The HT Report

Afuri’s yuzu shio ramen is a surprisingly refreshing, light bowl of noodles. It’s a combination that sounds like it shouldn’t work, and yet the yellow citrus fruit adds a subtle but effective addition to an already high quality bowl of ingredients, including charcoal-grilled pork, menma, and a soft-boiled egg.

It’s the broth that really stands out here -- a pleasingly clean, salty broth with a little citrus kick, it’s something I could happily indulge in completely on its own.

Expect customers in waves, and don’t be surprised if you sometimes have to wait for a spot to open up along the counter.

And if you happen to visit the Nakameguro shop, like I did, be sure to stop by the beautiful Onibus Coffee on the other side of the station!

Afuri Meguro-ku, Kamimeguro 1-23-1 Open everyday 11:00am to 05:00am

“What do you feel like eating?” I asked.

“Sandwiches,” she said.

“Sandwiches? Really?”

“...What?”

“It’s just... you never feel like eating sandwiches.

“So I feel like something different today. So what?”

I shrugged. 

And then we went to Hamanoya.

We found Hamanoya in a small corner in the basement of the Shin-Yurakucho building. Inside, servers wore neat white shirts and ties. The red leather seats made me think of the 70′s, and old pieces of art stared out from the walls. By the counter an old record player spun tunes by Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Toasted sandwiches (620 to 730 yen) made up the bulk of the lunch menu – ham, vegetable, cheese, tuna, fruit, and special – along with sweets including cream anmitsu, ice-cream, and a selection of hotcakes (450 to 730 yen each).

“I think I’ll order the seasonal hotcakes,” she said.

“The hotcakes? Really?”

She shrugged.

“You were right. About the sandwiches, I mean.”

“Okay, well I guess I’ll order the anmitsu, then.”

“No,” she said.

“No?”

“You order the sandwich. The special sandwich. I want to taste it.”

I shrugged.

“Okay.”

The special sandwich was ham, egg, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber between thinly sliced pieces of toasted bread. It was cut into eight easy to eat mini-sandwiches, and they were exactly as I expected – a simple, home-made taste that mixed a variety of flavors and textures to create a feeling of happiness.

The hotcakes also matched the simple-is-best mantra of Hamanoya, covering two pillowy hotcakes in slices of apple, a scoop of ice-cream, and a little honey.

We paid the extra 250 yen for a coffee on the side, and sat sipping them at the end of our meal.

“That was satisfying,” she said.

“You mean because you stole most of my sandwich, and made me eat the hotcakes?”

She thought for a moment, then smiled.

“Yes.”

I shrugged.

It was a good day.

Hamanoya Chiyoda-Ku, Yurakucho, 1-12-1 Shin-Yurakucho Building B1F Telephone: 03-3212-7447 Monday to Saturday: 09:00 to 18:00 Sunday: 10:00 to 17:00

“It’s called Meat-Ya?” I asked. “Seriously? As in, ‘meat shop’?”

“Yes,” she said.

“What do they serve?”

“Meat pasta.”

“Meat pasta and...?”

“No and,” she said. “Just pasta. That’s it. They only serve meat pasta.”

“Oh.”

Could it be? I thought. Is this love?

We found Meat-Ya in a shopping arcade in Asagaya. People lined up outside, shuffled inside, and ate in silence. Two kitchen staff dished up bowl after bowl of pasta, like cogs in a machine dedicated to comfort food.

When we finally got inside, the ramen-style vending machine offered us one choice, and one choice only: meat pasta (regular: 900 yen, large: 1050 yen).

We took our seats at the wooden counter. I stared at instructions written above a small box of cutlery. The place felt like something I would write into a short story; just believable enough to be potentially real, but not actually.

How can a place only serve meat pasta, and still work? I thought.

But the dish that arrived was the perfect flavor of nostalgia; it brought to mind old memories of home-cooked pasta the way I always wanted them to taste. I mixed the thick meat sauce into a swirl of pasta noodles, and covered the delicious mess with a sprinkle of cheese.

It was a very simple, very strong, and very heavy dish.

And I found it immensely satisfying.

Meat-Ya (Mito-Ya) Suginami-Ku Asagaya 1-36-7 Telephone: 03-3315-3104 Monday to Friday: Lunch: 11:30 to 15:00   Dinner: 18:00 to 21:00 Weekends and holidays Lunch: 11:30 to 16:00   Dinner: 18:00 to 21:00

Originally from San Fransisco, Dandelion Chocolate is a go-to spot for specialty chocolate – where the chocolate comes from small batch, single-origin cacao beans, roasted in-house with a focus on bringing out the flavors unique to that region.

