What is a Kissaten?
Hey New York.
I’m asked this question more than anything when trying to describe Lucienne. Here is my attempt at describing what the Kissaten is, along with a very brief history of coffee in Japan.
In Japan, with the borders open again at the start of the Meiji-era (1868-1912), the Japanese began to openly embrace Western values, synonymous at the time with all things “modern.” Along with wearing suits, building battleships, and eating at dining tables, the regular import and consumption of coffee began in earnest. The coming century would then shape what is perhaps the most unique coffee culture observed globally.
Japan’s first café, Kahiichakan, was soon after opened by Nishimura Tsurukichi. It was the embodiment of all things Western – a straight faced impression of a Viennese café, complete with modern furnishings, services, and coffee. Kahiichakan spawned many cafes just like it across Japan, providing Japanese urbanites an education in all things “new.”
In 1911, Café Paulista opens in Ginza, Tokyo. It is the moment when Japanese coffee culture assumes its own identity, and its contemporary form. Paulista is the birth of the modern day “kissaten.”
No longer bound by Western-influenced Viennese mimicry, the kissaten is a distinctly Japanese take on the coffee house. Coffee quickly overtook tea as the nation’s most popular beverage, and lost its Western “odor.” Now culturally naturalized, it was no longer considered “Western Modern.” Instead, it was firmly “Japanese Modern.” The drink of thoughtfulness, solace, and being private in public.
Chatei Hatou
Kissa are typically quiet, understated, informal and yet sophisticated spaces. They provide a calm atmosphere to luxuriate in for however long you wish. A curious visitor might mistake one for a bar or lounge, only to be met with fine coffee and light bites like cheesecake, small breakfast sets, and other kissa-specific fare like pizza toast and melon floats.
Most importantly, kissa embody the concept of “kodawari,” the pursuit of perfection, and “omotenashi,” the spirit of Japanese hospitality.
Kodawari is the pursuit of perfection, even though perfection does not exist. It is passion, persistence, commitment, and attention to detail. No shortcuts. Quality first, always. It means really giving a shit. This is the root of modern specialty coffee, i.e., the “third wave.” It is the driving force behind much of the industry’s rapid ascent in quality in the past decade.
Omotenashi is the idea of serving wholeheartedly. It’s service from the very bottom of your heart. Nothing fake or pretend. It’s service that doesn’t just happen to a customer, but happens for a customer. Put another way, the idea of “ichigo ichie” (literally meaning “one time, one meeting”) means to take every [service] encounter as the only one in a lifetime. That is omotenashi, and it’s an idea I believe is sorely missing from much of modern specialty coffee.
Following the end of World War II, 155,000 kissa were open throughout Japan, each with their own unique take on what a Japanese café should look and feel like. There were the jazz kissa, phone kissa, manga kissa, business kissa, game kissa, book kissa, and more. Much like how bars function here in America, kissa easily became a “third place” for Japanese people. A place that wasn’t quite home, and not quite work, and yet were natural extensions of living rooms and workspaces. In a country where personal space is so limited, places like this were (and still are) invaluable.
Cafe Troix Chambres
Today, the overwhelming rise of mega-chains like Doutor, and ubiquity of konbini like Lawson, is slowly snuffing out independent kissa throughout Japan. Their numbers are waning; dipping below 70,000 and continuing to drop faster every day. Additionally, the aging population of Japan has pushed many kissa owners well past retirement age. They simply die off with nobody to take their place.
However, consumer interests are slowly beginning to shift again in favor of independent establishments. The kissa that survive have arguably become the blueprint for the modern specialty café, and I believe they could be the blueprint for what a “fourth wave” may end up looking like too, or at the very least make up a significant portion of it. They remain still, continuously, deliberately perfecting their craft.
- Josh