Taiji Hayashi is the master roaster and owner of Arise Coffee in the up-and-coming Tokyo “coffeetown” neighborhood of Kiyosumi Shirakawa in the eastern Tokyo 下町 area. He runs two businesses in the neighborhood, Arise Coffee Roasters, where he roasts and sells beans and personally serves up handpours, and Arise Coffee Entangle, a cafe that serves…
Tag: cafe
Owl Cafe
The animal cafe trend started in Japan years ago with cat cafes but recently, cafes featuring other animals have grown in popularity. Owl cafes have been popping up all over Tokyo and while you may not think of owls as cute and cuddly, getting up close and personal with an owl is a unique experience…
Jimbocho
The Japanese are avid readers and dedicated recyclers, so it makes perfect sense that used books would be a huge second-hand market in Japan. There is no larger collection of used books than Jimbocho, the heart of the Kanda district of Tokyo. Used bookstores contain books both inside and out (on the shade side of…
Hello Old Timer
Call it Japanese-Cajun fusion or Neo-Southern-Washoku, but no one disputes the food at Hello Old Timer is just plain delicious. Off the beaten path in Ekoda, 10 minutes west of Ikebukuro on the Seibu line, Hello Old Timer is a place you go searching for simply because there is nothing else like it in Japan or…
Log Road Daikanyama
Singapore talent and model Esther Leong enjoys a cup of coffee from Log Road, a boutique shopping center in the trendy Daikanyama area of Tokyo. Log Road opened last year to much fanfare though it really only houses a few shops and cafes. But each is unique to Tokyo and many to Japan: LA clothier…
$10 Cup of Coffee
Before Starbucks was a thing in Japan, nearly every cup of coffee was expensive, and coffee shops were classy places for the well-heeled to chat with friends. If you still crave the days of the $10 cup of coffee, Bon in Shinjuku (自家焙煎珈啡凡) is your fix. Nestled underground just meters from the B13 exit of Shinjuku…
Tawaramachi – Iriya Plus Cafe
While Starbucks shops can be found all over Tokyo these days, when you need something a little more quiet and out of the way, slip away to Iriya Plus Cafe in a sleepy neighborhood west of Asakusa station. Iriya serves an excellent cup of Sumatra and its lunch specials include a healthy panini sandwich. While…
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