The menu is an ode to chocolatey goodness, with a drink selection including creamy hot chocolates (580 yen, with free marshmallows) and cafe mochas (beans by Single-O Japan = legit), and in the food department: choc-chip cookies, scones, brownies, and s’mores (330 to 450 yen).

S’mores. My god. Surely they were designed to kill, irresistibly.

Dandelion is built into a remodeled warehouse, and is half-cafe, half-specialty chocolate factory. The second floor is made up of comfortable sofas and table seating, and the first floor offers a chance to see the chocolate making process in action.

It probably goes without saying, but a visit to Dandelion means a lot of rich, quality chocolate. I recommend a morning/brunch visit -- as a follow-up to burgers, I was summarily hit by a heavy food-coma and had to be rolled to the train station.

Still, for those s’mores and that hot chocolate? Totally worth it.

Though next time, I have my sights set on that Dulce De Leche Bar.

Dandelion Chocolate Daito-Ku Kuramae 4-14-6 Telephone: 03-5833-7270 Open everyday 10:00 to 20:00

The Gen Yamamoto cocktail bar is located down an unassuming side street in Azabu-Juban, behind a simple wooden door. Inside, eight seats surround a wooden counter, at which you sit and select a four or six course cocktail menu (4,500 and 6,500 yen respectively).

And then, you drink the season.

Yamamoto expresses the Japanese seasons in his cocktails – a blend of alcohol with seasonal fruits and vegetables creating a flavor for place and time.

The cocktails are rarely a complicated affair, but every ingredient highlights a particular taste or flavor, resulting in refreshing and often surprising drinks. Highlights included kiwi fruit and shochu with a splash of green tea, pomelo and sparkling rice wine with a dash of wasabi, and tomatoes with a rye-based gin.

Yamamoto himself says everything is in the ingredients, and though this is true, his ability to select and combine them does not seem easily replicable – there is a very subtle, very masterful craftwork on display here.

Gen Yamamoto offers fresh perspective, and a fun, alcoholic way to experience the seasons – with flavors, colors, and textures that create for our tastebuds what we usually experience visually.

Gen Yamamoto Minato-Ku Azabu-Juban 1-6-4 Telephone: 03-6434-0652 Tuesday to Sunday: 15:00 to 23:00 Closed on Monday

Mendokoro Honda is a ramen restaurant on a quiet street corner a short walk from Higashi-Jujo station. It’s only a small space — a wooden counter, a ticket machine, an open kitchen, and eleven stools — but it’s a shining example of simplicity elevated.

Watching the creation of a bowl of ramen at Mendokoro Honda reminds you of quality in the basics. At heart a simple dish, its in the subtleties that ramen is honed and perfected — from the noodles and the broth, to the seaweed, menma, onion, and chashu-pork.

In a bowl of Honda ramen (highlights are the shoyu and tonkotsu, starting at 770 yen), none of these components is rushed -- each ingredient and each preparatory step is a link in the chain of a very particular flavor experience, and is treated as such.

The resulting tonkotsu ramen — thick noodles in a rich, creamy, aromatic soup, with two different slices of pork — reminded me of good short stories.

Much in the way that every part of a short story should lead to a very particular impact, I felt the noodle equivalent at Mendokoro Honda; it was like each part of the process had been tailored for the moment the bowl was placed in front of me.

And I love that feeling of discovery — both in books and in food — that in something you always perceived as simple, lies a suddenly startling depth.

It’s where Mendokoro Honda shines; it gives you new perspective.

Mendokoro Honda Kita-Ku Higashi-Jujo 1-22-6 Telephone: 03-3912-3965 Monday, Thursday: 11:30 to 16:00 Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday: 11:30 to 15:00, 18:30 to 22:00 Closed on Wednesday

Sometimes in my stories, I imagine small bars on quiet streets away from the main hub of the nearest station. I imagine simple signage in front of a simple door, behind which is a counter, a few tables and chairs, and some stools.

In my stories I imagine the bar is run by an older person who isn’t interested in money. They charge for drinks, but they do it because they’ve always done it. The space is a part of their life, just as their life is a part of the space.

In my stories I imagine people sitting at the bar and talking. They drink, maybe someone smokes, and Bill Evans plays soundtrack to rambling conversation, sporadic laughter, and the occasional story.

