It’s been a while since the last post, sorry about that! I’ve been so busy over the weekend moving into my new house that I just haven’t had the time to fit posting in. That’s all sorted now though, so let’s get back to it. When we last left off I’d touched down in Japan and spent my first night in the city, feeling equal parts hesitant and excited. This was all going to change though, and after a solid 14 hours of sleep, I set off to spend my first full day out there.
After waking up a little before midday, I hopped in the shower to freshen up and headed out into the late-morning sunshine. Today I felt like exploring the local area, which took me around the district of Meguro, before returning to become more familiar with Shibuya, it was my home for the duration of the stay after all. Being the coffee nut I am, I decided to check out the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Meguro – Heralded as the world’s largest Starbucks and boasting a range of coffee experiences spanning four floors, this was a must see on my travels.
I left the hotel and wound my way through the narrow side streets and alleyways of Shibuya, before crossing under an overpass and making my way into the distinctly more residential roads of Meguro. I took a break to grab some Pocari Sweat from a park vending machine, before soldiering on with my journey to the fabled purveyor of caffeine. After reaching one of the Meguro river’s many bridges, the sight I’d been searching for loomed into view. It’s a little odd at first, seeing a building that wouldn’t look out of place in the centre of Toyko, nestled in a quiet little residential district. Nevertheless I pressed on and strode through the hulking glass doors at the entrance. The sight I was met with was something akin to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; with its big copper roaster towering over everything, taking pride and place in the centre of the building. Extruding from its chestnut exterior are pipes, wound intricately across the building ready to dispense freshly-roasted beans to each level, like a brown metallic leviathan.
I soon learned each floor had its own purpose, from the bakery on the ground floor, to the thoughtfully-designed space dedicated to Japan’s passion for tea on the first floor. There’s even a meeting room on the third floor, for all those hard-hitting coffee discussions we all have on a regular basis. Perhaps my favourite floor though, was the second floor: a place devoted to coffee’s influence in mixology. Here you could order a whole array of caffeinated cocktails and mocktails, and best of all, you could sit out and enjoy them on their open air terrace. I ordered an Emerald City Mule, some kind of mocktail splicing together cold brew and ginger ale, along with cinnamon syrup and fresh lemon, topped off with a slice of apple. It’s not the kind of thing I’d usually go for, but given the searing Tokyo sunshine I wasn’t quite used to yet, it was just what I needed.
After Starbucks, I caught the metro round to go pay another coffee house a visit. This time it was to Glitch Coffee & Roasters, in Chiyoda. This was my favourite spot for a drink across all my time in Japan, and for good reason too. The whole joint felt much more personal and friendly than any chain cafe could ever manage to, with its team of passionate baristas and it’s inventive touches you’d struggle to find anywhere else. I ordered a cold brew coffee, which was served on the rocks ala a fine whiskey, with a trendy tasting notes card accompanying it. Like with the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, their cast iron roaster was on full display for all to see, enticing passersby in from the street. After finishing my drink I headed back to the hotel, to rest my weary feet and freshen up before heading out for the night again.
Heading out into the Tokyo night revealed that Shibuya’s iconic scramble crossing gets no less busy after the sun goes down, with hoards of people still making their way across the painted strips of white tarmac every 90 seconds. I was in the mood for katsu curry and had seen a highly praised local place not too far from the hotel, by the name of ‘Joutoukare’, though this has since changed on Google Maps. I searched hard for the right place, but ultimately ended up going into a ramen bar on the same street (I would later find out this was right next door to where I was trying to go…). After parting ways with ¥850 I was ready to experience my first authentic bowl of ramen, and it did not disappoint. There was a decent balance of pork, onion and seaweed, with a decently balanced, if a little plain, broth. I headed back to the hotel once more to retire for the night, still not completely over the 8 hour time difference.
In the next part, I’ll be visiting the Yayoi Kusama museum, as well as finding yet more coffee shops and getting more than a little bit lost. I decided to check out what Japan considered an English pub, as well as much more. Hope you stick around! Be sure to follow the blog to stay up to date with all the times I post here.
Baristas & Breakpoints 