I met him five years ago back in the day.

Nadav was staying with Shin-chan, a poultry farmer in Kurosaki Town, as a woofer. He and Shin-chan came to see me for the first time, saying that they wanted to volunteer at Takigahara as their next place to stay. At the time, there were no hostels or airbies here, and there was not even a volunteer system, but since Shin-chan was the one who introduced us, we decided to accept him. Nadav, who worked very hard with a mild and friendly smile, quickly became a part of Takihara, and a month passed in no time at all.

Nadav is from Israel and lives in a community in the north of the country called a kibbutz. Kibbutzim (kibbutz) are structured around communal living and are a kind of eco-village with communitarianism, egalitarianism, and communal ownership. Kibbutz members are said to share land, houses, labor, and income. I thought it was very progressive and wonderful that such a semi-socialist community could coexist in a capitalist country.

While I was in Takihara, Nadav helped me with various tasks, such as maintaining the café, fields, and bamboo thickets. He left here saying, “I’ll be back again,” but soon after that, strangely enough, we were inundated with inquiries for volunteers one after another. What? How do you know about this place? When I asked them, they told me that they had all met Nadav at some guesthouse and he had recommended them to go to Takigahara. Thanks to him, we had volunteers from all over the world that year, and we had wonderful encounters and shared time together.

The following summer, 2019, Nadav returned to Takigahara. We shared the joy of reunion, and he stayed for two weeks as a volunteer to help with the Takigahara Festival, which was held once a year at the time.

Nadav then worked in agriculture and gardens, and after his university studies, he began working in a bakery in 2020. His goal was to build a minimalist lifestyle with his own small farm and bakery in the future.

Last spring, 2023, he came to Takigahara for the third time, taking a two-month vacation and going straight to Takigahara after landing in Japan. A baker in disguise, he baked us a wonderful loaf of sourdough bread in the hostel’s home oven. Sourdough bread, which cannot be tasted in Komatsu. The mellow flavor, sticky texture, and soft smile of the baker won the hearts of everyone who met him.

Shortly after returning to Israel to work in a bakery, war broke out in Israel.

The kibbutz where he lives is in the northern part of Israel, near the border with Lebanon, and in parallel with the war with Gaza, there was also a war with Lebanon. Because of this, the area where Nadav lives was ordered to leave and he was forced to leave and could no longer open his bakery.

He cannot do what he likes because the country is at war. From his bed, he can hear the sound of missiles exploding. It is too dangerous.

What would I do if I were put in such a position?

I can’t stop the war by my own strength, but if my friends are in trouble, I want to help them as much as I can.

He decided to give form to his desire to bake bread in Takigahara if he could not bake bread in his home country.

And in January of this year, Nadav returned to Takihara again. With his beloved large rolling pin and his beloved Israeli coffee packed in his suitcase.

Currently, the Takihara Cafe sells bread on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Sourdough bread sandwiches are available at lunchtime. You can also taste Babka, a chocolate bread and cinnamon rolls that Nadav has loved since he was a child.

The period will last until the end of March, so please come to the café before then!