After a day familiarizing yourself with Tokyo’s coffee shops you may have noticed that the locations are more than just places to consume caffeine-rich beverages. Coffee shops are bringing people together from different walks of life, and in this infusion the staff is often imbued with knowledge of modern day culture.

If you want to know a good place to eat, a good museum, or a good shrine, you can always ask your local barista.

I have noticed myself often playing the role of local, seeing tourists come in with their own questions to the staff, and subsequently chiming in with my own recommendations. While I have a long way to go until I can truly call myself a local, I know that interacting with the staff of coffee shops and the customers is a fun way to step outside of your comfort zone and to find suggestions from worlds you may not often come across in your daily life.

ON THE TRIP Editing Department

Author:　
Cory Baird
Farshad Khansari

Photography:
Kate Montgomery