided with not one drop of English, thank God for Google Translate camera. I opted for the egg mayo sando with a matcha tea. After placing the order with the very polite gentleman, he proceeded to shuffle behind the counter and begin to craft his masterpiece.

The full wall behind the counter was a glass-doored cabinet, each small window its own shelf space, where individual sets of cups and saucers were displayed. Each set was different from the next, and they were as beautiful and old as our surroundings. It seemed the gentleman picked a specific set for exactly the order he was about to prepare, adding such a personal touch to what would usually be just someone knocking you up a cup of tea.

By chance, I was luckily sat in position to witness the preparation in full swing. The egg salad was prepared from scratch and presented on bread that was as fluffy as my favourite TikTok sarnie, but this did not compare. This was pure art and effort on a level that came from doing this for decades. Not a 7/11 sarnie by any means.

In a world where people want things before they’ve even asked for them, it was actually a joy to wait. Some might have lost their minds over the time it took, but surrounded by paintings and photographs as old as my late grandfather, it was a pleasure to wait as long as it took for a master at work.

Presented with my food and tea, the simplicity was a sight to behold. If you were looking for colour, spice, and all things nice… you’d best look elsewhere. When the simplest things are done well, that’s all you need. What a delightful sandwich it was, I could not fault a single bite. With a belly full of age-old craftsmanship, I proceeded to settle the bill with a smile on my face.

As the gentleman gave me my change, he also gave me what was a Polaroid photograph in a small plastic sleeve. “This is me,” he said in very broken English but with a huge smile on his face.

“Arigatōgozaimasu,” we said to one another, and I left.

Upon opening the sleeve, I found a photograph of what must have been the gentleman in his younger years, wearing a very traditional Japanese outfit. On the back, he had signed the photo with today’s date. Also included was a business card. As this café had no website but an abundance of terrific reviews on Google, this was his way of keeping up with the times and encouraging people to leave reviews so his café wouldn’t get left behind in the digital age. With coffee and sandos like his, served with the grace and kindness he provided, no digital world could leave this man behind.

So, how could such a wonderfully joyous experience have any negativity involved, you ask? Well, four minutes after we sat down, a gentleman sat directly behind me and proceeded to chain-smoke, one after another, until my headache was shaking my matcha. Of course, there was no malice in the cloud of death that engulfed my egg mayo, but nonetheless, it hindered my experience.

Before visiting Japan, I assumed it would be a very progressive environment when it came to health, and in most cases, it is exactly that. However, there is still the chance you will be eating your food while each bite is full of tobacco smoke, something I thought was a thing of the past.

That being said, I will remember this delightful chap till the end of time. An egg mayo sando as perfect as you could wish for.

See you on the next one.