37-Year-Loved Coffee Shop "Country Road" Revived as a Coffee House by U-Turn Migrant! Third-Party Business Succession Matching Achieved through Collaboration between Open-Name Business Succession "relay" and Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

The open-name business succession platform "relay" (operated by Light Light Inc., headquartered in Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, Representative Director: Ryuta Saito, hereinafter "relay"), which connects those who want to transfer their business with those who want to take it over based on "empathy," has achieved a third-party business succession matching for the 37-year-loved coffee shop "Country Road" (Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture) through its "Business Succession Support Services" in collaboration with Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

To commemorate the new opening as "COFFEE HOUSE COUNTRY ROAD" by the successor, a handover ceremony was held.

**Regarding the establishment of this business succession**

"Country Road," a log house-style coffee shop near Hakuryuko Lake, run by Mr. and Mrs. Miyuki and Nobuko Kobayakawa, has been loved for a long time since its opening in 1987 as a place for local people to casually drop by and interact, offering handmade Western dishes such as hamburgers in a warm, country-style space.

Many regular customers traveled from afar, and it was a place not only to enjoy meals but also to connect people.

(From left) Ms. Nobuko Kobayakawa, Mr. Miyuki Kobayakawa

Amidst this, due to Ms. Nobuko's poor health, the shop regrettably closed in December 2024. With the desire to "utilize this place and pass on the shop rooted in the community to someone who will continue it," they began recruiting a successor through the open-name business succession platform "relay." Among multiple inquiries, Mr. Kengo Ohama from Hiroshima City was successfully matched.

After graduating from university, Mr. Ohama worked for a coffee company in Osaka for seven years. While gaining extensive experience from sales and customer service at coffee shops to store operations, he nurtured his dream of "someday owning my own cafe."

Mr. Ohama, who was considering independence, encountered "Country Road" through relay's successor recruitment article. Strongly attracted by the Kobayakawa couple's aspirations and the location of the shop near Hakuryuko Lake, he decided to take over the business by renting the building, along with a U-turn migration from Osaka to Hiroshima.

**The future of the new "Country Road"**

Mr. Ohama, who made a new start as "COFFEE HOUSE COUNTRY ROAD" on April 14, 2026, will transform the shop into a coffee-centric cafe, maintaining its exterior but focusing on specialty beans. He strongly states his commitment to "preserving the vibrancy of the community" by focusing on high-quality coffee and creating a space where visitors can leisurely enjoy a coffee break.

The warm place that has connected people for 37 years will breathe new life as a hub for new coffee culture.

**Regarding the holding of the handover ceremony**

Mr. Ohama hands a new cup of coffee to Mr. Kobayakawa

The handover ceremony for "Country Road" was held on April 13, 2026, the day before its opening. The transferring couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kobayakawa, the succeeding couple, Mr. and Mrs. Ohama, and Mihara City officials attended, and many media outlets also came to cover the event. A bouquet presentation and greetings took place in a friendly atmosphere.

At the ceremony, Mr. Kobayakawa spoke with overflowing trust and relief towards Mr. Ohama. His passion for what he wanted to do was conveyed, and his genuine joy at meeting such a wonderful person was impressive.

Mr. Ohama also expressed his strong will to preserve the vibrancy of the community, along with the responsibility of inheriting what had been built in this place for 37 years.

This matching was born from the business succession support initiative in collaboration between Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and relay. By working hand-in-hand, local administration and relay ensure that the light of community-rooted businesses is passed on to the next generation.

**About the Local Government x relay Partnership Program**

relay continues to evolve as a model that balances solving social issues with sustainable growth, and together with local governments, financial institutions, and support organizations, we will expand the option of business succession to society.

Local governments interested in business succession support or partnering with relay are encouraged to contact us.

Local Government Partnership Program Details

**About Open-Name Business Succession "relay"**

Open-name business succession "relay" conducts business succession matching with open names, where company names and corporate information were traditionally kept confidential. It publishes the aspirations of business owners as stories. By widely recruiting enthusiastic successor candidates in response, it proposes a new form of business succession based on empathy. Since its service launch in 2020, it has published approximately 880 successor recruitment cases and achieved about 180 matches, boasting the No. 1 position in negotiation and success rates among domestic business succession matching platforms for five consecutive years (202...