In my stories these places are dimly lit and more comforting for it. Smoke floats to the ceiling and the records play, and the customers listen. Sometimes there are a few, sometimes many, and sometimes none.

But in my stories there is always the bar, and there is always the person who runs it.

And sometimes, when the timing is right, the stories are real.

Jazz Haus Posy Setagaya-Ku Daizawa 5-6-14 Telephone: 03-3412-5945 Open 18:00 to 23:30

Chatei Hatou feels like an anomaly in Shibuya because it is. Almost everything about the place – both exterior and interior – marks it as different. Where Shibuya station is a whirlwind of change and reconstruction, Chatei Hatou is the opposite; old, unwavering, stoic, and resolute.

Inside the dim, smoky interior you’ll find vintage furniture before a long wooden counter, behind which is a selection of ceramic cups and saucers. The walls are covered in classic paintings, and dotted with old clocks. In the back, near the bathroom, you’ll find a public phone that no longer works.

Sit at the counter and try not to speak. Order a coffee, and wait a moment. Watch and listen. Experience.

Each coffee at Chatei Hatou is brewed to order, and oftentimes many are brewed at once. There’s a blend of consideration and expertise on display here; practiced movements that reveal the experienced hand of the barista, like a dance played out on repeat.

I liked that I never saw Toyoshi Taguchi, the owner, use a timer. I liked that I never saw him use a scale, either. I liked that when he brewed, he gave little more than perfunctory glances at the world around him. There is the sense he works by feel and intuition.

To be fair, it is not a cheap cup of coffee (850 yen ~).

But to put it into perspective, it’s not a cup of coffee you can easily get anywhere else, either.

Chatei Hatou Shibuya-Ku, 1-15-9 Telephone: 03-3400-9088 Open everyday: 11:00 to 23:30

You’ll find Mimatsu on the outskirts of central Ikebukuro. It’s not much to look at: a few potted plants, a curtain, a sliding door. Inside, it’s a small counter, a few tables, and a ceiling covered in stickers. It’s maybe fifteen seats total.

But people keep coming back because it’s a teishokuya – a kind of diner for homemade cuisine. Here you’ll find traditional at-home favorites – fried chicken, simmered fish, tempura, roast beef, croquettes, teriyaki – complete with rice, miso soup, and pickles.

People come for a taste of home, and because each dish comes with comfort and nostalgia on the side. 

Pictured are the simmered yellowtail with radish (1,200 yen), and the fried chicken breast with fried vegetables (1,300 yen). The contrast of crunchy exterior with tender chicken is classic, and the vegetables (pumpkin, onion, and mushroom) offer good variety. 

(That they also offer mixed grain rice feels like a wonderful bonus.)

There’s something fulfilling in the hearty meals at Mimatsu. It’s something of a satisfaction in simplicity, and an appreciation of thoughtfully prepared, homemade food.

I think it’s why everyone is okay with sharing tables, and why the place never feels cramped and rushed, even though customers are constantly coming and going, and food is always being prepared.

It might be my new favorite place in Ikebukuro.

Mimatsu Ikebukuro 2-18-1 Telephone: 03-3982-3766 Lunch: 11:00 to 14:00 (L.O) Dinner: 17:30 to 20:45 (L.O) Closed on Sundays and holidays Ability to read Japanese recommended

Shinjuku Isetan in many ways looks more like an ancient library than a department store. And yet, behind its doors you’ll find designer goods and accessories of both the highest quality and highest price (coats for $1000? Check. Bags for $3000? Also check.)

It was here, in the basement level food department that I found myself at the Isetan Kitchen Stage, trying a collaboration course by third generation chef Kimio Nonaga and Moriya Udon.

Chef Nonaga – an Iron Chef champion in 2002 – is best known for his work at Nihonbashi Yukari, a restaurant serving Japanese kaiseki cuisine since 1935. For this particular event, the idea was to bring the taste of Japan to udon noodles, and the result is five very different dishes including curry, carbonara, and vegetable options.

The three course set (2,376 yen) included a bowl of noodles, a mozzarella chawan-mushi (Japanese egg custard), and a specially made rice pudding.

Pictured is the Hiroshima oyster carbonara, made with an original soy-milk sauce, and the Edo-Tokyo root vegetable udon, featuring carrots, radish, and burdock also in a soy-milk sauce. Both of the dishes offered a unique take on an otherwise simple noodle dish by putting the focus on the key ingredients, and their flavor at the heart of the soup.

