You don't expect time machines to come with a serving of coffee, but that's the power of kissatens. In Japan, these old-school cafes can send you back decades through a freshly brewed cup.
These vintage coffee shops are associated with the country's Shōwa era (1926–1989) and are seen as a "third place": a hangout space that's not your home or workplace. It was where you went to listen to a jazz record, or nurse a darkly roasted coffee and menu staple like pizza toast.
I’ll always remember my first kissaten visit. The venue? Cafe Ace (also known as Coffee Shop Ace), a retro wonder that was remarkable in many ways. Inside, the air was scented with roasting seaweed. The smoky ingredient was the star of the cafe's signature nori toast – a Tokyo breakfast worth savouring. The sandwich was flavoured with a crisp sheet of seaweed, a swipe of butter and a drizzle of soy sauce: pressed together and run through the grill, it was deeply savoury – like a Japanese version of Vegemite toast.
This cafe has been operated by two brothers since 1971, and you could notice the crinkle of years in the vintage furniture and faces of the regulars. The warmth at Cafe Ace has developed over decades; a slow-aged charm that made you grateful to be there. The walls described 40 types of coffee from around the world. Unsure what to order, I punched a question into Google Translate and asked the owners for their recommendation. They pointed to the Golden Camel coffee displayed throughout the cafe. I sipped the dark roast and noticed how ultra-proud the brothers were of their business - their enthusiasm sparked many smiles.
Their enthusiasm sparked many smiles.
That visit was many years ago and every now and then, I'll scroll through Instagram for a trip back to Cafe Ace. The brothers have been pouring coffee and plating toast in that cafe for more than 50 years and I hope they're still thriving. A shot of them at the counter or reading the newspaper confirms they're still there. I'd love to order nori toast one last time before they retire.
Another kissaten I adored: Canadian Coffee House in Ichinomiya, located half an hour's drive from Nagoya, Japan's fourth-biggest city. I learn about it via Craig Mod, a writer who documented his 1,000km-long walk looking for pizza toast at kissatens across the country. (These memorable treks fill the pages of his Kissa By Kissa publication, which is one of my favourite books about Japan.)
Ichinomiya is a quiet town and a little out of the way (a taxi driver, in fact, kicks us out of his cab when we presented the address of the cafe to him), but it's the birthplace of morning service culture. Textile workers would bundle into cafes to have meetings, away from the loud machinery of their factories. This led to coffee shops offering complimentary snacks (like peanuts) and developing the morning service set, a breakfast staple long associated with neighbouring Nagoya (even though it began in Ichinomiya).
So at Canadian Coffee House, I sit down to local kissaten classics such as toast sweetened with red bean paste. What makes this cafe stand out, though, is its extraordinary building: it resembles a giant airy wooden cabin.
There's signage outlining his 'tiny heart' philosophies.
The owner, Mr Sakai, built this architectural wonder completely out of Canadian red cedar as a tribute to the North American country, Mod explains in his book. Canada was a place Sakai-san would visit and revisit with his wife. This cafe feels hyper-personal in other ways: the wall is covered with vintage cups, which are saved for regulars, and there's signage outlining his "tiny heart" philosophies for the shop, like his guarantee of delicious water and hand towels that are generously scented with jasmine.
Nearby Nagoya is famous for its cafes and breakfast culture. A well-known example is Komeda's Coffee, which began here in 1968, and now has outposts around the world (including Hong Kong and Singapore). Despite its historic connection to kissatens, it's also evolving the format such as with the launch of a 'plant-based' kissa in 2020.
Komeda Is offers vegan versions of pizza toast and other signature dishes. You order via touchscreens and unlike the traditionally dark, ageing kissaten venues, it's bright and plant-filled and Instagram-friendly (so is its menu, which includes red bean toast topped with big frills of matcha-sprinkled cream). Its eco-friendly design takes old wood, crushed glass bottles and leftover coffee grounds from Komeda's cafes and sleekly upcycles these materials into its ultra-modern interiors.
KISSATEN CULTURE
A contemporary Japanese kissaten with a Taiwanese twist
Another contemporary example is Minato Coffee in Gifu, which Mod discovered during his long hunt for pizza toast. He described its operator, Inoue Manami, as the youngest female kissaten owner he encountered during this trek.
Her kaleidoscopic versions of sweet dango skewers draw in a different, younger crowd from the vintage cafe demographic. On my next trip to Japan, I hope to visit Minato Coffee. The kissaten might be linked to an older era, but it's inspiring to see it shifting into a new one.
