The hum of conversation and the clinking of spoons and coffee cups fills the wood-panelled cafe in a fashionable Tokyo neighborhood as more than a dozen customers sip drinks and nibble desserts.
At first glance, the cafe looks like any other except for an altar next to the countertop bar with a Buddha statue set against a gold backdrop.
Its name, Tera Cafe, is a another hint — tera is Japanese for temple.