Food & Drink | TOKYO FOOD FILE Mar 20, 2021
BGM: Coffee shop’s small size belies big flavor
by Robbie Swinnerton
Chef Yusuke Namai of Ode turns up the volume at his hip spinoff coffee shop in Hiroo.
Food & Drink Jan 10, 2021
A ‘new wind is blowing’ for Japan’s coffee culture
by Spencer Cohen and Tommaso Barbetta
Japan’s kissaten and coffee shops are no strangers to social change. COVID-19 is pushing both shops and their customers into digital-driven habits.
Business Oct 27, 2020
Sushi and canned coffee get unlikely boost from record-breaking ‘Demon Slayer’ movie
Promotional tie-ins with the hit film have boosted Kura Sushi and Dydo's sales.
Food & Drink | KANPAI CULTURE Sep 12, 2020
It’s time to resurrect the tradition of boozy breakfasts with friends in Tokyo
by Melinda Joe
We all deserve a morning meal cooked to order paired with a craft cocktail. “Kanpai Culture” has you covered with three new cafe-bar hybrids.
Food & Drink | TOKYO FOOD FILE Aug 1, 2020
Berg: A classic Shinjuku pit stop, 30 years on
by Robbie Swinnerton
There was already a lot to celebrate about cafe-bar Berg. Now there’s two more: Its 30th birthday and new nonsmoking status.
Style & Design | ON: DESIGN Jul 19, 2020
Omotenashi Selection 2020: Artisanal items with Japanese flair
by Mio Yamada
The sixth annual Omotenashi Selection recognized 68 products for good design and cultural relevance. Three homeware items caught On: Design’s eye.
Food & Drink | THE HIGH GROUNDS May 30, 2020
Can’t visit your favorite coffee shop? Try these customized coffee subscriptions instead.
by Claire Williamson
Four coffee subscription services to keep your mug full from the comfort of home.
World / Social Issues Apr 10, 2020
Caffeinated conservation: Colombian farmers switch coca for coffee to protect wildlife
In a clearing around his modest smallholding, farmer Arcadio Barajas stands before a sea of coffee plants, cloaked in the shadow cast by a wall of verdant forest that covers the San Lucas mountains of northern Colombia. The San Lucas range is one of the ...
National Mar 1, 2020
A project is underway to produce premium coffee from beans grown on Tokunoshima, an island in Kagoshima Prefecture, on a commercial basis. The project was launched in June 2017 by beverage-maker Ajinomoto AGF Inc., major trading house Marubeni Corp., the town of Isen and the ...
People | 20 QUESTIONS Feb 15, 2020
Alvin Cheung: Coffee and keyboards — a perfect combo
by Claire Williamson and Mio Yamada
Alvin Cheung talks about the caffeine-charged world of entrepreneurism, design and "coffee terroir."
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Jan 18, 2020
Japan's news outlets take one step backward before moving forward
by Mark Schreiber
Before going forward into the new year, an extra edition of Shukan Shincho (with a Jan. 27 publication date) flashed back in time to track down author Ben Goto. Now a spry 89 years old, Goto achieved instant fame with a 1973 publication titled ...
Business / Tech Dec 6, 2019
Nonprofit and IBM to sell 25-cent AI devices for analyzing soil
A piece of paper no bigger than a business card could enrich struggling coffee farmers and their soil, a growing challenge as temperatures rise and prices fluctuate. Enveritas, a U.S. nonprofit, signed an agreement with International Business Machines Corp. on Thursday to pilot the AgroPad, ...