More than Just a Coffee Shop昭和ノスタルジー 純喫茶

With vinyl records, city pop, and all things Showa retro popular right now, “genuine” coffee shops are attracting attention, especially among young people. Unlike homogenized chains, each coffee shop has a different space design, menu, signboard logo, and background music. They display individuality and are full of local color and originality. Some lay out newspapers or manga books, while others provide oshibori hand towels, offering unique customer service, which adds to their appeal. They have enjoyed strong popularity across the years thanks to the hospitality of their owners, whose commitment is total and who want nothing more than to satisfy their customers. We explore the appeal and value of these genuine coffee shops, now being reevaluated as a cultural heritage of the Showa era (1926-1989).

Genuine coffee shops were originally defined as coffee shops that did not serve alcohol or employ hostesses or the like for customer service. They began to spread all over the country in the 1960s in tandem with the country’s period of high economic growth. Along with playing a salonlike role as places for cultural figures to gather, they were the site of the emergence of a new culture. As they gradually became more popular, people became more comfortable stepping through their doors. They became like a living room for customers, and like a meeting room for companies.

Unlike today when shops are designed with cost firmly in mind, many owners put the highest priority on their own expressions and tastes. At the time, too, there was no choice but to use original materials for interiors and furnishings, which gave the shops a unique atmosphere.

“There were even shops with features such as a fountain, chandelier, or miniature train set designed so that customers would enjoy their cup of coffee,” says Rina Nanba, second director of the Tokyo Coffee Shop Research Institute. “These innovations no doubt express the worldview admired by the owner. Such atmosphere cherished by the owners was created out of their imaginations at a time when information was much, much less available than it is today. Even out of a hundred shops no two are the same. But this is why people don’t get tired of visiting them. I think they have value in this day and age.”

The Kojo coffee shop in Ueno, Tokyo backs up these words. It opened in 1964, the year of the Tokyo Olympics. This belowground coffee shop has stained glass in imitation of the State Hermitage Museum in Russia, a dazzling chandelier on the ceiling, walls that use a variety of marble, a mosaic floor with brass molding—no expense was spared. Its name means “old castle” and it makes you feel as if you have wandered into an old castle. The original owner, Shozo Matsui, designed the shop himself and used custom-made furnishings.

“This is a downtown neighborhood and the houses here were all narrow rowhouses. So the high ceiling and spaciousness were rare at the time,” explains current owner Kyoko Matsui, the original owner’s daughter. When it first opened, the staff were all women who wore kimono and served coffee in silver pots that held one and a half cups. The coffee cups were blue for men and red for women, and this style of presentation is still used today. The shop has no manual as “the freer you are, the more genuine the coffee shop,” Matsui says. She goes on to say, “Our shop is belowground but there are views of nature. The mosaic walls have mountains and trees, and the moon or sun are also depicted. You don’t really notice until you sit down in one of the seats. I found out about that only recently when a Tokyo University of the Arts student told me.”

Each new interaction weaves the shop’s history and adds to its appeal.

Coffee shops are part of an ongoing Showa retro boom. Why do they appeal so much to a generation who did not experience them in their heyday? According to Nanba, social media plays a major role. With more time spent at home during the past few years, young people accumulated more information about genuine coffee shops and the psychological barrier to entering such shops was lowered, and the younger generation became aware of their attractions.

“In today’s society, there is an overabundance of information, and simple designs are considered stylish. In the Showa era, however, colors and patterns were highly varied and pop designs were prominent. Colorful cream soda may be a good case in point. It is not simply that people are nostalgic for the Showa era; people are drawn to things created in that era and are captivated by how good coffee shops are.”

Picking up on this trend, new shops are being established that are intentionally designed to be Showa retro. One such shop is Fujun Kissa Dope in Ueno Okachimachi, the birthplace of the genuine coffee shop. Its classic cream soda and bittersweet caramel custard are very popular. The shop is beloved not only by high school students, but also by business people and local residents. The shop serves alcohol, which is why “fujun,” meaning “non-genuine” is used in its name. “It used to be a coffee shop, and the original interior is being used unchanged.” There are antique chairs and tables, so it has an atmosphere that is not imitative.

Tokyo’s Jimbocho, known as a district of books and students, is being transformed by high-rise buildings due to recent redevelopment projects. Close to the busiest intersection and in an area where the subway emerges, an atmosphere of bygone days still lingers. At this corner is Sabor, founded in 1955, where there is always a queue to get in. It operates as a coffee shop during the day and a bar at night, and is an iconic presence in this district. Its interior is like a slightly darkened bungalow and is adorned with local products from around Japan given as gifts by the shop’s regulars. The atmosphere is nostalgic with a whiff of culture. The shop’s specialty, Napolitan spaghetti, is its signature menu item and why people queue to get in. With a simple tomato ketchup taste and generous helpings, it is enjoyed by students and office workers alike.

“All the coffee shops that have been here forever have just continued doing what they’ve always done. There are not as many of them now, but their value has become apparent. It is sad to see beloved shops disappear, but the popularity of genuine coffee shops brings us great joy.”

Coffee shops are enjoying the spotlight now, but in recent years some have had to close down due to urban redevelopment.

“The same shop can’t be recreated, and it’s unlikely that something of the same value could be created either given the difference in the cost of living and labor costs today,” says Nanba. “These are spaces that can be destroyed in an instant but can only be created with the passage of time.”

Redevelopment is not the only problem, with owners growing older there are concerns about a lack of successors. There are coffee shops however that have been passed down to a younger generation.

One is Jazz Kissa Masako, much beloved since its founding in 1953 in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, where music and theater subcultures are wellrooted. The shop had been scheduled to close due to redevelopment, but a staff member working there at the time, Moe, inherited its legacy. 10 years later, she revived it in its present location in 2020. One wall is filled with thousands of records, an irreplaceable treasure. The shop’s identity has been reproduced, right down to the antique furniture, small interior, and furnishings.

“Jazz coffee shops are a unique part of Japanese culture. With no one to take it on, it would have ended up being destroyed. I decided that if someone was going to do it, it had to be me. Unlike other jazz coffee shops, you don’t have to be familiar with the music and it’s OK to talk a little. We’re trying not to be too strict in order to widen our appeal.”

The signature menu item is toast with red bean paste, a favorite of its founder, Masako. When Moe took over, she added whipped cream, one of her own favorites. “I thought that we should serve meals,” so the shop serves pilaf. Special attention is paid to the coffee. It comes from two types of beans, from Colombia and Ethiopia, which are lightly roasted and paper dripped or darkly roasted over direct heat and flannel dripped.

“Genuine coffee shops were once on the way out, but I think they are booming again just as the music is. It’s the same as people who got rid of their records to listen to music on their smartphones buying vinyl again. Coffee is available now for 100 yen in convenience stores, but people go to coffee shops to make new discoveries. It’s a good opportunity to rediscover the value of old things.”

Genuine coffee shops have an unfading appeal that continues to be cherished. They may enrich our lives in ways that modern society is in danger of forgetting.