Finding good coffee roasters in Tokyo wasn't always easy. Though there's no shortage of chain cafes and canned coffee, roasters that focus on quality beans seemed few and far between.

So when Kevin Otsuka graduated from Stanford University and came to Japan for work in 2012, he struggled in his search. After exploring Tokyo's backstreets and prying recommendations from locals, he discovered that the city is full of great local coffee roasters offering superb single-origin beans — you just need to know where to look.

Soon travelers and friends were asking Otsuka for his recommendations, and he began wondering what else he could do to help others in their search. That, he says, is what prompted him to start ABC Coffee Club.