Coffee shops and tea rooms Japan

The light-filled cypress wood interior alone invites you to discover wagashi. These Japanese pastries made from bean paste have been the house specialty for centuries in Kyoto. The Akasaka branch opened in 1879, but has recently undergone a facelift. On the^3rd floor, a spacious cafe offers desserts full of delicacy. On the^{2nd floor}, the store sells classic cakes and contemporary variations, and the basement gallery tells their story. It is a beautiful address, in the shadow of the gardens of Akasaka Palace.

It is a classic in Ginza. The main café opened in 1969, and there are branches all over the district. The atmosphere is western: red carpet, wooden tables, walls covered with impressionist paintings and jazz music in the background. The café fills up mostly in the afternoon, and everyone talks in hushed voices. One comes here above all to taste the Mont Blanc à la japonaise or the mille-feuille, specialties of the house. The rest of the menu is rather banal and expensive. The access to the wifi is free.

Almond opened its doors in Shimbashi in 1946. It quickly became a reference in terms of western-style teas and pastries, especially since the pink and white stripes of its facade made a lasting impression. According to the legend, this tea house is the origin of the Japanese habit of offering small towels to wash your hands upon arrival. The institution boasts "shōwa"-style desserts, i.e. from the post-war period. Cream puffs and other strawberry tarts will delight foodies

This café of the famous Doutor chain has the peculiarity of being at the same time a library where you can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the Harry Potter books. With the coffee, you get a book. These have all been chosen and recommended one by one by the employees of the café. Of course, they are in Japanese, but the atmosphere in the café seems so much like a fantastic movie that it is worth entering even if you don't speak the language. The menu also includes a dessert... books.

Mercedes' showroom hides a café and a bar in the middle of the beautiful cars on display. Notice to the amateurs, and to the others as well. The dashing atmosphere, the contemporary setting surrounded by cars, make it a nice address in Roppongi, as much during the day to eat or drink a coffee, as in the evening to have a drink before going to one of the clubs in the neighbourhood. Simple pasta-based menus or more elaborate ones are à la carte. Mercedes has managed to turn its exhibition space into a friendly meeting place where you can easily find each other

Opened in 1982 near the botanical garden, the famous Malebranche pastry shop has since conquered all of Kyoto thanks to its very fine cakes, Japanese variations on Western pastries. Cakes with seasonal flavors, green tea and white chocolate cookies, soft madeleines or mont-blanc, everything here is mouth-watering. You can buy your sweets to take away or sit down in the small café with its immaculate white décor, to take the time to savor them. The only drawback: there is sometimes a queue to get in.

The famous Norwegian coffee brand, recognizable by its white bird on a red background, has been based in Tokyo since 2012. In this trendy district of Shibuya, the espresso bar has quickly become a landmark for cosmopolitan and international youth, and the backdrop for many instagram photos. During the day, the place serves almost exclusively a fragrant coffee, with the exception of a few croissants or pain au chocolat. In the evening, it turns into a very relaxed bar and groups form outside in the pedestrian alley

Perched on the 8th floor of a building, this cute and trendy café offers an exceptional view of the west end of the city and the river. The view is so clear that you can have fun counting the temples of the Gion district from the terrace! Lighted by loupiottes at dusk and shaded in summer, this one is very charming. The decoration consists of a mix of design objects and a bric-a-brac of vintage furniture and dried plants. A good place at any time of the day: for lunch, coffee or a drink.

A small café, like a doll's house with a refined décor. Delicate, like the pastries served here. The house specializes in rolled cakes flavored with black beans. A fluffy cream in a thin layer of lightly sweetened sponge cake is served on the spot with a bean tea, or to take away. These cakes are characteristic of what is known in Japan asotona no aji, the taste of adults: subtle, tangy and not very sweet. The desserts are small, but the aesthetic and gustatory experience leaves you full. A real sweet break.

Since its recent opening, all the fashionable youth have been flocking to this Teramachi café. Designed by Kengo Kuma, which mixes urban sobriety of concrete and traditional elements with a ceiling covered with bamboo baskets, natural and organic recipes, the place has everything to be in line with the trend. We still come for the donuts and they can be surprising. Donut with lemon meringue, black sesame or shiso grass, the café offers new flavours inspired by Japanese ingredients. A delight!

The history of Tokyo Fugetsudo dates back to the Edo period, but it was in the 19th century, at the very beginning of the opening of Japan, that this pastry shop became known for its Western-style wafers. The shop was one of the first to introduce Western-style desserts (waffles, madeleines, strawberry cakes, etc.) to the Japanese public, and subsequently opened many branches. Classic cakes served with care, porcelain dishes, the place has a slightly old-fashioned side, but it is a sure value for a coffee break in Ginza.

Nestled on the corner of a pedestrian street between Shibuya and Yoyogi Park, this café elevates drinking to an art form. There is no drink menu. The baristas ask for your preferences and make suggestions accordingly. The wooden interior is sober and it is surprisingly quiet. Indeed, computers are forbidden because one comes here to take one's time over a good coffee, served with grace in beautiful porcelain cups, each more incredible than the other. Summer and winter alike, the terrace is accessible for a moment of idleness.

A little far from the main stations, the very pleasant Happō-en Park is a traditional Japanese garden that invites to meditation. Inside, several buildings organize all kinds of events. For a tea ceremony in the purest tradition, one goes to the Muan tea pavilion. Reservation is necessary if you want to follow the whole tea ceremony, but it is not necessary for a simple tasting in front of the pond which is in the heart of the garden. A nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

While tourists flock to the Sensō-ji, fewer push on to the east bank of the Sumida River. Yet that's where you'll find this pleasant, dapper complex built under the waterfront railroad. Here you'll find restaurants, stores, a climbing gym, a sports hall and the Ichiya café, which serves delicious Japanese desserts. When the weather's fine, Japanese families also come to relax in the park opposite. It's a pleasant break on the way from Asakusa to the Sky Tree.

In this café - be careful not to miss the entrance! - they serve a thoughtful breakfast (toast, salad, juice and yoghurt) and coffee with siphon, and in the afternoon excellent French toast (not the American avatar very common in Japanese cafés). A good place to have an early morning breakfast before a day of sightseeing. According to the owner, the narrow building would have been the apartment of a geisha, at the time when the district was famous for its night life. And here is a bit of nostalgia served with the coffee. We ask for more.

Inside "Iceberg" a new generation co-working place, it is a bright café in the heart of young and fashionable Harajuku. The coffee is simple, the lunch menus are limited but tasty. Their specialty is a "draft coffee", a cold coffee served like a sparkling beer. It's mainly to immerse yourself in the neighborhood atmosphere that you come here. Young people with eclectic styles, cosmopolitan self-employed people and chic elderly ladies come here, summarizing the essence of Harajuku by their juxtaposed presence.