When I visited Japan last year, I happened to meet a nice elderly lady one afternoon. It turned out that she had been very eagerly studying English for many years and we had a nice long conversation about it. I didn’t expect that I would have the chance to meet with her again. However, I when I went to the library the other day I was lucky enough to bump into her again! She took me out for coffee at one of the most authentic cafes that I’ve ever been to. The place is called Coffee Mame, which is a cute name because it actually translates to “coffee bean”.
They have a whole range of high quality beans that you can choose from, although each day there is a small selection of beans that are specially selected and circled in red on the menu. If you choose one of these, they will actually freshly roast and grind up the beans for your individual cup. It takes a while for the coffee to be made, but watching everything be prepared from scratch is a lot of fun, plus it goes without saying that the coffee is incredible.
Here are some photos of the grinder, the roaster, and the sacks of raw coffee beans. They’re all there out in the open when you first walk into the little café so that you can observe every step that goes into preparing your cup of coffee.
Elle's Travels and Eats 
That’s lovely indeed. I feel Japan has few of the best cafes in the world with leading technology. Last time when I visited Tokyo I had been to one of such cafes and the experience was pure bliss. Your article brought back nice memories☺
Aw thank you! I’m so glad you had a good time in Japan. When I think about coffee, Japan isn’t usually the first place that comes to mind, but I’ve been blown away by the value and effort that they put into making really good authentic coffee!
The cafe looks so homely and cozy. ^^
At first glance I thought the grinder was a laundry machine until I read your post. x’D
Now that’s impeccable service! They grind and roast your coffee by hand…and do your laundry while you wait! Japan’s first laundro-cafe. XP
Oh, I love such places where things are especially made for you on the spot and you’ll be able to observe the process 😀 And it adds a big plus with how cozy looking the place is too 😀
I totally agree. It made the coffee an entire experience, instead of just a drink. And, the staff were so kind and helpful, too. It was such a nice little shop!
What a beautiful homely place … just like one’s ideal kitchen 🙂 ….and such attention to detail…only the Japanese 🙂
Yes, I wish my kitchen looked like that! I’d hang out there all day haha. I do love Japanese cafes. They’re just so cozy. 🙂
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Looks like a sweet little place, Elle! Just imagine all the stories you will tell your children one day!
Oh gosh, I never thought of that before! I’ll take that as an excuse to have more adventures, so that I’ll have more stories to tell haha 😛
What a cute interesting place. Glad you got to meet that old lady again 🙂
Thank you! Yes, it was so amazing to bump into her again. Japan always just seems to be full of surprises like that…memorable little human encounters wherever you go. I love it 🙂
How cool is that to run into the little old lady again! I love those stories!! One day I will go to Japan, I have 3 girlfriends to visit there, and am so excited over the prospect! Do you speak japanese!
Haha yeah, me too! I always find that when I travel far from home, I realize just how small the world really is 😛 I really hope you do visit Japan! It’s such a fun and colorful place to explore. You’ll love it!
So what’s the first place you think of for coffee?
Mmm…good question! I’d say somewhere like Indonesia? (Although I now realize that the coffee game in Japanese is very high!) What do you think?
I just went to Seattle and tried at least a half dozen spots including Starbucks Reserve, and I just don’t have a discerning enough of a palate.
Oh man, I’d never heard of Starbucks Reserve until now, believe it or not. I just looked it up and it looks pretty great! I’ll try it out sometime soon. But anyhow, I wouldn’t necessarily blame it on your palate..I’ve paid like $7 for one cup of coffee at posh cafes in Tokyo and they were honestly terrible! Tasted like they’d accidentally let it boil. Sometimes expensive coffee doesn’t mean good coffee hahaha
Seems lIke you had fun time! May I ask what city it was?
This was actually in Tokaimura, near where I was staying for a few months over the summer. I was so happy to discover a cafe where I could get a really good cup of coffee!
What a wonderful experience! Japanese people on the whole, I find, are so friendly.
The pictures you take are really great. #bloggoals! LOL
I agree! In general, Japanese people are so selfless and generous when it comes to showing visitors the best of their country and of the Japanese people. It’s a beautiful place to travel. There’s a sense of humanity and caring there that I feel has been largely forgotten about, at least in North America where I’m from! Thanks for your kind comments on my photos. It’s still a work in progress haha 😀