With coffee culture gaining attention, led by the arrival of Blue Bottle Coffee, one popular coffee shop has earned rave reviews for its distinctively Japanese style. Omotesando Coffee is housed in a renovated traditional Japanese house.

Even though it's located on a back street just past the residential area of Omotesando, the shop is so crowded that it spills out onto the street. The mastermind behind this popular shop is barista Eiichi Kunitomo. Originally working as a server at an Italian restaurant, he later discovered the depths of bar culture and espresso. He began his coffee career in Osaka in 2001 and opened his Italian bar in 2003.

"At the time, Starbucks had just started opening, and we opened with the concept of 'bringing the excitement of a bar to everyday life.' While standing seating is well-known now, it wasn't yet accepted in Osaka at the time. We faithfully reproduced authentic Italian flavors and style, menu composition, and store layout, but while those who knew what they were getting were happy, it may have been a bit stuffy for the majority of customers."

So Kunitomo reconsidered his direction and started creating a bar that suited Japanese culture and style. "Until now, coffee had always been a copy of Europe and the West Coast of the United States, and this was true of espresso culture in particular. When baristas from overseas asked me what Japanese style was, I didn't know how to answer. That's when I thought it was time to create a way of expression that only Japanese people could come up with."

After expanding into Tokyo, he was involved in the launch of "Bread, Espresso, and." The bar directly promotes the frequently enjoyed coffee and bread. "People can immediately tell what kind of shop it is, and that it's a shop with a specialised focus. I didn't think it was necessary to go to the trouble of giving it an Italian name. I wanted to create an image of it being neither a coffee shop attached to a bakery, nor a bakery in the corner of a coffee shop, but rather a fifty-fifty shop. I aimed for both to be independent entities."

2/3--Continued from "The 'aesthetics of subtraction' like that of the tea ceremony is what Japanese coffee should be like"