Tokyo Explorer

cakes, coffee, cakes, coffee – as far as the eye can see

If you find yourself in need of a break from the sensory overload that Ginza can sometimes give, try another very Ginza experience—take a seat at one of the many cafés you find here, sit back and watch the world pass by.

Since the Meiji era and the introduction of the first Western fashions, Ginza has always been a place where people would go to both see and be seen. The cafés, often window-fronted, sometimes with outdoor terraces, provide a perfect vantage point, and the coffee and cakes aren’t bad either.

Located opposite the famous Wako department store, at the 4-chome crossing, the Café Doutor - the upmarket version of the Doutor coffee shops that you see all over Tokyo – offers coffees ranging from the blend at 380 yen to the mocha at 480 yen, as well as one of the best places to sit back and take it all in.

photo: Ian Priestly
In the building next to Doutor, the similarly-priced, 9th floor ‘Happy Café,’ with seats facing towards the window, gives a more elevated view of Ginza. From here, you can see the famous Wako clock tower opposite and the neon lights of the surrounding buildings. Highly recommended in the evening when Ginza lights up.

One block away, on the corner of Ginza Street and Miyuki Street, the windows of the Bunmeido café are less for looking out than looking in.
A huge stained-glass picture covers one wall, depicting – for no apparent reason – a king who looks suspiciously like Henry VIII. The King and his entourage look down on the designer-clad customers as they nibble away at cakes which continue the regal theme with names like Royal Shortcake and Diamond Chocolate. As you might expect, prices are not cheap and a coffee and cake set will come to around 2000 yen.

Cake and dessert eating is experiencing something of a boom in Japan right now, particularly among Japanese women, encouraging hotels and cafés to offer regular eat-as-much-as-you-like cake buffets. On Nishi-Ginza Street, which passes in front of the Fujiya building, there are several cafés catering for those with a sweet-tooth. Walk along the street and in five short minutes you will come to one of the Cozy Corner chain cafés that you see dotted around the capital. The décor, like the cakes, is bright, garish and, you feel, something that Willy Wonka would have been proud of. An ideal place for those with kids. While they slobber over a parfait, apple pie or cheesecake, you can enjoy your coffee comforted by the fact that the bill is not likely to cause you too much anxiety. The cakes are less than 400 yen, and the drinks around 300. Those with kids or a sweet-tooth may, however, wish they had walked a little further before deciding where to stop as a few more minutes up the road you come to Café Izumi. A strawberry red shop front frames the café’s own work of art - The Waffles. Covered in sauce, chocolate, cream and fruit, in-house specialties such as the mixed berry ice-cream waffle or the choco-banana cream waffle go for around 850 yen – in all likelihood a bargain, given that you probably won’t want to eat for the rest of the day.

If sickly waffles and the Café Izumi weren’t quite the image of Japan that you had in mind, the café Fugetsudo should help convince you that that another, more refined version of café does exist. Fugetsudo is on the corner of two side streets, Namiki Street and Miyuki street, off the main Harumi street. Here, the kimono-wearing waitresses serve tea or coffee in a more elegant setting. Traditional Japanese cakes made from mochi (a chewy rice paste), and flavoured with local delicacies like black bean paste and green tea powder are the specialty. Prices are reasonable and each small cake costs around 150 yen, the coffee or tea around 500. Especially recommended is the Momijiyama cake.

photo: Ian Priestly

Despite all this talk of cake, coffee purists should not despair. The sign outside the Café L’Ambre gives its own response to the masses of cake-serving establishments that have sprung up all around. It reads simply “Coffee only.” But what coffee! On my last visit, customers sat around the counter in silence - as if partaking in a Zen meditation session – while a young apprentice poured hot water onto ground coffee beans in a cloth filter bag. The Brazilian beans, I was told, had been roasted that morning by the owner and Master, the 94-year-old Ichiro Sekiguchi. The L’Ambre has been in business since 1948 and its devotion to obtaining the best beans and to the process of coffee- making make it, quite simply, one of the best coffee shops in Tokyo. There are no frills at the L’Ambre and its Spartan wooden interior makes it clear that you are here for one reason only - to appreciate the goods. Considering the quality, the price is reasonable, regular coffees such as the Café crème going for 650 yen, and a range of coffee liqueurs for just under 800.

The Café L’Ambre can be found on Mikado street, a side street running parallel to Ginza street, at 8-chome, just behind UFJ bank. On the main Ginza Street, just a few minutes from the L’Ambre, you will also find the café Paulista, whose hundred-year history makes it the oldest coffee shop in Tokyo. Bigger than the L’Ambre and somewhat busier, the Paulista also uses high quality Brazilian beans, and serves fine coffee.

Another place worth mentioning for its cafés is the area next to the Kabuki-za theatre. Cafés here have traditionally catered for the theatre goers and have their own history. The café YOU, a few minutes further along Harumi Street past the Kabuki-za, has been in business since the seventies and is popular with students as well as the kabuki crowd.
Its minimalist, wooden interior give it the look of a Japanese house, and on the wall there are autographs from some of the Kabuki performers who have popped in. Coffees and teas (the cinnamon tea is recommended) are in the 500-600 yen range.

On the street running along the side of Kabuki-za, Kobikicho Street,
the Ki-no-Hana café is also proud of its past customers. It was here that John Lennon and Yoko Ono once came and enjoyed the mellow atmosphere. Apparently, the owner was so moved that he kept John’s ashtray as a souvenir. A picture outside shows the place where the couple sat. Needless to say, this place is usually taken, so you will probably have to enjoy your coffee, herbal tea or lunchtime curry at another table. Again prices are around 500-600 yen for drinks.