✦ On the radar

Kayaba Coffee

カヤバ珈琲

Yanaka, Nezu & Sendagi · Kissaten

A vintage Japanese coffee shop, slow and local.

Kayaba Coffee is a registered cultural-property kissaten in central Yanaka, originally built in the Taisho era and operated as a coffee shop from 1938. After closing in 2006 it was reopened in 2009 by an NPO that preserved the original brick counter and door glass that survived the wartime fires. Signature items include anmitsu (¥850 at the time of posting) and a lemon-ade-style Russian (¥680). Walk in via JR Yamanote Nippori Station, ~10 minutes on foot.

⚠️ Note: Trust level ✦ On the radar — not yet visited by Tokyo Unseen. Prices listed (¥850 anmitsu, ¥680 Russian) are from the IG post timestamp (2025-01) and may have changed. Verify hours and current menu before visiting.

As seen on Instagram

Original post by @tokyo.nostalgic_trip

How to visit

Address
6-1-29 Yanaka, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Hours
Tue–Sun 8:00–18:00; closed Mondays
English (?)
Yes
Reservations
Recommended
Payment
Credit cards, Debit cards, NFC

Place data via Google Maps

First-timer tips

Best for
History lovers and slow-morning visitors drawn to a 1938 kissaten in a preserved Taisho-era house; best with advance reservations.
Avoid if
Walk-ins without reservations risk no seats; space is tiny with no queuing allowed; shoe removal required for tatami floor upstairs.
Nearby pairing
Pair with Starbucks Cafe & Art Gallery Yanaka Gotenzaka (9 min north)

A Taisho-era machiya turned kissaten — coffee-shop service since 1938, reopened in 2009 by a neighborhood NPO after the original family closed it. Walk-in counter and table seating; pairs an unchanged Showa menu with newer additions.

The original brick counter and front-door glass survived the wartime fires and are still in use, which is why the building is now registered as a cultural property.

Visit on a quiet afternoon for anmitsu or the house Russian, both lighter than the cake-shop equivalents and well-suited to long stays.