Iriya is a town close to Asakusa and Ueno that still retains the atmosphere of a traditional downtown area. Walking a short distance from the station into an alleyway, you will come across a striking, imposing gate. This place was once a public bathhouse that was loved by many people, from adults to children.

Public bath, "Kaisaiyu"

Kaisai-yu was born over 100 years ago, at the end of the Meiji period.
Kaizai means something that feels good, exciting, or pleasant.
True to its name, it has been loved by local people as a public bathhouse that blends into their daily lives.

Kaisai-yu had been in business for many years, but closed down as a public bath in 2016 due to the deterioration of the building and a lack of a successor.

However, the owner of the bathhouse, Mr. Tonsho, wanted to preserve the building and not destroy the place, so he sent a letter to the Taito Historical City Research Association, an NPO.

Mr. Nakamura of Yamamura Co., Ltd., a member of the NPO Taito Historical City Research Association and a regular at Kaisai-yu, was inspired by Mr. Tonjo's passion and offered to renovate the facility with his company. They then set out to revive Kaisai-yu with the concept of "not letting it be reset from people's memories."

Cafe "rébon Kaisai-yu" is born in Kaisai-yu.

While various proposals were put forward for the renovation, it was decided that Kaisaiyu would be reborn as a complex combining an office and a lounge, with the aim of becoming a place that blends into everyday life as before.

Currently, you can enjoy light meals at the cafe "rébon Kaisai-yu" inside Kaisai-yu. Mr. Ishibashi, the representative of Bestate Co., Ltd. and the owner of "rébon Kaisai-yu" at the time of its founding, heard about the history of Kaisai-yu and the details of the renovation from those involved in the establishment, and decided to operate a cafe in the lounge space inside Kaisai-yu.

Rébon means rebirth.
Just like when it was the Kaisai-yu public bath, we want it to be a part of everyday life, a place to pass on thoughts and history from the past, and connect memories. This desire has connected many people, and in 2020, the cafe "rébon Kaisai-yu" opened inside Kaisai-yu.

A menu of special items only a public bath can offer

The signature dish is the "Coffee and Ice Cream Marriage Plate." Manager Mari Tada explained the background to the creation of this unusual dish that can't be found anywhere else: "It goes back to when the cafe first opened, but they wondered if they could combine the two of ice cream you want to eat after a hot bath and coffee made by a barista. And so they came up with this marriage plate."

The concept is "a cafe that connects memories."

"In order to cherish the concept of 'a café that connects memories,' our café staff learn about the history of Kaisai-yu and the history of the café during their training. Customers often ask us questions such as how long it was a public bathhouse and why it became a café," says Tada.

The staff don't just serve drinks and food, they also act as "storytellers" telling customers about the history of Kaisai-yu and how Lebon Kaisai-yu came to be.

Customers who hear the stories from staff will then tell others, who will then visit the cafe and create new memories.
The "Memory Connecting Café" will play a role as a stage for passing on such memories.

It's not just words that have been passed down

Words aren't the only things that connect our thoughts and memories. The attendant counter from the days of the public bath, the retro tiles, the mirrored walls separating the seats, the roasting machine inherited from a closed coffee shop...

The memories that reside in places and objects over the years will continue to be passed on to the next generation.

Nostalgia becomes an attraction.
Spending time in a space connected to cherished memories will soothe your soul.
There is such a place on a street corner in Iriya, Taito Ward.

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Lebon Kaisaiyu
Phone number: 03-5808-9044
Address: 2-17-11 Shitaya, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Access: 2-minute walk from Iriya Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
HP: https://www.rebon.jp/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/rebon_kaisaiyu/
*For details on business hours and holidays, please check the link above.