The soup was easily the best part – creamy, and rich with the flavor of oysters, and peppered with egg and mozzarella cheese. 

Having only ever eaten udon on the cheap, it was fascinating to try something made with high quality ingredients and an eye for bringing out the best in them. The experience has also made me curious about Nihonbashi Yukari, so perhaps expect that in a future report.

Note: The Kitchen Stage udon collaboration is available until January 24th, 2017.

Shinjuku Isetan Shinjuku 3-14-1 Telephone: 03-3352-1111 Open everyday 10:30 to 20:00

Christmas in Japan is generally considered a day for couples and dates; you go out shopping or to the movies, look at Christmas lights somewhere, and then eat something delicious.

I spent the last third of this flow at Kiki in Harajuku. Kiki is a small restaurant in Harajuku that puts a focus on French cuisine with a literal fruity twist: many dishes feature fresh seasonal fruits from all over Japan. But you can read more about that here.

Highlights on this particular trip included an espresso-marinated roast duck, baked chestnut pie with strawberry salad, and a smoked sugarless cheesecake.

The menu is constantly changing at Kiki, both seasonally and as Chef Noda experiments and plays with new ingredients; this makes the place great for discovering new flavors and surprising combinations of ingredients. 

Potentially pointless aside: More than anything else, I enjoy the Japanese Christmas restaurant experience for the people watching. Here are a few of my favorite couples to watch at restaurants:

- The high-expectations girlfriend and the partner who has booked a restaurant for her he does not understand (usually in a white sweater, and usually he spills something on it. Note: I’ve been this guy.)

- The trio of girls who wanted dates but couldn’t find them so were all like, “screw it let’s get together and eat something delicious anyway” (I like the camaraderie here, I wish guys did it too.)

- The “we do this because we have to” couple. (There’s always a point where they make a particular kind of eye contact that says, “Didn’t we learn our lesson last year? *groan*”)

- The gushers: each dish served is reacted to as though it is some kind of miracle. (Usually only one person per couple is a gusher, but when both are it’s incredible.)

- The couple where one person drinks too much and continues to apologize for it while continuing to drink and – let’s be honest – isn’t really sorry about it. (Pro-tip: be polite; try not to make eye contact with the sufferer.)

- The insufferable “don’t touch it I have to take a photo of it first also don’t put your hands in the shot or near the dish and yes actually I do have to stand up to take this because the angle is better” person. (So, so, so guilty.) 

Kiki Shibuya-Ku Jingumae 6-9-9 Telephone: 03-3797-9282 Lunch: 12:00 to 13:30 (last order) Dinner: 18:00 to 22:00 (last order) Usually closed on Tuesday (I recommend checking the website in advance)

Last week I went to Shibusawa to hike to the peak of Tonodake. After three hours of steps, stones, wooden walkways, and dirt paths, I found myself looking out at one of the most beautiful views I’ve seen since arriving in Japan.

At the top of Tonodake is a cabin called Sonbutsusansou (尊仏山荘), which is one part cafe, one part mountain accommodation. Inside, a young man took my order for coffee (400 yen), and an older man slowly brewed it, delivering it to me as I stared out the window at Mt. Fuji.

It was a fantastic cup of coffee. Not because it came from a special kind of bean, or because it was brewed in any particular way, but simply because it felt right -- there was the wood cabin, the dull aching in my legs, and the magnificent view; coffee felt like icing on my little cake of achievement.

Other drinks — including beer, rice wine, tea, cider, and orange juice — are available from 400 to 500 yen, and I’m sure each is great for quenching a particular kind of thirst. I recommend going with what feels right at the time.

If you’re lucky, you might also spot the cat that has made a home of the mountain – nobody is entirely sure how it ended up there, but it still shows up each day, living off the kindness of hikers.

Hiking is a good way to clear your head and reset your thoughts, and the mountains around Shibusawa are nice because they’re not too far away from central Tokyo, and they don’t get too crowded. 

And I totally understand if you don’t want to go on four or five hour hike; it’s not for everyone. I just think it’s nice to know that at the top of Tonodake, there’s always a hot cup of coffee waiting for you, along with breathtaking new perspectives.

Sonbutsusansou Located at the peak of Tonodake The nearest train station is Shibusawa From there catch a bus to the Hadano Visitor Center, here. For lodging/weather information (Japanese only): 090-2569-6013

Not long ago a friend of mine asked if I would take her to an owl cafe. I’ve always kind of liked owls, and the animals feel like a kind of kindred spirit: they keep to themselves, tend to work best at night, and are capable of fierce predatory stalking.

