Old style mid-century Japanese cafes are called kissaten (or “kissa”) and they’re scattered all over the country and I love ’em. They each have an impossibly cool feel, a sense of authority, of “earned excellence.” This — excellence over time — is the definition of “classic.” And from classic, so flows nostalgia. One of my favorite kissas is a little shop called Būgen, just south of Tokyo. Būgen’s interior is all thick beams and earthen walls. The tables are made of heavy, well-worn wood. The chairs, too — heavy. Everything has weight, is constructed to last.
Most kissas serve similar food: toast, pizza toast, “Napolitan” spaghetti. Būgen’s thick-sliced pizza toast is scored in its own special way to induce more crisp in the crust, more easily handled bites. Kissa are often helmed by a husband and wife team who have been behind the counter for the majority of their lives. This creates a consistency, and from that consistency flows the patronage of regulars. Folks arrive each morning as they have for decades, and order their “morning set.” Like this, through consistency, kissas become tentpoles of community. This community aspect of kissas cannot be faked, is critical to their cool, is what gives them their earned excellence and classic stature.
That’s me in the photo there, sitting in Būgen, wearing UNIQLO’s new lambswool sweater. It’s a nice sweater. I enjoyed wearing it while eating some perfectly made pizza toast. Clothing made of high-quality raw materials, cut in a comfortable way, will age with you in the same way you can age with a good kissa. You put the sweater on or walk into the shop, you feel that tinge of nostalgia, that sense of excellence over time.
Būgen
2-5-3 Ofuna, Kamakura City, Kanagawa-ken, Mon-Sat 11:00-16:00, Sunday and holidays 12:00-16:00, closed on Thursday
A longstanding coffee house just a few minutes walk from Ofuna Station in Kamakura. Featuring a mountain hut-style exterior and interior, where you can enjoy carefully drip-brewed coffee. They also offer traditional kissa fare, snacks and sweets. Pizza Toast with Coffee: ¥1,330
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