Strolling down a side street of Tokyo’s Nakano neighborhood one recent Sunday evening to rendezvous with friends for dinner, I pass by a side entrance to the Nakano Broadway shopping center before reaching my destination and doing a double take: I knew that the Portland, Oregon-inspired Lou, one of my favorite cafes, had begun closing in the late afternoons to let Orangutan, a dinnertime concept featuring northeastern Thai food, take over. But I still can’t believe its transformation.
The bright daytime energy of the cafe now gives way to an intimate evening vibe replete with low lighting, Thai-style decor and a sign outside proclaiming the new eatery as an “original jungle curry and funky music spot.”
The space is the childhood home of owner Daisuke Matsushima, whose career in the restaurant industry began when he opened Paddlers Coffee in 2013 in Shibuya’s Sangubashi neighborhood as a popup, which got its own home in 2015 as a cafe in the quiet backstreets of nearby Nishihara. Matsushima had acquired the license to serve Stumptown Coffee from Portland, where he had lived as a teen, learning English and joining the local skateboarding community.
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