The first coffee shop in Tokyo opened its doors in 1888 and, while it's no green tea, the Japanese have been refining their taste for the drink ever since.
Known as the Kahiichakan, it was the brainchild of Tei Eikei, a genteel, Yale University-educated gent who epitomized the 文明開化 (bunmei kaika, the opening of Japan to "civilization and enlightenment") spirit of the Meiji Era (1868-1912). The Kahiichakan was packed to the brim with Western amenities — rattan armchairs, billiards, newspapers and more.
While the Kahiichakan's doors closed a few years later, its legacy remains. Now, more than a century has passed and Japan's coffee shops have proliferated and diversified, so much so that in 2017 the country imported around $1.4 billion in coffee.