It might come as a surprise to some that Japan, the home of matcha, actually has a diverse and deep coffee culture. The Japanese love their coffee. And, they have a unique, venerable coffee institution known as kissaten 喫茶店 which literally means "tea drinking shop" 🤔
Bony Coffee Shop in Osaka which is operating since 1961.
I like the vibes at small quaint, owner run, mom and pop type kissaten. Kissaten is the equivalent of old Singapore / Malaysia kopitiam or coffeeshop but with their own unique characteristics.
Kissaten serve coffee and also tea but no alcohol or spirits.
The Dutch first brought coffee to Nagasaki, Japan in 1600. Coffee culture was brewing but only flourished after Japan ended its Sakoku 鎖国 policy which kept foreign influences out during the Edo period from 1608 to 1868. The first coffee shops inspired by Parisian cafes appeared in Tokyo in the early 1900s.
Kissaten still have shadows of Parisian vibes.
Miwaku Coffee Shop in Kyoto.
Local people go to kissaten for breakfast or tea time break and still pore over broadsheets like they always did. Many kissaten customers are regulars patronising their neighbourhood coffee shop. There's a certain kinship between the kissaten owners and customers, and camaraderie between customers. They greet each other as friends as they come and go.
I like it that Japanese are very polite people, so they minimise conversations and keep it in hushed tones. Kissaten are generally as serene, if not more quiet than public libraries in some other countries. People come to kissaten to read, reflect and write while sipping coffee with a nice bite like a cake.
In the 1950s, people come to kissaten to listen to music played on high end vinyl playing machines (turntables) at a time when most people can't afford their own hifi systems at home. Hence, the culture of quietness in kissaten like at a theatre or concert performance.
Cafes on the other hand are often filled with chatter and banter. So different etiquette for different places - Japanese people respect the custom of the places, kissaten ≠ cafe.
One other difference, kissaten provides table service while cafes are normally self service.
Yokohama Bunmeido Shop & Le Café 横濱文明堂 伊勢佐木町一丁目店 + 文明堂茶館ル・カフェ.
Whether higher end or more humble kissaten, they all exude their own charming rustic personality. In kissaten, time seemed to stand still. I like this kind of nostalgic setting and atmosphere. It's a very different feel from modern espresso cafes.
Kissaten are actually heritage relics as very few new kissaten were opened since the 1990s with the advent of chain stores like Starbucks and modern espresso cafes (third wave coffee) - you know the hip kind with single origin Arabica, Instagrammable decor and latte art.
The kissaten that remain are often old establishments owned and run by elderly, and over time the number of such heritage coffee shops is expected to go down steadily 🥺
We like coming to kissaten for coffee and retro style Western breakfast.
Love the buttery smell and taste, and airy crisp texture of butter toast.
The French toast at Bony was as good as any that I have tried. The grilled thick soft spongy slice was wrapped in egg and drenched in honey.
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| Image courtesy of University of Lincoln |
Waffle with jam, cream and ice cream.
Castella at Yokohama Bunmeido Shop & Le Café.
The food and coffee are often presented in beautiful plates and cup.
My usual coffee at kissaten is café au lait.
Kissaten café au lait tend to be heavy on milk but the full bodied milk is fresh, aromatic and tastes sweet, milky delicious.
The dairy taste and fragrance are dominant but the savoury and bitter taste of dark roast coffee are still discernible even when they can get heavy handed with milk.
No latte art. It's not the custom at kissaten.
Buddy had the same thing but with thick cream on top. A bit too extreme for me 🤣
This was at Coffee House Megumi in Osaka.
Most kissaten still have smoking sections. So, they do have the smell of cigarettes which also get into your hair and clothes. It is part and parcel of the kissaten experience.
If you love coffee or cakes, or interested in unique things about Japan, you need to get the disappearing kissaten experience. This heritage coffee shops are declining in number, no longer trendy like during its heyday but worth your support.
Written by Tony Boey on 31 Jan 2025
Tony Boey if we meet I bring u some to try, we bought close to 35 brands of drip coffee in our last trip and also found this useful drip coffee apparatus in daiso, so coffee bag is raised and remain dry
ReplyDeletei was at a specialist coffee place and tried to explain nanyang coffee to the owner. shock, horror, rage! gotta bring some with me next time i visit.
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