Can a coffee really get you to Marvel?
- Ana Maria Badica
- Jan 5
- 5 min read
By Ryu Kawamura, Translator: Ana Badica
I won’t beat around the bush this time: this title is definitely clickbait, and while I try not to exaggerate, I had such a sensational (and lucky) encounter, that I thought such a title may not be an overstatement after all.
Japan: The coffee powerhouse garnering attention overseas
When looking at coffee consumption, Japan occupies the fourth place in the world ranking, managing to qualify among countries such as Brasil, the US, and Germany. That translates into: every citizen in Japan drinks one cup of coffee a day.
Kyoto, in particular, is one of the leading cities when it comes to coffee consumption per individual household, and it also hosts one of the largest conglomeration of tourists – both of which have led to an unprecedented coffee “boom”.
Tokyo is no less impressive, after the number of foreign tourists frequenting popular coffee shops has seen an exponential increase.
Many coffee shops are now attempting to include various ways of supporting English – speaking customers, and it can be argued that the coffee industry is considering the importance of appealing to the foreign tourists coming into their shops.
Japan’s international love affair with famous coffeeshop “Brewman Tokyo"
Brewman Tokyo is located in Yoyogi, Shinjuku, just a 20 minute walk from the Meiji Shrin (Meiji Jingu). The coffee Ono-san makes hise has once again changed my life significantly.
The coffee shop interior is absolutely gorgeous and my chest swells with anticipation whenever I visit. Hidden deeply within the residential area just like a secret base, with its orange coffee roaster plopped in the middle as a sort of sacred shrine...how can anyone not love this type of atmosphere?
Ono-san has turned his attention to the global coffee market ever since his twenties. He learned his craft in Melbourne, Australia, and then opened his first shop in Hong Kong. In 2016, he won the grand prize at the HK Aeropress Championship, then, in 2022, he won the “Japan’s Brewers Cup” which earned his the current reputation of Japan’s Top Baristas. However, Ono-san has not lost his modesty one bit, and, without boasting about any of his achievements, he continues to serve each cup with a cheerful smile on his lips. If I started to once again write about his achievements, this article would never end.
With such personality and flavour, it goes without saying that his shop is always overflowing with customers. And as usual, there are also many foreign customers who come to his shop. When I interviewed two of these customers (one, a woman who had come all the way from South Korea, and a man visiting from LA), something interesting happened.
LA’s best-kept secret
The woman’s name was Reo, and the man was called Ian. They both found out about Brewman Tokyo online, and met up here by coincidence.
Reo was born and raised in Taiwan, but currently resides in Korea, and she told me all about the new coffee shops in her town while also giving me recommendations. I told her the coffee shops I wanted to visit the most in Taiwan is a place called “Funky Peanuts Shop” and, as it turns out, Reo is a regular customer there.
To hear so many things about a place I have been wanting to visit was a true blessing, and it made my day. It’s incredible to think how our mutual love for coffee has brought us together.
Reo is also knowledgeable about Japanese coffee shops, and she was kind enough to share with me her thoughts on the shops she has visited so far. Reo told me about coffee powerhouse “Kuromimi Lapin” run by Itou-san down in Shirokanedai, Minato ward and she was kind enough to offer to call Itou-san and schedule a get together so that we can experience the coffee together!
My new friend from LA (I’m talking about Ian, naturally) was also kind enough to share with me his thoughts on coffee and told me that in his opinion, Japan’s coffee is number one worldwide. As it turns out, he is moving to Indonesia tomorrow with his wife and he is planning on taking her out to sample the local coffees. What an amazing relationship with coffee (and with his wife!).
Wanting to enjoy some live music that night, I introduced them to BLUE NOTE PLACE Ebisu, a sister store of the BLUE NOTE Tokyo where they usually perform. Later, I received a message all the way from Indonesia saying, “It was amazing!”
Seeing the photo of the action figure Venom that I had placed in my shoulder bag, Ian went on to say:
“You like Marvel? I actually work for them.”
.
.
.
.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
FINALLY, COFFEE HAS REACHED MARVEL
When I asked Ian about his job, he confessed he was an SFX engineer and showed me videos documenting the production process for a certain scene, or a certain character.
Videos that definitely shouldn’t be shown in public places!
As his videos unfurled under my eyes, I forgot all about the taste of Ono-san’s coffee. (My apologies, Ono-san, it’s all Ian’s fault)
To think that Marvel and I established a connection through coffee! It’s beyond incredible. Coffee is beyond incredible. I realized that truly, as humans, we can never know what life will throw our way.
My love for coffee and Marvel, tied with my ability to speak English were destined to collide! It’s true that we should pour out our hearts in what we love to do, but this was the first day when I began to feel that deeply in my heart.
This type of zeal opens a door for us. It allows us to change our ordinary into something extraordinary.
But I also realized one more thing.
In order for me to reach this place, I needed to like both Marvel and coffee. One could not work without the other. The more you love something with everything you have, the more it will attract others things that you can love as well.
After that, Ian took an interest in my work in the musical industry, and we began to regularly exchange various titbits of information.
“Come visit Marvel some day.”
That’s the invitation he extended to me, and so, in order to make sure he wasn’t just being polite, I decided to strive towards building a long-lasting connection.
Ian, you better not ghost me in the end!!