The roasting experience begins with making a choice from several types of raw beans harvested at Nakayama Coffee Farm. The lineup for the day we were there was Typica, Mundo Novo, and Nakayama Mix.

With detailed advice from the farm staff such as "This bean is better suited to medium or light roasting rather than dark roasting," you can complete the roasting to your liking. After about 10 minutes of roasting the raw beans to the desired color, the roasting process is stopped by allowing the wind to cool the beans.

A hand drip is used to make the coffee immediately. Grinding the beans and adjusting the water temperature are carefully measured according to the type of beans and the level of roasting.

You can enjoy your freshly made coffee while gazing at the rich nature spread out in front of you. Fresh coffee that you have harvested and roasted on your own makes it a unique and truly enjoyable cup of coffee.

"I have loved coffee since I was a student," says Mr. Kishimoto. He has been interested in coffee since he was young, enjoying the differences in flavor depending on the place of origin.

After graduating from university, Mr. Kishimoto went to the United States to study agriculture. He returned to his hometown in Okinawa after about two years of learning about flower and vegetable seedlings. He then worked various jobs such as hydroponic cultivation and kayak guiding, and at the age of 29, he opened a restaurant in Nago City. He has been closely connected to the local community and ran the restaurant for about 17 years.

"I started the coffee farm when I received some seedlings from an acquaintance. I had studied seedlings in the United States and liked coffee, so I thought I would give it a try. However, I didn't have a suitable piece of land. But a friend from my 'Moai' group told me he had some unused land which I could use freely."

※Moai: A traditional Okinawan culture of mutual support in which a group of friends gather regularly to enjoy food and drink. A set amount of money is collected each time and they take turns sharing with each other.

In 2013, Mr. Kishimoto started growing coffee while still working at the restaurant. He gradually expanded his farm, receiving advice from people who had started growing coffee in Okinawa before him as well as getting information about seedlings and cultivation from coffee lovers all over the country.
After securing a large harvest in 2019, he became a full-time coffee farmer. He says that he has been able to continue thanks to crowdfunding (which our hotel participates in), subsidies from the government, and support from coffee lovers everywhere.

Mr. Kishimoto also said that he learned many things other than agriculture during his time in the United States in his early 20s. "I met many different people in the United States and learned that people have different ways of looking at things, thinking, and understanding. What I thought was common sense was different overseas. On the other hand, I also found that people have similar sensibilities to Japanese people."

Currently, about 10% of visitors to Nakayama Coffee Farm are tourists from outside of Japan. The rare coffee produced in Okinawa is gaining attention overseas, and the farm even receives orders from Europe. Mr. Kishimoto's experience in America is put to good use in his interactions with foreigners and in his diverse ideas about farm management.