Il Mare was established in August 2003 near to the SOMES store and a small refurbished cargo container was rented on the site owned by Yakushima Shinseisha Printing. Previously, I was working in the car industry and mechanics, so I had no experience in catering and I started my adventure without knowing what would happen in the future. Summers were hot, winters were cold, and when a typhoon came, we had to take a few days off to prepare for it. Although the restaurant was operated on a casual basis, it was nonetheless hard work taking care of our customers.
After three years of business, in 2006 we relocated the restaurant to the present site where we continue to
the present. Il Mare has been serving customers for 17 years since it opened and we work hard everyday,only to be prepared to start serving the next day.
Since opening Il Mare I have managed to overcome various difficulties and challenges with the help of various people, but in 2020, the spread of covid-19 worldwide has forced me to close the business for a
few months and the maintaining the business became a matter of survival.
If Il Mare was a newly opened business prior to covid-19 then it would have been forced to close.
Fortunately, Il Mare is an established business and I believe I will manage to keep it afloat in these difficult times.
Should the restaurant be forced to close then I would be unsure about my future. Covid-19 has created so much uncertainty in things that we took for granted. The emergence of the virus overlaps with various other factors such my age and deterioration of my physical strength. I have spent my days worried while watching the TV news every day.
Under these worrying circumstances, it was the memory of my visit to Naples and Sicily in southern Italy
in November 2019 that kept me motivated . When I think about this visit, it came just at the right time.
The visit was invaluable to me and I can easliy recall the culinary experiences, the places I visited, the stories I heard, the people I met, the air I breathed and the emotions I experienced.
I'm still trying to find out how to make use of the experience gained through my visit to Italy during the
covid-19 pandemic, but I am hopeful and confident that new direction will emerge from 2021.
I would like to expand the terrace seats of the restaurant while taking measures against covid-19 for the
time being. We would like to create a space where you can spend a delicious culinery experience while
watching the sea, observing the nearby island of Tanegashima and the propellor airplanes taking off from
the runway.
I have also used the time given to us by covid-19 to develop our website and incoporate a shopping page.
Under the current circumstances where it is not easy to go on a trip then we are adding a few new items to the take-out section (in addition to our `life-saver` pizza) so that you can enjoy the taste of Il Mare at home.
Now that customers can pay by credit card, I think we have improved the convenience for our customers.
Just as covid-19 changed society, it is time for us to change and adapt to the new normal.
We look forward to welcoming you to the new Il Mare and we look forward to your continued support.
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