I said, “Yes. Of course.”

And I made a reservation for Owl Village in Kichijoji.

Owl Village is tucked away on the second floor of a building shared by a variety of shops. The interior is a wood finished, compact space with enough room for maybe six to eight people, and is filled with books about owls. It’s 2,500 per person including a drink and time to play with the owls, though discounts are sometimes offered for online reservations.

My friend and I arrived at 11:00, and took a seat by the window separating the cafe from the owl enclosure. Inside, some twelve different owls sat quietly. Some were asleep, others awake, all of them were in chains, and each of them was magnificent.

Owls are handsome birds, I thought, when they’re not doing that 180 degree head-turny thing, which is terrifying.

My friend and I ordered drinks, and leafed through books about the birds. I asked a handler why they were chained. She said the big ones prey on the little ones, and explained that the owls came from all across the world, including India, Africa, America, and Asia.

As part of our one hour course, we went to see the owls up close. They’re fascinating birds to observe, and feeding them gives you a real sense of two things: 1.) how majestic they look in flight, and 2.) how terrifying it must feel to be hunted.

I enjoyed seeing the owls up close, but I also felt a little sad for them. They’re beautiful creatures, and these ones have clearly grown comfortable around people, but I couldn’t help feeling they needed more space and freedom.

But I wonder if that can’t also be said for the millions of us that call Tokyo home, too.

Owl Village Musashino, Kichijojihoncho 1-26-1 Telephone: N/A (I couldn’t find a number, but online reservations can be made here.) Open weekdays 12:00 to 18:00 Weekends and holidays 11:00 to 19:00

When I lived in Shimabara, in Nagasaki Prefecture, there was a cafe I often visited: Salle a Manger. Every week, usually on a Wednesday, I took a seat by the window, ordered burritos, and sat back to listen to some jazz.

I should note this was long before the HT Report existed; some eight years ago when I was just a young English teacher who wanted to be a fighter, or a writer, but didn’t know how to make either of those things work. 

On my return to Shimabara earlier this year, it warmed my heart to find Salle a Manger just as I remembered it: smooth jazz from vintage speakers, a piano against the wall, and owner Hiroyuki Kaneko behind the counter quietly doing his own thing. 

I took a seat at the counter, and we talked about old times. Kaneko still organizes jazz concerts here, and more recently even played the drums at one. It was a real treat to chat and reminisce over food and jazz seasoned with nostalgia.

The menu at Salle a Manger is an eclectic mix of personal favorites that Kaneko has made his own, and the list is impressive—burgers, hot dogs, tacos, quesadillas, spaghetti, pizzas, curry, pad thai, spring rolls, and pho to name a selection.

It’s surprising, too, to find all this at a little cafe on the Shimabara peninsula, hidden down a sleepy shopping arcade a short walk from the castle. It’s a kind of hidden treasure.

For all that selection though, I always come back to the burritos. Mixed vegetables in one, cheese, meat, salad, and guacamole in the other; it’s a combination that works so much better than you’d expect, and goes so well with the sour cream on the side.

I followed the meal with a coffee, and talked with Kaneko about my life since moving to Tokyo. I realized Salle a Manger is a reason Shimabara feels like a second home; it makes me feel at ease.

So I hope you don’t mind me featuring Salle a Manger; I know many of you may never visit Shimabara in your lifetime. But I wanted to have the place recorded somewhere, and I also hope that if you ever do find yourself in Shimabara, you’ll make some time for lunch, dinner, or drinks at Salle a Manger; it’s a little slice of my past, and it also happens to serve delicious food. :)

Salle a Manger Shimabara, Horimachi 172 Telephone: 0957-64-4839 Open everyday 10:00 to around 23:00

About a week back, I was in Nagasaki for a friend's wedding. I actually lived in Nagasaki eight years ago when I first came to Japan, long before the HT Report ever existed. I taught at a junior high school, and I remember ordering saraudon over the summer break, when school lunches stopped but the teaching staff still had to be at school. It was my favorite dish.

Coming back after the last four years in Tokyo was like dipping my toes back in the nostalgia pool, and rekindling my romance with Nagasaki's famed noodle dish. I did this at Shianbashi Ramen.

Saraudon is made by mixing and frying pork, seafood, and other ingredients with lard and white sesame oil. A little soup soup is added for flavor and consistency, which is combined with a variety of ingredients – pork, cabbage, mushroom, seafood – and poured over noodles, which are sometimes fine, and sometimes thick.

