The craving for coffee
If you have spent any time around me, you would quickly learn that I am a massive lover of coffee. Over the years, I have become more selective of the type of coffee I drink, but this is normal for anyone who loves a particular type of food or drink. I migrated through the different preparations and tastes of coffee, from the days of International Roast to the full body flavour of freshly ground expresso.
I prefer to have freshly ground coffee over instant. I love cappuccino, although in contrast to the old Italian belief, I could drink it not just in the morning but any time at all. I previously owned a twin-thermoblock cafe style espresso machine with an accompanying electronic grinder - my precious. I hope the current owners in Australia... no, actually I know the current owners would be enjoying every cup from that beautiful machine. I sorely miss it and hope that it is providing as much delight as it gave me.
At the moment, I do not have an espresson machine, instead I still have my filter-drip coffee machine which we left here at my parents in-law's place in 2008. It isn't too bad - I researched and chose a good one back then. After extensive research, I have come to realise that the range of products here has not progressed as much as I had hoped, but it always comes back to having a creative mind in my opinion. I have a fair idea of what I want and where to get it.
Japan, as everyone is aware, has a tea drinking culture, but the coffee consumption (source: Euromonitor International) is also high, even higher than green tea. There are plenty of chain stores across the country, such as Starbucks, Tully's Coffee and Doutour Coffee, and many independent coffee shops with their regular customers. It also has to be mentioned that the cold and hot coffee options at convenience stores and the ever present vending machines are also very popular. It is my own observation, but I believe people are slowly developing a more selective taste for good coffee as well, migrating away from the instant varieties to the drip-pack style.
It is not too bad actually. It is definitely not as good as machine-made coffee, but it beats instant hands down.
There are quite a few specialty shops that sell their own style of drip-pack (or drip-bag) coffee, and this is where my story begins. Actually, it is my wife's story, but it goes a little something like this:
The other day, my wife visited one of our favourite specialty stores in Takasaki - Yamatoya (in Japanese). It specializes in pottery, cloths and grinds fresh and "seasonal" coffee. They have a large darkwood table that you can sit down at and receive a free sample (and that's why I like it) of the latest in-season coffee with a small piece of chocolate (I now like it even more!). It is a fantastic little place for gifts, but I would take care bringing kids. Anyway, while she was there, she overheard some English being spoken at the register and quickly realised that there was a communication breakdown between the clerks and the customer (happens often out here in the countryside). My wife offered her assistance and helped remedy the situation. It turns out that the customer was visiting from China with her father and was after directions to the train station - she had reserved tickets for a train that was coming relatively soon. The station isn't close at all, or rather it isn't easy to get to without a car. So, my wife spontaneously offered to give them a lift to the station, which they gratefully accepted. On the way, my wife was dying to know why she was in Takasaki, and especially Yamatoya. The Chinese woman said that she was
staying in Shinjuku, Tokyo for a few days and wanted to visit Karuizawa, Nagano prefecture that afternoon. Luckily, it was only another 15 minutes away by bullet train from Takasaki. That is understandable and there are plenty of tourists that do the same trip. But what was she doing all the way out at Yamatoya?
She went on to explain that coffee is starting to go through the roof in China at the moment, but the customers only have limited options e.g. Starbucks and a few others. She was visiting Japan to sample all of the different options available, including the specialty shops. She had heard of Yamatoya and the high quality beans and brews on offer and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. This explained the large bag of souvenirs she had purchased from there. She was suitably impressed and was on to the next stop, Karuizawa, to try the specialty coffee shops there.
It is easy to make assumptions of her situation, but there wasn't enough time for my wife to delve deeper. What is clear is that I want her job.... whatever it is.
