At a cozy, unassuming coffee shop located in the western Japan city of Nara, co-proprietor Shoko Iijima greets her regular customers as they walk by the doors of her establishment, often left wide open on nice days.Iijima's engaging approach to her cafe, Inside Astral Ray Coffee, sets the light-hearted, playful mood that patrons and staff embrace.Here, people from various walks of life seek a place to connect freely with others in a "third place," a social setting that is neither home, school nor work, but a place where they can interact and refresh before heading home.Tired from work or ho…READ FULL ARTICLE
