Coffee Culture in Japan

Intro

While Japan’s love of tea and its traditional tea ceremonies are famous around the world, the country’s thriving coffee culture is bubbling to the surface and may just take over, especially with younger people. In recent years, Japan has become a national leader in the coffee community and the country has transformed the simple cup of coffee into a hip, fine-dining experience. If you’re a coffee drinker who loves checking out the coolest coffee shops and cafes when you travel, then you’ll be in for a treat in Japan. While Japan is home to all the big coffee chains, the real story can be found in its independent coffee shops - known as kissaten in Japanese - which is where the country’s coffee masters have been honing their trade and pioneering hand-brewing techniques to create some of the finest and most unique coffee in the world. This is the true heart of Japan’s coffee culture. In this, the latest article on the JapanDen blog, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about Japan’s coffee culture, a brief history of coffee in Japan, the country’s coffee hotspots and more. After all, what would the perfect stay in Japan be, without the perfect cup of coffee?

Japan Loves Coffee

It’s true! As we mentioned above, coffee is big business in Japan and the country has a serious coffee culture. It may surprise you to learn that Japan is usually ranked around 3rd or 4th in the world every year for the amount of coffee it drinks. Coffee is a hugely popular beverage in Japan and a way of life among Japanese people as well as international visitors, and the country’s love of coffee ranks alongside Italy, the USA, Britain, and South America. Japan has a long history with coffee, which we’ll explore in more depth below, and its contemporary coffee culture scene is thriving. If you’re a coffee aficionado planning a pilgrimage to Japan then you’ll be very well catered for. Japan’s cities are packed full of some of the trendiest, most welcoming, coffee shops anywhere in the world. Speaking of which, Japan’s own coffee brands have also gone worldwide, such as Ueshima Coffee Co (or UCC as it’s also known), and many more. Japan not only loves coffee, but it has made its mark on the industry too. Similar to the way Japan took western beverages like whiskey and beer and created their own unique, high-quality ‘craft’ brands through pioneering methods, the country has become a hugely influential coffee trailblazer over the decades.  Let’s find out more. 

A Brief History of the Perfect Cup

It is believed that coffee was first introduced in Japan by Dutch and Portuguese merchants in the 1800s. At the time, tea was the dominant drink in Japan, but coffee slowly began to gain a foothold and early that century, the first coffee shop was opened by Eikei Tei in Ueno. By 1888, the first coffee house, Kahisakan, opened in Tokyo. In the early 1900s, there was also a diaspora of Japanese immigrants to Brazil to work on coffee plantations. Many of those who returned to Japan did so with a newfound expertise that helped light the spark for the country’s emerging coffee culture and drive forward the industry. Over the course of the 20th Century, Japan’s love of coffee grew and grew and its coffee masters began to lead the way on the world stage, pioneering techniques such as hand-brewing long before their western counterparts. One of the key figures in this period was Tadao Ueshima, who began to produce coffee from his shop in Kobe, Japan, and went on to found the famous Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC). Known as the ‘father of coffee’ in Japan, Ueshima innovative canned coffee helped launch the country’s coffee craze, which followed in the years after the Second World War. The growing popularity of coffee also led to kissaten - independent Japanese coffee houses - opening across Japan and taking an important place in Japanese culture.  

What Is a Kissaten?

Kissaten translates as ‘tea drinking shop’ but actually refers exclusively to Japan’s independent coffee shops. Dark, warm, inviting, retro, traditional, and offering a sense of privacy and homeliness despite being a public place, kissaten are at the heart of Japan’s coffee culture. Alongside home and work, kissaten are known as a kind of ‘third place’, situated in the space between public and private. As well as the beautiful aroma of roasted coffee, you might hear jazz music, or smell the smoke from an older gentleman’s cigar. And you’re as likely to see hard-working business people as you are coffee-fuelled students and grandparents. There are kissaten across Japan that date back almost 100 years and they are definitely worth a visit for those wanting to experience a Japanese institution as well as a great cup of coffee. 

Japan’s Coffee Culture

As we’ve explained, Japan loves coffee and it occupies an important place in their culinary culture. While Japan’s coffee masters and independent kissaten have developed some of the finest coffee in the world and created special social spaces to enjoy it, the country has also pioneered affordable, mass-produced coffee for the nation’s busy, hardworking, and frequently on-the-go populace. This includes canned coffee, which is something that Japan first introduced to the world. As such, there are lots of different types of coffee available in Japan. As well as the usual cold brews, lattes, espressos, and more to try, here are a few additional varieties to look out for - canned coffee (affordable and ideal for those on the move); iced coffee (strong coffee in tall glass with ice cubes - with or without gomme sugar syrup; coffee fresh (this is coffee with a pot of cream); and more. An interesting coffee-related custom that to be aware of when visiting Japan is called ‘morning service’ and this is where you can receive a free breakfast, including toast, eggs, and salad, when you order a coffee.

