Notebook: Japan Coffee Shops
Where to sit, sip, and hang out (or not)
This is my Japan coffee shop list. It is neither completist (meant to cover everything) nor complete (finished). It’s just stuff I like.
I am always seeking out coffee shops wherever I travel, but not always for the best coffee. I am more in search of atmosphere, interesting crowds, uniqueness, and good spots to read or write. In other words, please don’t come at me, coffee purists. I’ve tried to indicate relative fanciness and brew quality where applicable.
Tokyo
Kayaba (Yanaka)
Yanaka is always worth a wander for its tangly little streets, prewar buildings, and quiet temple squares. And you can have coffee there, too. Kayaba feels like a throwback in every way. Head upstairs to sit at the tatami tables and watch the world go by.
Mood: traditional, neighborhood-y
Stayability: you can hang out and no one will stop you
Onibus (Nakameguro)
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention, etc., etc. Viral as can be and often packed with tourists, it’s still worth it. Take your latte upstairs to sit in the little loft room and watch the subway trains zoom by (and obviously make a TikTok while you’re there), or simply stay in the charming trellised garden on the ground floor like a damn grownup.
Mood: Instagramable, hip
Stayability: laptops seem welcome-ish, if you can find a seat
Osaka
Noum (Tenmabashi)
Even if you’re not staying at the hotel — I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something bare-bones, affordable, and spotless — it’s worth stopping into the lovely ground floor coffee shop. Sunshine-y and modern, you can order a full breakfast here as well.
Mood: cute, peaceful
Stayability: have at it, they’re open all day until midnight
Kyoto
Here (Kiyomizu)
Single-origin. House-roasted. Pour-over. All the fancy coffee words. This is where the cool kids get coffee while wearing their fashionable spectacles. Sort of. There are also a bunch of tourists just like you who have come to see what the fuss is about, and the fuss is… pretty on-point, actually. The coffee is deeply flavored and beautifully presented and the minimalist architecture is a smart bulleted list of contemporary design — concrete, blond wood, succulents.
Mood: sophisticated, minimalist
Stayability: settle in, but staying all day feels like a bad look
Nijo-Koya (Nijo-Jo)
What if I told you this is the best coffee shop I’ve ever visited? OK, I just did. It’s counter service only and from the outside, it looks like an impeccably curated pile of trash. Inside, the jazz records are always spinning on what looks like a gazillion-dollar sound system, the ceramics are gorgeous, the barista will not smile or speak to you, and the coffee (drip only) is rich, complex, and restorative. This is not the place if you want to chat for hours in your loud American voice or sit down in an actual seat, but my god. If you want to feel reverent about a cup of coffee in atmospheric surrounds, this is your jam.
Mood: terrifying, beatific
Stayability: keep it moving, troglodyte
School Bus (Marutamachi)
Inspired by… Portland, Oregon… this coffee shop-slash-roastery-slash-historic-restoration-collective is among my favorites in Japan for its easygoing mood, perky/industrial design sensibility, and excellent avocado toast. If you’re a coffee connoisseur you might be disappointed but also you can buy stickers. This is important. This is a good place to stop, location-wise, before you head out to Ginkakuji, because of course that’s where you’re going.
Mood: workaday, playful
Stayability: you can hang
Vermillion (Fushimi)
Perched on a wooded hillside as you’re coming down from Fushimi Inari shrine, this is a good place to take a break and let your eyes readjust after miles of those glorious vermillion (get it?) gates. Originally a tea house, this place has been in the same family for nine generations. Their specialty offerings are on the sweet side — think frozen hot chocolate — but a regular roster of espresso drinks and teas are on the menu, too, alongside light brunch-y fare. If you can, get a seat on the back terrace overlooking the leafy surroundings.
Mood: energized in the front, zen in the back
Stayability: have a good rest then continue on your spiritual journey, like generations before you
Fukuoka
Coffee Sya-Noda (Daimyo)
I’m obsessed with this place. That is all. With waiters in starched white aprons and plush, dark-wood interiors that feel like — and might actually be from — the 1960s, this place is the perfect balance of exemplary aesthetics and excellent coffee. Sit at the horseshoe bar to watch the waiters siphon-brew your order.
Mood: vintage, proper
Stayability: drink, pay, leave
Jazz&Coffee JAB (Tenjin Minami)
I’m biased. My boyfriend used to haunt this place when he was younger and to me, it feels like the platonic ideal of a Japanese record bar. Smoky. Low-lit. Always some excellent jazz record playing. You can get coffee, I guess, but beer or something stronger often feels a little more apropos at any hour of the day or night. Great for sobbing or having an existential crisis because it’s so dark that no one can see you.
Mood: low-lit, dissolute
Stayability: no one will notice or care what you do
Lamp Light (Daimyo)
I have not stayed at this cute, newish hotel, but I’ve indeed had coffee in the downstairs cafe where you can thumb through a curated collection of Japanese books — there are offerings at every table — while you sip. Contemporary without feeling like a drag, Lamp Light is a good spot to park for a while if you want to scribble in a notebook (me), read (me), or people watch (also me). Lots of great seating if you’re solo.
Mood: nerdy, lighthearted
Stayability: study hall is in session
Liquid Liquid (Daimyo)
Deeply weird and cheekily modern, Liquid Liquid feels like a coffee shop inside one of those arcade claw machines. Beverages are served in jam jars by sullen baristas and the sweet treats on the menu are often neon-hued.
Mood: bratty
Stayability: go for it
Manucoffee Kujira (Yakuin)
Blissfully bohemian, this coffee shop and roastery feels like an art gallery as much as it does a place to get a really delightful cappuccino. Check out the rooms upstairs, and all of their assorted artworks, posters, and bright colors before you select your seat.
Mood: your MFA friend’s favorite place
Stayability: move in, bring a sleeping bag
Tokado Coffee (Shirakibaru)
The coffee-making at Tokado is serious. The founder? Award-winning. The beans? Available in four roasts and ground after you order. The vibe? Coffee via a chemistry set, but so somehow approachable. Plus, they now serve surprisingly fab vanilla soft-serve. There are two locations — one in Hakata Riveraine Mall, a more relaxed outpost in the glam-af One Fukuoka Building.
Mood: scientific, refined
Stayability: both locations are in high-traffic malls, but the One Fukuoka location has an adjacent seating area
Starbucks (Dazaifu)
Look. I’m not going to tell you to order anything, but please do peek inside, on your way to the Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine, to see the interior, a beehive of wooden crisscrossed beams, which was designed by superstar architect Kengo Kuma.
Mood: jammed
Stayability: a five-minute peek and you’re good
Elsewhere
SSGRoastery (Sasaguri, Fukuoka Prefecture)
If you didn’t know better, you might think you’ve stumbled upon a sun-dappled winery tasting room. That seems to be the point at SSG, where coffee is given the treatment usually only reserved for wines and spirits. Single-origin coffees come with in-depth descriptions of quality and provenance, and are served in elegant goblets. Or, if you’re a rube like me, you can order a latte and just enjoy relaxing at the comfily-outfitted tables.
Mood: nature-inspired, gleaming
Stayability: it’s a haul to get here, especially without a car, so take your time
Starbucks (Kobe)
Sorry! Last Starbucks, I promise. In Kitanocho, a historic district in Kobe once inhabited by foreign merchants and diplomats, you can look at the beautiful homes, but you can’t go inside many of them. Except when one of them is a Starbucks. Built for an American family in 1907, it retains most of its original interior, which is now used for seating. Order your venti, triple-shot mochachino and settle into the front parlor or drawing room.
Mood: historic
Stayability: do it, if you can deal with the crowds