COFFEEHOUSES

(kissaten). Establishments that serve coffee, tea, and other beverages and snacks. Japan’s first modern coffeehouse, the Kahii Sakan, opened its doors in 1888 in the Ueno district of Tokyo. In addition to serving coffee, it provided magazines and board games for customer use. Soon after, similar establishments began springing up around the Ginza area. After World War II “speciality” coffeehouses, establishments that play a particular type of music (such as jazz or classical) or are designed with some special theme in mind, became popular. Today coffeehouses can be found all over Japan, especially in urban areas. Certain coffeehouses have breakfast and lunch menus and are more like American-style coffee shops. Altough a cup of coffee can be expensive, ranging from ¥300 to ¥500 (US $2.35-$3.90), customers are permitted to stay as long as they like and are not required to order anything else. Coffeehouses are popular places for meeting with business associates or, informally, with friends.