On a nondescript side street, a short walk from Shibuya Station's jangling cell phones and glaring white lipstick, Satei Hato first catches your eye with the dramatic vases and fresh flowers that grace its entrance. Intrigued, you discover a space much larger than you anticipated, filled with the warmth and character that have all but disappeared from the modern-day kissaten.
The interior, by Nishi-Azabu's Makambo Designs, captures the special qualities of both a quaint English cottage and an old traditional Japanese home. Graceful swan-neck lamps, gentle classical music and china cabinets filled with eclectic collections of antique pipes, dolls, plates and books coexist peacefully with artwork by Shiko Munakata and dreamlike ikebana arrangements by Satei Hato's talented staff.
Willingly, you take a seat at the 12-meter-long Oregon pine counter, where you are greeted with all the deference due visiting royalty by manager Toyoshi Taguchi. Spirited away in 1989 from a Shinjuku kissaten by Satei Hato's owner and namesake, Taguchi has since been diligently helping to redefine what coffee should be in today's world of designer froths and foams.