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Coffee is a serious business in Japan and one of the country’s favourite drinks, making it a perfect destination for anyone who loves great coffee.
Intro
Japan loves coffee! While Japan’s tea and its traditional tea ceremonies are famous around the world, the country’s love of coffee and its thriving contemporary coffee culture is a lesser-known secret. Japan is a national leader in the coffee community and is responsible for turning coffee into a fine-dining experience. If you’re a coffee drinker who loves checking out the coolest coffee shops and cafes when you travel, then you’ll be in for a treat in Japan. While Japan is home to all the big coffee chains, the real story can be found in its independent coffee shops - known as kissaten in Japanese - which is where the country’s coffee masters have been honing their trade and pioneering hand-brewing techniques to create some of the finest and most unique coffee in the world. This is the true heart of Japan’s coffee culture. In this blog, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about Japan’s coffee culture, a brief history of coffee in Japan, the country’s coffee hotspots and how to travel between them with the ever-reliable Japan Rail Pass and domestic rail network. Ready for the best coffee of your life? 
Do They Drink Coffee in Japan?
Yes! As we mentioned above, coffee is big business in Japan and the country has a serious coffee culture. It may surprise you to learn that Japan is one of the biggest coffee markets in the world, ranking third globally by coffee revenue (around 4 trillion yen in 2019). Coffee is a hugely popular beverage in Japan and a way of life among Japanese people as well as international visitors, and the country’s love of coffee ranks alongside Italy, the USA, Britain, and South America. Japan has a long history with coffee, which we’ll explore in more depth below, and its contemporary coffee culture scene is thriving. If you’re a coffee aficionado planning a pilgrimage to Japan then you’ll be very well catered for. Japan’s cities are packed full of some of the trendiest, most welcoming, coffee shops anywhere in the world. Speaking of which, Japan’s own coffee brands have also gone worldwide, such as Ueshima Coffee Co (or UCC as it’s also known), and many more. Japan not only loves coffee, but it has made its mark on the industry too. Similar to the way Japan took western beverages like whiskey and beer and created their own unique, high-quality ‘craft’ brands through pioneering methods, the country has become a hugely influential coffee trailblazer over the decades. Let’s find out more. 
A Brief History of Coffee in Japan
It is believed that coffee was first introduced in Japan by Dutch and Portuguese traders, and it was certainly present by around 1700. At the time, tea was the dominant drink in Japan, but coffee slowly began to gain a foothold. In 1888, the first coffee house, Kahiichakan, opened in Tokyo's Ueno district, founded by Tei Eikei (the shop closed after around five years). In the early 1900s, there was also a diaspora of Japanese immigrants to Brazil to work on coffee plantations. Roughly 35,000 Japanese emigrated to Brazil to work on coffee farms between 1908 and 1924, and some of those who returned to Japan did so with a newfound expertise that helped light the spark for the country’s emerging coffee culture and drive forward the industry. Over the course of the 20th Century, Japan’s love of coffee grew and grew and its coffee masters began to lead the way on the world stage, pioneering techniques such as hand-brewing long before their western counterparts. One of the key figures in this period was Tadao Ueshima, who began to produce coffee from his shop in Kobe, Japan, and went on to found the famous Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC). Known as the ‘father of coffee’ in Japan, Ueshima founded his company in 1933, and his innovative canned coffee, launched in 1969, helped fuel the country’s coffee boom in the decades after the Second World War (coffee imports had been banned during the war and only resumed in 1950). The growing popularity of coffee also led to kissaten - independent Japanese coffee houses - opening across Japan and taking an important place in Japanese culture. What Is a Kissaten?
Kissaten translates as ‘tea drinking shop’ but today usually refers to Japan’s traditional, independent coffee shops. Dark, warm, inviting, retro, traditional, and offering a sense of privacy and homeliness despite being a public place, kissaten are at the heart of Japan’s coffee culture. Alongside home and work, kissaten are known as a kind of ‘third place’, situated in the space between public and private. As well as the beautiful aroma of roasted coffee, you might hear jazz music, or smell the smoke from an older gentleman’s cigar. And you’re as likely to see hard-working business people as you are coffee-fuelled students and grandparents. There are kissaten across Japan that date back almost 100 years and they are definitely worth a visit for those wanting to experience a Japanese institution as well as a great cup of coffee. 
