JAPANESE cafe goers are being served up a host of Lancashire delicacies thanks to a man inspired to set up a business – 5,700 miles from home.

James Shoesmith, from Wycoller, runs the Northfields cafe in Sendai, Japan, with his Japanese wife Natsumi, also 27.

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The 27-year-old, who studied Japanese and business at university in Liverpool, relocated to Sendai in the Miyagi area, where Natsumi grew up.

After graduating from university, James worked in a bike shop in Liverpool, taught English in Japan and worked for a logistics company in London.

After experiencing a wide range of professions, the one that stuck with him the most was working at Franze and Evans when he was living in Tokyo where James gained valuable barista and all-around cafe experience.

The couple, who met in London, decided to introduce English cafe culture with a northern theme to their customers.

James, a former Nelson Walton High School pupil, said: “Our biggest selling items on the menu are apple crumble, sticky toffee pudding, scones, carrot cake and toad in the hole, all dishes that I grew up with.

“It’s a real change for the locals to eat something different and the cafe has really taken off.

“A lot of Japanese people are quite reserved and when they see me many of them are unsure whether I can speak the language but I surprise them when I can guide them through the menu in fluent Japanese.”

Northfields is named after the cafe in London where he and Natsumi had their first date and the couple married last year.

James said: “I’ve had an interest in the Japanese culture since I was a boy.

“It started when we had a Japanese teacher for around a month when I was at Blacko Primary School. She was a friend of the headteacher and I was fascinated by the country.”

Natsumi spent a lot of time travelling in Europe, where she visited cafes and soaked up the atmosphere and recipes that differ greatly from those in Japan. She hoped one day to be able to bring a piece of that back to her hometown.