There’s no right or wrong way to get your coffee fix in Japan, but our focus here is on specialty coffee shops, where—as Tessier says—”beans are ground to order and coffee is being made by hand with care.
For an interesting contrast, also be sure to visit a kissaten. These are old-school Japanese coffee shops where students and salarymen take their coffee with breakfast or curry rice lunch sets in delightfully vintage surroundings. One of our favorites is the legendary Chatei Hatou in Tokyo.
Japan’s best coffee shops import beans from coffee-growing countries around the world, such as Guatemala, Rwanda, Kenya, Indonesia and Thailand. Beans tend to be roasted and ground on site in small batches. Aeropress, French press, and paper drip (pour over) are common preparation methods.
Coffee nerds will geek out when they see the shelves of equipment at many of the shops below, and with enough luggage space, it can all be yours! For more check out Eric’s guide on where to buy coffee accessories in Japan.