Saraudon restaurants are all over Nagasaki (along with the more popular champon,) but I have a soft spot for Shianbashi Ramen because a friend took me a long time ago, and also Fukuyama Masaharu recommends it. He's a popular singer-songwriter who appears to get better looking as he ages; that's a neat trick.

I enjoyed listening to the banter between the three old ladies who worked the counter, and the conversation of the locals around me. There's a warmth in Nagasaki that sometimes feels lacking in Tokyo, and Shianbashi marked a good chance to sit and soak it in with a bowl of noodles.

And though you can find saraudon and champon in Tokyo, it’s noticeably better here. I realized that while I was eating, so I decided to make a post of it... but I’d forgotten my camera, so I hope you’ll excuse the iphone snaps.

Coming back to Nagasaki reminded me of how beautiful the place is, and how excellent a city it is to explore, discover, and walk. The way the city is built into the hills and mountains feels entirely unique, and by night the view from Inasayama is utterly gorgeous.

I ate the noodles, I walked the city, and I soaked in the view -- and I was completely satisfied.

(for other random Japan shots, you can find me on instagram here.)

Shianbashi Ramen Nagasaki Hamamachi 6-17 Telephone: 0958-23-1344 Open everyday 11:30 to 04:00 (!!)

The first thing I learned about Nicola's Pizza House was that the emperor ate there. My friend said it’s the place where pizza was introduced to Tokyo, and the prices are they same as when they opened way back in 1954.

Later I found out it was also mentioned in Tokyo Underworld, which made it seem like a hangout for the rich and famous.

The Nicola pizza, in a word, is cheese. The 1050 yen pizzas come in some fifty different varieties that are all blanketed in a gouda cheese. It's a simple kind of taste, and one that goes well with bottles of wine and casual banter.

We ordered two pizzas – one seafood, and one sausage. In both, the cheese took center stage, with everything else a supporting act. Two pizzas felt like a bit of a cheese overload; if I go back I’ll likely do one pizza and one pasta for the balance.

Still, it’s cool to think that the pizzas here are made the way they were some 60 years ago.

The interior of Nicola's is a simple collection of western-style tables and chairs, and booths draped in intimate lighting. Staff here are decked out in white shirts, black vests, and bow ties.

I like that you can still find places like Nicola’s on the outskirts of Roppongi central. It’s a little bit of Tokyo history baked into slices of pizza. And I mean, where else can you eat where the emperor has, or feel like a gangster from the early 60′s?

Nicola’s Pizza House Minato-Ku Azabudai 1-4-3 Telephone: 03-3568-2501 Open 11:30 to 23:00

Toranomon feels like a concrete jungle -- a collection of sky-high office buildings and busy streets filled almost entirely by salarymen. So it’s surprising to find Toranomon Koffee in the heart of the Toranomon Hills Mori Tower: a coffeeshop that turns a corner of the concrete jungle into a unique brewing experience. 

Toranomon Koffee is an off-shoot of Omotesando Koffee -- a unique coffeeshop that — through its design — aims to create a special moment for each customer through the craft of coffee.

Toranomon Koffee consists of two cubes, designed to be open and clear. Baristas here always start by asking if you take sugar; a first step that gives them an idea of your preference; the goal being to brew the perfect cup for each person who visits.

The original Omotesando Koffee was built into an old Japanese house (my article about it is here), and it’s fascinating to see the concept transported to a different environment. Owner Eiichi Kunitomo says:

“The concept is similar to the Japanese tea ceremony. It’s a very minimal space—there’s the person who makes the tea, the person who drinks it, and they’re face to face, sharing an experience.”

And it’s funny how even in the shiny, high-tech interior of an office building, this concept still flourishes. It’s as if the art exists less in the environment, and more in the people who inhabit it.

The selection at Toranomon Koffee starts at around 400 yen, and includes a range of espresso drinks along with pour-over coffees and light snacks. There are also seats directly in front of both barista cubes which make for a chance to relax while you drink.

I’m not sure if you’ll ever find yourself passing through Toranomon. To be honest, I’m not sure what else is there. But, if you do wind up there, make the time to stop by Toranomon Koffee; it’s a coffee experience that feels entirely unique to Japan, in its craftsmanship, design, and atmosphere.

Toranomon Koffee Minato-Ku, Toranomon 1-23-3 Telephone: 03-6268-8893 Opening hours: 07:00 to 19:00 (everyday)