Much like in America, Starbucks is EVERYWHERE in Japan. I'm pretty sure every major train station has one in it or near it. They're always in great spots and not like, you know, shoved in a corner for convenience on the mall level of Macy's or the basement of Sears like at Ala Moana.
One of the newest and BEST locations is in Harajuku on top of the the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku building. I went there a while ago to explore and I sort of can't believe that Starbucks makes enough money on coffee and tea to afford this space. The indoor portion of the cafe is a decent size, but the outdoor area is HUGE.
And of course, there's this lovely piece of prime real estate in Shibuya that Starbucks uses. Getting a window seat on a busy Sunday and watching the crowd ebb and flow through the scramble... that I'll really miss.
Even my nearest big station, Omiya, has a big Starbucks in a prime spot. I should've gotten a photo from the concourse floor, this is the view from the barista area. It might not be as nice as the Harajuku and Shibuya locations, but it's still good for people watching and it's a nice space in the station.
Things I Won't Miss About Japan #6: Going to 10 Coffee Shops and Not Finding a Damn Seat
The great locations most likely contribute to the problem of not being able to find a seat at Starbucks, but that doesn't explain why I can't ever find a seat when I want one at the other billion coffee shops in Tokyo.
Whenever I want a nice creamy coffee beverage as a pick-me-up, it's like everyone in the city had the same idea at the same time and had to find a nice place to plop down for a while and nurse a caramel macchiato or maple royal milk tea. It's even worse when they've got the good seasonal drinks with sakura or matcha flavors on the menu. I'd have a beer outside the combini, but eehhh... I'm not THAT bad a gaijin.
If you have time you should check out the new one at T-site in Daikanyama! Vey cool location, inside a gorgeous bookstore
ReplyDeletei love this about japan too, well tokyo at least.
ReplyDeletecoffee all around! tho lately prefer tully`s to starbucks. ^^ agree about the lack of seating xD my evil gaijin stare comes in handy at such times tho xD
have a great day ^^/
MMxoxo
omg, same. i really hate going to a coffee shop and there's never any seats T_T
ReplyDeleteI'll have to put that on my to-do list before I leave!
ReplyDeleteDoutor is good, too, despite their hideous logo design. Whatever thing I had in that photo was delicious, though.
ReplyDeleteI've come to not care so much about being in the smoking section so sometimes I get lucky there, but even that isn't guaranteed to be open :/
ReplyDelete