Quake-hit cafe in Miyagi port city of Kesennuma connects people through jazz
Located in the port city of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, an old jazz cafe hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which has offered coffee and jazz to local residents for more than half a century, is evolving into a venue connecting people through the ...
Nightlife spots off Japan's beaten tourist track seek to lure in foreign visitors
At around 10 p.m. on a Thursday in early August, foot traffic at a dining and drinking district only one stop from Tokyo's Ikebukuro Station was unexpectedly sparse despite warm summer weather — ideal conditions for a cold beverage, or two. Across streetcar tracks and ...
Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd. said Tuesday that it will start a new service to allow customers to order and pay through its smartphone app without waiting in line. The service, called Mobile Order & Pay, started at its 56 stores in Tokyo on Wednesday. Starbucks aims ...
Some cafes are offering college students simulated experiences of everyday life at work in a company, using virtual reality technology. The simulation takes the user through a day in the life of a company employee, moving beyond the explanations given at company information sessions. The content ...
Travel agency H.I.S. Co. said Tuesday that a robot will serve coffee to customers at a cafe it plans to open next month at its flagship branch in central Tokyo. The agency's new Henn Na Cafe (strange cafe) in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward will feature a ...
Cafe Antique: A modern take on the best of classic kissaten
Like most independent cafes and kissaten (Japanese coffee shops), Cafe Antique is a labor of love for owner and chef Tatsuya Iwasaki.
Green tea cafes aim to revive interest in a Japanese classic
Japan's consumption of green tea is in steady decline, but a new breed of casual cafe specializing in the traditional brew aims to reverse the trend.
Saiin Roasting Factory: Tasty, Quirk and easy on the pocket
The exactitude that barista and coffee roaster Yosuke Yamashita employs in making each cup of coffee extends to the whole operation at his bijou cafe in the western reaches of Kyoto.
Tsutaya Co., a major Japanese movie and music rental and bookshop chain, will open its first "book cafe" in Taiwan on Tuesday, company officials said Monday. The Tsutaya Bookstore in Xinyi, Taipei's newest trend-setting commercial district, aims to offer a new "lifestyle" for people to ...
East Japan Railway Co. opened its first cafe overseas in Singapore on Sunday with an eye to setting up more such cafes in Southeast Asia. The travel-themed Japan Rail Cafe is located on the first floor of the newly completed Tanjong Pagar Centre, the tallest ...
Cafes employing staff with disabilities find taste trumps all
Walking into Sign with Me, a soup cafe in Tokyo, customers are greeted not by the typical irasshaimase shouts of welcome, but sign language and gestures from the courteous staff. The cafe's hearing-impaired owner, Masahiro Yanagi, 43, used to be a facilitator for hiring disabled ...
Osaka stargazers appear on cafe rooftop at night
You could argue that the busy, crowded city of Osaka, with its glaring neon lights, is one of the least suitable locations for observing stars. But one cafe owner would disagree. Thirty-year-old Keisuke Yamaguchi says it is possible to see a wide range of stars ...
