Business

World's first Starbucks coffee shop with tatami rooms to open in Kyoto

Kyodo

Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto has many tourist attractions to offer, from its historic sites to scenic landscapes, and is now adding a new one to its list — the world’s first Starbucks coffee shop with tatami rooms.

Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd., the Japanese arm of U.S. coffee chain Starbucks Coffee Co., plans to open a new coffee shop Friday that it touts as its first coffee outlet in the world to have tatami floors in a Japanese-style house.

Starbucks Coffee Japan said a two-story Japanese home built more than 100 years ago will be used for the shop, and it will be located near the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kiyomizu temple, a popular tourist destination.

The second floor will feature three rooms with tatami, or straw matting, traditionally used as a floor covering in Japanese homes, the Tokyo-based company said.

The shop will face Ninenzaka, one of the popular streets leading from Kiyomizu temple to Kodaiji temple, which is lined with traditional shops.

The house was used until 2005 and previously hosted traditional entertainers such as geisha.

Starbucks Coffee Japan said it will not allow people to form lines in front of the shop and will also restrict the number of customers during peak hours to avoid disrupting the quiet atmosphere in the area.

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