Conversations about anime, bands, and entertainment flow naturally!
A cozy snack bar "Ray"
with a former band fan mama's reassuring
"You did well!"
Walking a short distance along the Matsumoto River while glancing at the Tamachi Shopping Street, you'll come across a street packed with drinking establishments in Hagi.
On the second floor of a conspicuously large complex building on that street, at the very front, is snack Ray.
The shop's location is a bit tricky to find, but among the many simple signboards of drinking establishments in Hagi, you can spot it immediately by its signboard dancing with flowers and light lettering.
"You did well~" With a relaxed and casual greeting, Mama Shizue welcomed us.
The turning point that became her calling: "Snack mama"
By the way, what does the name "Ray" mean?
I run the shop under my real name now, but "Ray" was actually a stage name I used when I was working before.
I wanted to keep proof of my hard work, so I used the stage name as the shop's name. Plus, Ray also means things like "light ray" or "shine," so it's sparkly and glittery, which I liked too.
So you worked at a nighttime establishment.
What was the turning point that made you want to become a snack mama?
I've been working at food and beverage establishments since around age 15, and I originally wanted to be a bartender. Before opening my own place, I worked as staff at bars and snack bars. The reason I decided to become a snack mama was simply that it seemed more fun. I like talking to people, I like drinking, so it must have been my true calling.
The reason I decided to become a snack mama was simply that it seemed more fun. I like talking to people, I like drinking, so it must have been my true calling.
By the way, what made you want to pursue bartending in the first place?
Because it looked cool. Haha
Haha
For customers coming from outside the city, what are the typical reasons they end up coming to Ray?
People coming from outside the city often come through referrals from their first establishment. Even among repeat customers, when they happen to come by chance, they say things like, "I didn't know a place like this existed!"
An unusual background: "Former band fan"
I hear you're fond of bands. What got you into them?
Originally, I was following visual kei bands. What's called a band fan. What got me into bands was that there was someone like an older brother who I owed a lot to back then, and that person was in a band of a pretty intense genre.
That person's band often did live performances with a band called Davinci, which had Ayase, the composer of YOASOBI, as a member. So I started following their live shows, and eventually my tastes changed and I graduated from being a band fan.
※Band fan: An enthusiastic female fan of visual kei bands.
※Live performance together: Performing live on the same day and same stage.
※YOASOBI: A Japanese music unit that turns novels into music.
I think it's rare for a snack bar, but you have band live footage playing, right?
It's purely personal taste. Haha Just listening to what I like. The videos play too. But it also becomes a conversation topic with customers. The coasters have coldrain logos, and festival posters are hung up, so people who like them notice.
※coldrain: A Japanese five-member loud rock band.
You go to music festivals often too. What kind of festivals do you go to?
As for festivals, I've gone to WANIMA's festival in Kumamoto, and I've been to Kyoto Taisaku too. It depends on whether tickets come through. Haha And in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Waiban is a must! I go to live shows pretty regularly too.
※WANIMA: A three-piece rock band from Kumamoto Prefecture.
※Kyoto Taisaku: An outdoor rock festival hosted by 10-FEET held in Kyoto.
※Waiban: "WILD BUNCH FEST." A large outdoor music festival in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Otaku mama doing serious cosplay for Halloween business!
I hear you like anime. What got you into it?
The trigger was when I was about 17, I would often stay at my very close female friend's house. She was always watching Angel Beats! at home. Partway through, I started watching with her, and I thought, "This is so funny!" So I rewatched all episodes from the first one. That's how I got into anime. By the way, I still love Cardcaptor Sakura, which I watched as a child.
※Angel Beats!: A television anime produced by P.A.WORKS.
※Cardcaptor Sakura: A manga and television anime with original work by CLAMP.
So Angel Beats! was the turning point to becoming an otaku.
Are you still discovering anime now?
People recommend things to me saying "this is interesting," and if I think it looks interesting, I watch it. Or things that come up in ads that catch my eye, or new series of anime I've been watching before. Once I get hooked on an anime, I watch it multiple times. I still watch Re:Zero. By the way, I'm team Rem. Recently, it's Frieren. I've watched it so many times!
※Re:Zero: "Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World" - a television anime based on a light novel.
※Frieren: "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" - a television anime based on a manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday.
You use your love of anime, and do anime cosplay at Halloween, right?
What anime have you cosplayed as so far?
In 2024 I did Frieren. Kagura from Gintama, Zenitsu from Demon Slayer, C.C. from Code Geass, Sinon from Sword Art Online, and I also did Yumeko Jabami from Kakegurui.
※C.C.: Read as "See Two." A character from Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.
Speaking of cosplay, there are lots of photogenic spots in Hagi for cosplay photos. If cosplayers start gathering in Hagi, Ray might become a "cosplay snack bar" where cosplayers gather.
That would be nice too. Haha
The appeal of Ray: A place where people of all ages gather casually
What age groups of customers do you have mostly?
The age range is pretty wide, I'd say. Customers in their 30s and above are more common.
When younger people in their 20s come, it's usually kids I've known for a long time, or juniors and subordinates that regular customers bring along.
Are there any songs that get sung a lot on Ray's karaoke?
Vocaloid songs are surprisingly popular! I know the details of old vocaloid songs too, so "I'm going to sing some vocaloid!" happens a lot.
You can occasionally hear heavy metal death growls too. Haha
It's really a wonderful shop blending various types of entertainment. What kind of shop is Ray aiming to be, exactly?
I like a homey atmosphere where you can say "I'm home" when you open the door, so I hope everyone feels like friends and we can all drink together and have fun. Haha
I'd like customers to come in with the feeling of "let me chat casually today." Recently, with regular customers, instead of saying "Welcome!" I say "You did well!" Haha
So you're aiming for a snack bar where people can drink casually and comfortably.
What's the appeal of working as a snack mama?
I'm happy when customers who don't usually make the rounds of bars come here because it's the only place they have to go.
When customers who haven't come in for years suddenly show up, asking "How have you been?" I'm happy that the shop and I are remembered by people that way. Also, there are customers who came to Hagi for business years ago and used to come here, and many of them still stay in touch. They come for drinks regularly. That makes me happy too.
Our Review
The threshold is low and it feels homey.
Even snack bar newcomers and first-time visitors find it easy to talk with the short distance between people.
You can get excited talking about bands and anime while having a drink.
Ray, where an otaku mama named Shizue waits with a reassuring "You did well!" and relaxed shoulders in the best sense of the word, is a fine establishment that connects "Hagi and otaku culture."
Topics
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Favorite bands
SiM, coldrain, HEY-SMITH, SUPER BEAVER, ONE OK ROCK, WANIMA, ROTTENGRAFFTY, 10-FEET, GUMX, etc.
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Favorite anime
Violet Evergarden, Angel Beats!, CLANNAD, Sword Art Online, A Place Further Than the Universe, Anohana, Charlotte, Re:Zero, etc.