Japan’s Coffee Culture
As we’ve explained, Japan loves coffee and it occupies an important place in their culinary culture. While Japan’s coffee masters and independent kissaten have developed some of the finest coffee in the world and created special social spaces to enjoy it, the country has also pioneered affordable, mass-produced coffee for the nation’s busy, hardworking, and frequently on-the-go populace. This includes canned coffee, which is something that Japan first introduced to the world. As such, there are lots of different types of coffee available in Japan. As well as the usual cold brews, lattes, espressos, and more to try, here are a few additional varieties to look out for - canned coffee (affordable and ideal for those on the move); iced coffee (strong coffee in tall glass with ice cubes - with or without gomme sugar syrup; coffee fresh (coffee served with a small pot of cream)); and more. An interesting coffee-related custom to be aware of when visiting Japan is called ‘morning service’. At many kissaten, if you order a coffee in the morning, you can get a breakfast set, such as toast, eggs and salad, for free or for a small extra charge (offerings vary by shop and region).
While coffee is everywhere in Japan and excellent value for the most part, the country is also leading the way in high-end coffee experiences too - essentially the ‘fine dining’ of the coffee world. You’ll find this if you visit the coffee shop known as ‘Cokuun’ in Omotesando, Tokyo. Read more about what makes this coffee shop so special in our list below. Other high-end Japanese coffee shops leading the way globally in terms of innovation, high-end coffee, and unique dining experiences include Leaves Coffee and Koffee Mameya Kakeru, both in Tokyo, where reservations are usually required. In recent years, the city’s formerly industrial Kiyosumi-Shirakawa neighbourhood in the east has become one of the centres of the country’s thriving coffee culture as young, ambitious roasters moved into the area.
Five Coffee Shops To Visit In Japan
There are thousands of independent kissaten across Japan as well as bigger home-grown coffee chains (such as Ueshima Coffee Company, Doutor, and Mariva, to name three) as well as their big western equivalents. For this list we’ve focussed more on the traditional Japanese side, which might appeal more to international visitors:
1. Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC)
While it's a home-grown chain, UCC is one of Japan’s best-known coffee brands. If you want to try a cup from the company founded by Japan’s father of coffee, there are Ueshima Coffee Company shops across Japan to visit, including in Kobe where it originated. Kobe is also home to the UCC Coffee Museum on Port Island, which reopened after a renovation in July 2026 (admission must be reserved online in advance, and the museum is normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays), as well as the world-famous Kobe beef! You can use the JRailPass to reach the harbour city of Kobe in the Hyogo Prefecture by travelling on the JR Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Kobe on Hikari or Kodama trains, which are covered by the pass (Nozomi and Mizuho trains need a supplement; check which services stop at Shin-Kobe).
2. Cokuun
As we mentioned above, Cokuun has become known for its fine-dining coffee experience. Overseen by the 2014 World Barista Champion Hidenori Izaki, tthis contemporary coffee house serves private, ticketed coffee omakase for around 16,500 yen per person! Reservations are required and seats are very limited, so book well in advance. It might be expensive, but it’s also some of the best coffee you’ll ever have. Omotesando is known as Tokyo’s Fifth Avenue thanks to its luxury, high-end shopping, restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops. It can be reached easily on foot from Harajuku JR station. Simply take the JR Yamanote line and get out at Harajuku. Take the front entrance of the station, go right and walk from 2-3 minutes and there is the start of Omotesando. The Yamanote line is covered by the JR Pass. Alternatively, Omotesando Station can be accessed using the Tokyo Metro (Chiyoda, Ginza, Hanzomon lines).
3. Koffee Mameya Kakeru
Located in Tokyo’s eastern Kiyosumi-Shirakawa neighbourhood - one of the centres of Japan’s contemporary coffee culture - has been rated as one of the best places to eat or drink in Japan. Koffee Mameya Kakeru serves tasting courses where a barista guides you through different roasts prepared as cold brew, pour-over, cocktails and more. Reservations are usually required, so check the café's website before you go.
4. Inoda Coffee
Kyoto’s Inoda Coffee - particularly its original branch in the city - is a kissaten with a retro, old school charm. Founded in 1940 as a coffee bean seller, with its first coffee shop opening in 1947, it now has several shops in the city and elsewhere in Japan, but has retained its traditional atmosphere. Otafuku is another local and traditional kissaten that would be a great choice for those visiting Kyoto. Getting to Kyoto with your Japan Rail Pass is easy from either Tokyo or Osaka. Both cities are connected to Kyoto by the JR Tokaido Shinkansen. From Osaka you can also take the JR special rapid train on the JR Kyoto Line. Once in Kyoto, the easiest way to get around the city is using public transportation, so you’ll want to invest in a prepaid travel card such as an ICOCA, PASMO or Suica card, as well as a JR Pass for getting around the rest of the country. Note that the Nozomi and Mizuho Shinkansen trains are not covered by the pass without a supplement.
