When it comes to finding a decent cup of
coffee in Japan, as the saying goes, there’s some good news and some bad news.
The good is you can get amazing coffee big cities,
like Tokyo and Kyoto.
The bad - you will usually have to wait
til at least 10 am (often midday or even later) for your first hit.
For the caffeine-sensitive coffee lovers
like me, that second revelation posed a bit of a challenge during my recent trip
to Japan. I’m more a savour-a-strong-espresso before breakfast kind of gal,
rather than drink it all day and keep it coming!
Like coffee, breakfast is a late affair.
Beyond the 24 hour diners (where you order and pay for your meal at a vending
machine before being seated), or rice balls from convenience stores - finding that first meal of the day can be
challenge for travellers.
I didn’t risk the beverages in either of
those early morning options, nor the machines that vend a can of hot or cold coffee. Though did resort to using some supermarket bought pour over ground coffee bags a couple of times.
But there were some standout coffee shops,
though they had little or no breakfast options.
Tokyo
Frankie is right at home in hipster
Shimokitazawa. I spied it on the first night and thought it had a very familiar
look. Straight out of Melbourne like the owner, this café not only makes
exceptional coffee but also an assortment of Australian cakes and slices to go
with your flat white. Coffee is Allpress (and they also sell Aeropress's if
you want a lightweight travelling companion).
Opens most days at 10 am (just look for the
queue of Australasians waiting to get in). Check the website, as their hours
have recently changed.
400Yen for your long black or flat white.
155-0031 Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
Kitazawa 2-chome, 12-15
Shimokitazawa is a great suburb for coffee
lovers, at least for the ones who don’t need a hit early in the day. All theseplaces looked amazing, just maddening closed when I needed a hit. If staying in this neighbourhood
again, I’d pick up an Aeropress from Frankie and stock up on freshly ground beans around the corner at Maldive.
Sarutahiko in Ebisu is unique in its
offerings. This tiny café has great music, outstanding coffee and a (single)
breakfast option. But add free Wi-Fi (another rarity in this technologically
advanced country) and wait for it – 7.30 am opening (weekdays, 10 am
weekends) and its worth booking your next Airbnb in this area.
240 yen for excellent house brew (hot or
cold), 450 for most other coffees.
Tip: The granola breakfast set with their
signature drip/cold brew coffee is a great way to start the day. (They’ll let
you sub hot chocolate is coffee isn’t your thing).
Kyoto
100% Arabica has “good coffee” written all
over it and it didn’t disappoint. This light and airy coffee haven with the
ubiquitous blonde wood fit out off the main drag in the historic Higashiyama area, was
a mere two blocks away from where I stayed. Best of all they open at 8am. The
perfect time for a caffeine hit. Though not so good for my tea-drinking
companion as this place serves coffee and nothing else.
The Tokyo-born owner loves the stuff so
much that he bought a coffee plantation in Hawaii. 100% Arabica has three
locations in Kyoto, and a handful more sprinkled around the world.
87 Hoshinochō, Higashiyama-ku, Kyōto-shi,
Kyōto-fu 605-0853
Sentido: Another gift from the caffeine god, was
stumbling upon this small cafe. Not only does it open at a reasonable hour but, unlike
100% Arabica, they have a small breakfast menu (and serve other beverages). From memory there were only a
couple of options, toasted banana bread with the world’s tiniest but well
formed cube of butter, or a small bowl of cereal with fruit and yoghurt.
The espresso was perfect and the toasted
banana bread made a nice snack to go with it (thank goodness for the rice balls!)
While searching Sentido’s address I came
across a blog post that mentioned the owner learned to make coffee while living
in Melbourne. No wonder it was so good!
1F Nippo Karasuma Bldg, 445 Sasaya-cho, Kyoto, Japan,
604-8187
Open: 7:30am – 7:00pm Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday (closed Sunday)
A note of Japanese addresses: the non-consecutive
street numbers can be very confusing, that's because they're numbered in the order they're built. A “pocket Wi-Fi” (a phone sized mobile modem) and Google maps,
will save you hours of confusion when hunting for your first fix of the day.
Labels: 100% Arabica, coffee, Ebisu, espresso, Frankie, Japan, Kyoto, Sarutahiko, Sentido, Shimotitazawa, Tokyo