connect feast
84 AFAR SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
ward for hard work, not an energy
drink to pull you through the rest
of the day,” Freeman adds.
Like each of Japan’s Blue Bottle
locations, Meguro’s 19-seat out-
post offers a Marie Kondo level
of minimalism. This particular
location has clean counter lines,
natural wood hues, and a single
image of a blue bottle emblazoned
on a polished concrete wall.
These are sanctuaries from theHOW TO TAKE
YOUR OWN TOKYO
COFFEE TOURCafé Bach
Classical music plays at the
Shōwa-era meikyoku kissaten
(music lounge), but owner
Mamoru Taguchi’s globally
sourced beans (and his wife’s
homemade pastry) are the
real stars.
1 Chome-23-9 NihonzutsumiSwitch Coffee Tokyo
The airy, micro-size contem-
porary kissaten is hidden on a
side street in Tokyo’s Meguro
neighborhood.
1 Chome-17-23 MeguroMeikyoku Kissa Lion
Classical music and coffee get
equal billing at this baroque
lounge—accented by Venetian
Gothic arches and Corinthian
columns—in Shibuya’s Love
Hotel Hill.
2 Chome-19-13 DogenzakaBlue Bottle Coffee
This small branch with polished
concrete walls is among the
newest Blue Bottle cafés in Tokyo.
1 Chome-2-19 Shimomeguro“It’s quiet this morning,” I say,
recalling the 30-minute wait dur-
ing my visit the day before to
Blue Bottle’s first Japanese loca-
tion, in the eastern Kiyosumi
neighborhood.
“Japan doesn’t have a big
morning rush hour for coffee,”
Freeman says. Matcha or gen-
maicha, roasted brown rice tea, is
usually served with a traditional
Japanese breakfast, while coffee
is typically consumed in the late
afternoon.
“In Japan’s tensely structured
work culture, an afternoon coffee
is treated as a little luxury or re-
Barista Masahiro
Onishi studied the art
of espresso-making
in Australia before
opening his own café,
Switch Coffee Tokyo
in the Meguro neigh-
borhood in 2013.commercial onslaught of urban
life, and it’s easy to see why
the company has done so well
in Japan.
“We didn’t set out to become
a Japanese coffee brand,” Freeman
says, “ but our shops here have
historically performed better
than anywhere else, so we just
ran with it. It’s exciting to spend
time in the place that originally
inspired Blue Bottle.”