Starbucks Coffee Kyoto Ninenzaka Yasaka Tea House

Author: Richard Perkins
Photos/Videos Taken: 2020/12/29・2022/09/02
Address: 349 Masayacho, Higashiyama-ku,
Kyoto-shi, Kyoto,【605-0826】

Starbucks Coffee is a popular cafe that started in the state of Washington, America back in 1971. The first Starbucks in Japan opened in August 1996 in the Chūō ward of Tokyo, in an area known as Ginza (an area that was once known for being the most expensive area in the world to own real estate). From there, Starbucks locations have opened up all across Japan, becoming one of the many popular cafes in the country.

Across the world, there are many Starbucks locations with innovative designs, locations that are just beautiful. In Japan too, many locations have become well-known because of their beautiful design. One of those Starbucks locations is in Kyoto. 

In Kyoto City, an area known as 二寧坂 (ninenzaka) is noted for its abundance of Buddhist temples and Shintō shrines that contain much history. It’s also an area noted for having an abundance of stores in which one can buy many Japanese goods and traditional crafts. In this area, many traditional Japanese houses remain, houses known as 古民家 (kominka). In Kyoto, these houses are known as 京町家 (kyomachiya) and there is a tendency in modern Japan not to preserve these buildings, but to tear them down. It’s a shame, but one kyomachiya in the Ninenzaka area has been preserved, seeing new light as a Starbucks.

The menu at this particular Starbucks doesn’t differ much from other locations and has become very popular with foreign tourists, so it can become quite crowded. It’s not one of those most tranquil cafes in Kyoto Prefecture but provides the opportunity to be able to have a unique look at what a kyomachiya looks like on the inside. This is a traditional twist on a classic modern cafe.