There’s nothing for sale inside the machine, but Okinawan spirits and delicious deserts are waiting on the other side.

Recently, we were walking down the street in the city of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture when a beer vending machine caught our eye. Though Japan still has vending machines that sell alcoholic beverages, they’re not nearly as commonplace as they used to be, and this one’s lineup looked particularly tempting, with a number of unique offerings including locally brewed Ishigakijima Beer.

Seeing bottled beer in a vending machine is especially rare, and so we decided to treat ourselves to a drink. Oddly enough, there were no prices listed for any of the drinks, but Japanese vending machine buttons tend to light up once you’ve put in enough coins to make the corresponding purchase, so we took out a handful…

…only to find that the coin slot had been covered with tape bearing the handwritten notice “I am broken.”

OK, well the drinks couldn’t cost more than 1,000 yen (US$6.50), we figured, so next we pulled out a bill of that denomination to slide into the machine. However, the slot’s motors didn’t spring into action as we inserted the paper, so it seemed like the entire machine was broken, not just the coin slot.

Oh well, can’t be helped, we told ourselves as we shrugged our shoulders and went on our way. However, when we doubled back later that night along the same street, we saw that the vending machine’s front panel had been opened up, so maybe it was in the process of getting repaired and we could get a drink here after all!

It turned out we were half right. The vending machine was as inoperable as it had been in the afternoon, in that we still couldn’t buy any drinks from it. However, it had actually been serving a different purpose all along, since the machine’s housing is the hidden entrance to a cafe/bar!

Stepping on through we found ourselves in a cozy and stylish interior with a counter surrounded by a faux brick motif. Standing behind that counter was the owner of this playfully camouflaged establishment.

The place is called Amato Danshi, which means “Boy with a Sweet Tooth.” You’d never know that from looking at the joint from the outside, though, since the sign above the concealed door just has the vaguely inspirational message “It’s a beautiful day to start.”

There are only seven seats in Amato Danshi, creating the atmosphere of a secret hidden fort you’ve found your way inside of. That’s very much intentional, as the owner loved building treehouses as a kid, and later worked at a French restaurant in Tokyo that had its own second-floor lounge accessed through a hidden entrance.

Drinks start at 1,100 yen, and there are plenty of locally made spirits available. The Amato Danshi name isn’t just for show, either, as the cafe also offers a selection of desserts made by the owner himself. On the night we visited, the choices were basque cheesecake, tiramisu, and gateau chocolate cake, for 900 yen each. Even the plate of snacks we were given as part of the 500-yen cover charge had things to please our sweet tooth, with Godiva chocolates and matcha yokan (sweet bean gelatin) accompanying the nuts and strawberry.

We asked the owner for his recommendation, and he suggested pairing a gin and tonic, made with Okinawan craft gin Masahiro, with a slice of gateau chocolate cake.

Our drink came with a slice of line and orchid garnish and tasted as beautiful as it looked, flavorful with a crisp finish.

Next it was time for our cake, and Amato Danshi’s owner puts just as much effort into the presentation of his sweets. The enticingly dark brown cake contrasted elegantly with the dusting of sugar, swirl of whipped cream, and accompanying slices of citrus fruit.

As soon as we started slicing through with our fork, we could tell that this would be moist and delicious, so while there wasn’t any suspense as we took a bite, there wasn’t a speck of disappointment either. Between the rich cocoa, milky cream, and tart accents of the orange and grapefruit, this was wonderfully balanced with a level of quality worthy of even a dedicated sweets shop.

Now, with Amato Danshi having a hidden entrance, you might think that the owner doesn’t really want it to be found, and so you might be worried that maybe the owner isn’t particularly welcoming to first-time visitors. That’s not the case at all, though, as he warmly welcomes not only out-of-towners, but even out-of-countryers. Amato Danshi’s customers, the owner tells us, are a mix of locals, Japanese domestic tourists, and international travelers, and he’s happy to have them all coming in for a drink or dessert. “Amato Danshi is a small space where all sorts of communication and new meetings can take place,” he says. “The thing that makes this place special is how people from other countries, locals, and tourists can have conversations with each other that they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to anywhere else.”

Amato Danshi is only open for a couple of hours a day, from 9 p.m. to midnight, and they’re closed on Tuesdays. Between that and the small number of seats, it might not be easy to get in, but if you can, it’s a unique experience you won’t forget anytime soon.

Location information
Amato Danshi / 甘党男子
Address: Okinawa-ken, Ishigaki-shi, Misaki-cho 8
沖縄県石垣市美崎町8
Open 9 p.m.-midnight
Closed Tuesdays
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[ Read in Japanese ]