While coffee is everywhere in Japan and excellent value for the most part, the country is also leading the way in high-end coffee experiences too - essentially the ‘fine dining’ of the coffee world. You’ll find this if you visit the coffee shop known as ‘Cokuun’ in Omotesando, Tokyo. Read more about what makes this coffee shop so special in our list below. Other high-end Japanese coffee shops leading the way globally in terms of innovation, high-end coffee, and unique dining experiences include Leaves Coffee and Koffee Mameya Kakeru, both in Tokyo. In recent years, the city’s formerly industrial Kiyosumi-Shirakawa neighbourhood in the east has become one of the centres of the country’s thriving coffee culture as young, ambitious roasters moved into the area.         

Five Coffee Shops To Visit In Japan

There are thousands of independent kissaten across Japan as well as bigger home-grown coffee chains (such as Ueshima Coffee Company, Doutor, and Mariva, to name three) as well as their big western equivalents. For this list we’ve focussed more on the traditional Japanese side, which might appeal more to international visitors:

1. Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC)

   While it's a home-grown chain, UCC is Japan’s No.1 coffee. If you want to try a cup developed by Japan’s father of coffee, there are more than 100 Ueshima Coffee Company shops across Japan to visit, including in Kobe where it originated. Kobe is also home to the Ueshima Coffee Museum (as well as the world-famous Kobe beef!). 

2. Cokuun

   As we mentioned above, Cokuun has become known for its fine-dining coffee experience. Overseen by the 2014 World Barista Champion Hidenori Izaki, this contemporary coffee house serves private, ticketed coffee omakase for 16,500 yen per person! It might be expensive, but it’s also some of the best coffee you’ll ever have. Omotesando is known as Tokyo’s Fifth Avenue thanks to its luxury, high-end shopping, restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops. 

3. Koffee Mameya Kakeru

   Located in Tokyo’s eastern Kiyosumi-Shirakawa neighbourhood - one of the centres of Japan’s contemporary coffee culture - has been rated as one of the best places to eat or drink in Japan. Led by owner Eiichi Kunitomo and head barista Miki Takamasa, Koffee Mameya Kakeru serves coffee flights and has become famous for its espresso martini.  

4. Inoda Coffee

   Kyoto’s Inoda Coffee - particularly its original branch in the city - is a kissaten with a retro, old school charm. Opened in 1940, it now has several shops in the city and elsewhere in Japan, but has retained its traditional atmosphere. Otafuku is another local and traditional kissaten that would be a great choice for those staying in Kyoto. 

5. Kayaba Coffee & Chatei Hatou

   Dating back to 1938, Kayaba Coffee on Yanaka's Kototoi-dori, in Tokyo, is a traditional kissaten that will take you back in time with a cup of pure nostalgia. Also in Tokyo, the kissaten Chatei Hatou, is one of the most highly recommended and well worth a visit. Within walking distance of the famous Shibuya Crossing, Chatei Hatou’s dark, traditional, and inviting wooden interiors make it the kissaten of your imagination. Tokyo has a number of other traditional kissaten too, such as Satei Hato, Tajimaya Coffee House, and Monozuki - we did tell you that you’d be in for a treat if you’re a coffee lover visiting Japan! 

Useful Links 

Now that you're an expert on Japan’s seasons, it’s time to start planning your perfect stay and we couldn’t be happier to help you. Alongside our carefully curated selection of hotels and ryokans, we hope to provide everything you need to plan your dream visit, from in-depth travel guides to 24/7 customer assistance, as well as our upcoming community forum. We can also point you in the right direction for the most cost-effective and enjoyable transport, portable Wifi devices, and partner services to ensure everything goes smoothly during your time in Japan:

• Looking for the perfect place to stay while experiencing Japan’s ancient traditions and customs? Visit our Hotels page and choose from more than 2,800 hotels and 1,800 traditional ryokans.

• If you want to learn more about Japan’s regions and prefectures so you can decide the best place to visit, you should check out our Destinations page. 

• And if you’re looking to explore Japan then the country’s famously efficient trains are the way to go. Japan’s railways are renowned as being the fastest, cleanest, and safest in the world. The country’s rail network is so vast and interconnected that it can help you reach almost any corner of Japan you’d like to visit. Furthermore, with a Japan Rail Pass you can enjoy unlimited travel on the majority of the country’s trains, including the famous Shinkansen ‘bullet trains’. The JR Pass is by far the most cost effective and flexible way to get around Japan. Find out more by visiting our partners at www.jrpass.com today.

• Do you want to use Google Translate to support your language skills? Or Google Maps for live train updates? What about posting photos to social media or keeping in touch with home? For all this and more, you’ll need a PocketWifi device like those from Ninja Wifi. With unlimited data, support for five devices simultaneously, the ability to share your Wifi with your travel companions, and more, renting a PocketWifi is highly recommended. Our Pocket WiFi guide has everything you need to know.   

• Finally, if you’re looking for more information about Japan and want to speak with expert travellers who have been there and done that, then you should join our Community. This welcoming and friendly forum is the place to go to share stories, knowledge, and experiences about Japan, ask questions, make new connections, and find travel inspiration.