It’s hard to find a place to sit and rest in Tokyo for free. However, it’s even getting harder to find a place to sit and rest if you’re willing to pay. The change in cafe usage in Japan is prompting businesses to manage more closely how long people sit and dawdle.
Not just Shibuya
Since the end of the global health crisis, people have taken to social media in Japan to declare themselves “cafe refugees” (カフェ難民; kafe nanmin). No matter where they go, these poor folk can’t seem to find a cafe, kissa, or coffee shop that’s not packed to the gills. With the number of free places in Tokyo where people can rest also declining, that leaves wary weekend consumers without any space to catch their breath.
Shueisha surveyed the scope of the problem in an article last month. In areas such as Shibuya, it’s nearly impossible to get into a cafe on the weekends without waiting 30 to 90 minutes.
The issue isn’t restricted to traditionally tourist-heavy areas, either.
Kiyosumi-shirakawa, in Koto City, is home to a number of great coffee shops. It was the site of Japan’s first Blue Bottle, which now has multiple locations across Tokyo. Cafe owners there say that an influx of people means most of their shops are booked all week long. And that’s happening despite the area, unlike Shibuya, having a number of benches and other public places to rest. Other cafe-rich areas, such as Kuramae, are also experiencing the same levels of crowding.
“A second office”
So what’s changed? Is this another example of “overtourism?”
The answer’s slightly more complicated. Japan’s record uptick in foreign tourists has certainly resulted in cafes – along with everything else – becoming busier. However, most tourists won’t linger for hours on end. They have places to do, things to see.
Another driving factor is that the way people use cafes in Japan has changed. Speaking with Nikkei, a Tully’s Coffee manager in Shinjuku said that, prior to the global health crisis, most folks would spend a reasonable amount of time in a coffee shop.
Now, however many remote workers are treating it as a “second office.” Others monopolize their space by spending countless hours on social media.
The situation isn’t just inconvenient for customers – it hurts cafes, too. Many of these customers will spend hours after purchasing only one drink or food item. Some refuse to buy anything else even when prompted by staff.
In the past, chain coffee shops wouldn’t limit how long people could stay. However, given this cultural shift, that’s rapidly changing. Tully’s Coffee introduced a system in 2022 where it can activate a 90-minute or 120-minute max time limit on customer stays if the shop gets busy. Japanese chain Doutor implemented a 90-minute time limit in 2023.
Remote workers have other options, dammit!
What’s frustrating about this is that it’s not like remote workers who want to spend three or more hours in one location don’t have options. Internet cafes exist and are a pretty good deal.
One popular chain, Kaikatsu Club, offers public seating for a mere 1,140 yen (USD $7.30) for six hours. You can get a private room for the same time for around 2,570 yen ($16.60). The price includes an unlimited drink bar; many locations even include facilities such as showers, karaoke rooms, darts machines, and pool tables.
There are also fancier “book cafes” that are still a great deal. Bunkitsu in Roppongi charges 1,650 yen ($10.50) on weekdays and 2,530 yen ($16) on the weekend.
Of course, these options seem less tempting when someone thinks they can get away with spending six hours at Starbucks for the price of an Americano. It would be nice to see coffee shops and cafes here get consistent about this and help drive the remote workers back to the Net cafes. It’d do a lot to free up space for those who just want to grab a drink and rest their feet for an hour.
In the meantime, if you’re in Tokyo and looking for a place to rest, many Net cafes are glad to have tourists. If you’re in a tourist-heavy area like Shibuya and wanna grab coffee and a seat, it’s often easier to hop a train to a nearby area – such as Ebisu, Hiroo, or Akasaka – that’s slightly less congested.
Discover other unique parts of Japan
Japan is on everyone’s travel bucket list. Sadly, many end up going to the same places as everyone else. That can turn what could have been a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience into an exhausting battle with crowds.
We started Unseen Japan Tours for the same reason we started Unseen Japan: To give people a unique glimpse into Japan they can’t get anywhere else. Let us create a custom itinerary of hard-to-find spots centered on your interests. We can also serve as your guides and interpreters, taking you to places that non-Japanese-speaking tourists usually can’t access.
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