Cafe culture
Macced out in the Cocoon Tower
Teetering on the edge of Nishi-Shinjuku inside a modern cocoon-like skyscaper is a cafe, Blue Square Cafe, complete with Apple gadgets such as the Macbook internet corner and iPod stations.
The theme within the cafe resembles a chic study hall at one corner, a New York style sandwich cafe around the counter area, and a Apple-inspired entertainment zone with a Macbook corner and iPod stations freely available to use.
A mixed crowd including students of fashion design, IT, and medicine within the Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, nearby office OLs and young business professionals can be seen reading a book or enjoying a cup of coffee.
For books, there are selections of books offered by Books 1st that are available for your viewing pleasure.
A cup of coffee will cost ¥290 and for those who are hungry for a snack, try the creamy Okusawa roll.
And if you bring your laptop, enjoy the free Wi-Fi access to your heart’s content as there is also a few power supplies to keep your battery powered in case your laptop needs a quick charge.
Contact details:
BLUE SQUARE CAFE
Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower 1F, 1-7-3 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023
tel: 03.5339.7613
hours: 08:00am until 09:00pm / weekends and holidays: 10:00am-09:00pm
http://www.transit-web.com/shop/cafe/blue-square-cafe (in Japanese)
WIRED CAFE in Roppongi Hills: Coffee and terrace dining with your pet and laptop
Nestled in the swanky Roppongi Hills complex is Wired Cafe Dining Lounge, a stylish café where an afternoon can be spent sipping on a caramel coffee with your pet at the terrace while utilizing their complimentary Wi-fi to satisfy the customers’ online needs. For users who didn’t bring their own laptop but want to check something online, this outlet has a station of PCs to be freely used.
Not a stranger to the Tokyo café scene, Wired Cafe and its parent company, Cafe Company have been operating concept cafes around Japan since 2001 and the Wired Cafe Dining Lounge differentiates itself from the other cafés by bringing coffee and alcohol, international café dining, and a terrace all into one venue.
Wired Cafe Dining Lounge’s clientele predominately consists of young ladies who appreciate the chill atmosphere during the weekdays, while the evenings draw in a more diversified crowd, including expats given its location, during the weekends. It certainly helps that their menu is in English and Japanese.
And if you do get hungry during the day, try the garlic-sprinkled Grilled Chicken Diablo Style.
Contact details:
WIRED CAFE Dining Lounge Roppongi
Roppongi Hills Hillside B2F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0052
tel: 03.3402.2733
hours: 11:00am-11:00pm (Mon-Wed/Sun/Holidays), 11:00am-5:00am (Thurs-Sat/Evening before Holidays)
http://www.cafecompany.co.jp/brands/wired/roppongi_hills/index.html (Japanese)
Have a cuppa coffee on a hammock in Kichijoji
Walk 5 minutes from the Kichijoji train station and venture into a café where your seat is a hammock. The café’s layout is chilled-out Japanese Bohemian theme, for which Kichijoji is well known. Following Japanese culture, one is expected to take off his/her shoes upon entering the café. The café also serves as a art gallery for Mahika Mano.
Health conscious meals are the theme in addition to their menu items of coffee and herbal tea. If you order a cappuccino (known in this café as a Manoccino), expect to have it served in a large handle-less mug that seems to feel like you’re drinking traditional Japanese green tea out of a super-sized cup, all for 650 yen.
Beer, wine, herb cocktails, and some wine are also available for the alcohol-inclined.
Unfortunately, there’s no Wi-fi connection for those in need of connectivity to the world, but if you are interested in purchasing a hammock to bring home, Mahika Mano can sell that to you to bring the Hammock 2000 vibe back home.
A time limit of 90 minutes to 2 hours is implemented. Whether or not it’s strictly enforced would most likely depend on the occupancy of the venue.
Contact details:
Hammock 2000
Mahika Mano – Hammock cafe + gallery
Sun Palace 1F, 2-8-1 Kichijoji Minami, Musashino-shi, Tokyo
tel: 042.242.5930
hours: 12:00pm-8:00pm (Sun-Thurs), 12:00pm-10:00pm (Fri-Sat)
http://mahikamano.com/ (Japanese)
Wi-Fi chillout spot for iPhone users in Shibuya
Located just above a Softbank store in the heart of Shibuya is iPRESS CAFE, a free chillout spot that is targeted towards iPhone/iPod touch enthusiasts.
Upon entering the shop, the first level is the shop with a small but niche collection of iPhone accessories, with items such as limited edition iPhone case covers. Although the shop has “CAFE” in its name, presently a couple vending machines to purchase soft drinks will be the path to quenching your thirst.
After registering your details over the web using your iPhone, you will be granted access to the lounge area on the upper level.
Free Wi-Fi and a number of iPhone related magazines and books exist for your viewing pleasure.
The upper venue also comes equipped with a LCD/Plasma TV and projection tools for those interested in reserving the space for presentations or events, which comes at a charge of roughly 30,000 to 60,000 yen for 4 hours at the time this article was written.
Contact details:
iPRESS CAFE Shibuya
25-6 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (3rd/4th floor)
tel: 03.5456.6034
hours: 12:00pm – 8:00pm (7 days/week)
http://www.ipressmedia.com (Japanese)
Cafe Zenon (Kichijoji, Tokyo)
Located in Kichijoji, often referred to as the “Harajuku of the Chuo train line”, is a hip and trendy neighborhood on the outskirts of Tokyo that appeal to the younger crowd in their twenties. Interesting cafes abound, and located five minutes away from the Kichijoji station is CAfE ZENON.
Centered around the themes of “Manga, Cafe, and Art”, CAfE ZENON resonates a trendy and bright western vibe that is designed like a two-story studio loft, including a terrace that appears al fresco, but is encompassed by a glass cube to retain heat during the winter (and perhaps cooling during the summer?).
Inside CAfE ZENON
This toy is used as the table number card
Their specialty drink is the Zenon Tea Latte, although they also serve some alcoholic cafe beverages which are worth a try, including: Afternoon milk tea shochu and Coffee shochu.
Bonus: The men’s restroom is simple but has manga style comic etched on the wall, and a small window at eye level just above the urinal to people watch outside, though some people may or may not be fond of that idea.
For those who enjoy surfing the net at the cafe, this place has free wi-fi access for customers, so just kindly ask the staff for the password and you’ll be online in no time.
Contact details:
CAfE ZENON
2-11-3 Kichijoji Minami-machi, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-0003
tel: 0422.29.0711
hours: 11:00am until 1:00am / lunch: 11:00am-3:00pm
http://www.cafe-zenon.jp