Exploring coffee in Tokyo
TMR contributor Matt T tells us how best to hit the coffee bars and discover the hidden caffeinated goodness Tokyo has to offer.
Long time, but recently in hibernation, TMR contributor Matt Torbit (yeah, another Matt), smashed out an amazing trip to Tokyo, spending a few days exploring the “outrageously sublime coffee scene.”
Japan rocks - there's so much about that place to fall in love with - with seeking out the daily brew(s) somewhere near the top of the list.
TMR contributor Matt T tells us how best to hit the coffee bars and discover the hidden caffeinated goodness Tokyo has to offer.
Exploring coffee in Tokyo
So you've found yourself in Tokyo for a few days and want to climb into a nommy cuppa that Japan is so famous for. There are stacks of reckons written about how to navigate the Japanese coffee scene. And there's no end of "Tokyo coffee joints you must check out" lists online. But here's my take - and the first nugget of advice from Matt T is: get your ebike on.
Most visitors to Tokyo will invariably end-up in the tourist zone, Shibuya, home to the famous Scramble crossing and retail megastores. While the retail zone surrounding the Scramble is like any other big-city tourist-trap, in the outer edges of the district is where you will find the amazeballs indi-food and retail outlets, including tucked away cafes - and the best way to explore is by ebike.
There's several app-based ebike hire firms in Tokyo - sign-up, nab one, and get peddling. Heading north from the Scramble, you'll soon hit a low-rise zone filled with coffee shops, including the Coffee Supreme joint if you are after a flat white - but we haven't traveled halfway around the planet for one of those, have we? It's all about the pour-over.
So keep going just a bit further up the and check out Fuglen Tokyo - first opened in Oslo, Norway in the 60s, and now with a Tokyo setup serving their own roasted filer coffees. Yummy coffee and chill Euro vibes.
Just a few dozen meters up the road is Cafe Rostro - with a bit more of a classic Japanese aesthetic going on. Fixed hand-grinders line the counter and seriously good pour over.
Going further afield, I came across what was the jewel in my coffee exploration, The Coffee Shop Roast Works. A smaller-scale roastery and caffeine dispensary with a menagerie of roasts and brew methods on offer. Coffee off the charts and welcoming folks behind the counter.
I could happily bang-on and list half a dozen other cafes I stumbled across, but that's not the point - it is about taking the time to explore, wherever you are in Japan. Quality coffee is everywhere. Being in the moment and taking the time to randomly discover stuff. Cycling around a city deciding with way to go at each junction, getting a bit lost then dialing up Google Maps to navigate back, then getting lost again while discovering new sights and each turn. You are not in a rush and there is no specific destination in mind. Nice.
This sorta sums up the Japanese approach to coffee. There is more time. Our scene is clearly weighted towards the rapid-fire 10am take-away espresso and cooked milk hit. Queues of punters wanting their paper cup caffeine dose ASAP, as the stressed barista chugs out hit after hit. Shift it back a few gears and you can see why the Japan coffee culture is so crazy good.
With more time comes more perfection.
Sea of Japan earthquake - 1 January 2024
Our thoughts go to those in Japan impacted by the earthquake on New Years Day.
Over 200 people have died and more than1,200 people injured following the 7.5-magnitude quake that hit the Ishikawa prefecture and Noto peninsula.
Nothing we can say here will make a difference to the people who have lost loved ones, or are now rebuilding their lives.
If you want to support the Japanese authorities, consider donating to the Japanese Red Cross Society, who have been a part of the initial disaster response, run hospitals and get blood to much needed patients.
And when the time is right, if you can, head over to Japan and support their rebuild efforts. Tourism contributed over $100billion NZD to the Japanese economy in 2021. Much lower than the pre-COVID highs, but on it’s way back up.
As you can tell by Matt’s snippet, Japan is an amazing country and it would be well worth a visit.
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