Kissaten – One Shot Story

When in Japan, Kissaten have soon became my favourite place to rest for a while or for a longer time, waiting for the rain to stop.

Unlike Starbucks and other Western or Western-style chains, Kissaten offers a relaxing environment characterised by emptiness rather than crowded spaces. Of course, it’s possible to find all the places occupied by customers, as in a ‘regular’ coffee shop. However, in my experience, this rarely happens, especially in parts of town not plagued by hordes of aimless tourists.

Despite its simplicity, this photo captures, I hope, the essence of the place. To this end, I used my smartphone rather than my camera because I felt that carrying around an obtrusive block of glass, metal and plastic would have ruined the experience.

This particular kissaten is located in Kyoto, near the Heian Jingu shrine, opposite the entrance to the Kyoto City Budō Centre. This latter was formerly known as the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, and played a significant role in supporting Japan’s militarisation efforts. After the end of WWII, the Butokukai was dismantled, but later revived as a cultural centre to preserve the Japanese martial tradition.

There, I was also lucky enough to grab some pictures of an Aikido training session, but that’s a story for another time.