In Tokyo, people set up funky cafes with all kinds of sideshows — curry, cats, goats, hedgehogs and maids come to mind — so when I catch a whiff of a good cup of joe escaping from a huge glass and concrete box near Gaienmae Station on Gaien Nishi-dori avenue, I wonder what the gig is.
Inside the box — actually a cafe called Ratio &C — I note indoor parking slots for bicycles, and bike parts hanging on the walls. Professionals in suits silently occupy one large table, and two others sit on the lonely-hearts stools facing the street. It feels like I've stumbled on a secret society of velocipedes.