5. Kayaba Coffee & Chatei Hatou
Dating back to 1938, Kayaba Coffee on Yanaka's Kototoi-dori, in Tokyo, is a traditional kissaten that will take you back in time with a cup of pure nostalgia. Also in Tokyo, the kissaten Chatei Hatou, is one of the most highly recommended and well worth a visit. A short walk from Shibuya Station, in the backstreets of the Miyamasuzaka area, Chatei Hatou’s dark, traditional, and inviting wooden interiors make it the kissaten of your imagination. Tokyo has a number of other traditional kissaten too, such as Satei Hato in Shibuya, Tajimaya Coffee House in Shinjuku, and Monozuki in Nishi-Ogikubo - we did tell you that you’d be in for a treat if you’re a coffee lover visiting Japan!
Bonus Recommendations
Coffee lovers will feel right at home in Japan, but it’s definitely not the only beverage (or food-related item) that this amazing country is famous for. Here are a few closely related bonus recommendations:
- Japan, of course, is famous for its love of tea and for tea ceremonies in particular. Tea was first introduced to Japan in the 9th century and was initially exclusive to monks and later the Imperial family. It was between the 12th and 16th centuries that drinking tea grew in popularity, eventually reaching every corner of Japanese society. Japanese tea ceremonies are a ritualistic activity that is an artform all to itself. Known as the Way of Tea and called sadō, chanoyu, or chadō in Japanese, the custom is a ceremonial serving of matcha green tea within a traditional tearoom. Find out more in our to What It's Like to Take Part in a Japanese Tea Ceremony. You can also visit the Teahouses of Kanazawa or Japan’s Beautiful and Historic Green Tea Fields.
- Kanpei! Japan loves beer. In fact, beer is Japan’s most popular alcoholic drink. Japanese beer has always been crisp, clean and pure, but with more and more craft beer producers and distilleries emerging as competition for big brands such as Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory, international craft beer enthusiasts travelling to Japan have a huge amount to look forward to and enjoy. Find out more in Kanpai! A Craft Beer Tour of Japan.
- Japanese Whiskey! Outside of Kentucky in the USA, and Scotland in the UK, Japan is arguably the No.1 destination for whiskey lovers. Japan has a serious love affair with whiskey and has become one of the world’s finest producers of the spirit, creating its own unique whiskies that are a genuine rival for the very best whiskies from around the world. Read our guide, Japan for Whiskey Lovers, to find out more.
- Japan is obviously famous for having some of the best food in the world too, from sushi and ramen, street food and regional specialities, all the way through to Michelin-starred fine dining. If your Japanese coffee culture holiday gives you an appetite, be sure to read our guide to Japanese Food and Regional Dishes for everything you might need to know in advance.
- Alongside the above, if you’re planning on searching for the hippest new coffee shops in Japan’s biggest cities, then we highly recommend you invest in a PocketWifi device for unlimited internet access and data on up to five devices simultaneously.
- Finally, with all this talk of food and drink, you might be worried about needing a refresher in Japanese etiquette. Fear not as we’re here to help yet again. Just read our blog on Japanese Table Manners and you’ll be all set!
FAQs
1. Do people drink coffee in Japan?
Yes. Japan is one of the world's biggest coffee markets, and coffee is part of daily life, from traditional kissaten and specialty roasters to canned coffee in vending machines and convenience stores.
2. What is a kissaten?
A kissaten is a traditional Japanese coffee house. Often dark, warm and retro, kissaten are known for hand-brewed coffee, a quiet atmosphere and a sense of nostalgia.
3. Who invented canned coffee?
UCC (Ueshima Coffee Co.), founded by Tadao Ueshima in Kobe, introduced the world's first canned coffee, UCC Coffee with Milk, in 1969.
4. What is morning service in Japan?
Morning service is a custom at many kissaten where ordering a coffee in the morning comes with a breakfast set, often toast, eggs and salad, for free or for a small extra charge.
5. How much does a coffee omakase cost in Tokyo?
Prices vary. At Cokuun in Omotesando, the ticketed coffee omakase costs around 16,500 yen per person and requires a reservation, while tasting courses at some other specialty cafes start at a few thousand yen. Check current prices before you book.
6. Is the Japan Rail Pass useful for coffee lovers?
Yes. The JR Yamanote Line, covered by the Japan Rail Pass, takes you to Harajuku for Omotesando in Tokyo, and the Shinkansen connects Tokyo with Kyoto, Kobe and other coffee destinations (Nozomi and Mizuho trains need a supplement).
