Coffee Nation
One of the first things one notices about Japan is that they drive on the left side of the road. Of course, this influences other conventions. You stand on the left, walk on the right. And while walking on sidewalks, you stay to the left side of it. I've spent the last four days awkwardly getting in people's way as I try to bear right.

Less obvious is Japan's strong coffee culture. My guess is that coffee gets overshadowed by its greener, also caffeinated cousin. But they definitely love their coffee here. Today, I've had two coffees.

The first was in the Nagoya train station, at Danmark Café (or maybe it was Café Danmark) as I was waiting for my shinkansen (bullet train). It was a lovely dark roast, with a slight bitter edge to it. It came at the perfect temperature—too hot to gulp, but too cool to burn my tongue. It stayed at that ideal temperature the entire time I was drinking it, aided by the styrofoam cup. But considering how environmentally conscious the entire country seems to be )rarely are garbage cans found in numbers fewer than three, so you can easily separate different recyclables), I wouldn't be surprised if it were some kind of high-tech styrofoam.

The café was bustling, as cafés in train stations tend to be. It also had a tasty assortment of pastries. As I was making my selection, a young woman brought out a fresh tray of cheese-filled pastries—quite sumptuous.

Later in the day, I stopped by La Caffè Kenya, which is in the Campus Plaza building by Kyoto Station. Despite the fact that it was a light roast, it was still enjoyable. It was pretty deserted (at 6pm), but it was still inviting. They played the type of American music one would expect in a small, intimate café, State-side.

I think my coffee tally is somewhere around six, plus I got a chai latte at Starbucks. I often got them at school, so I was curious about how they might compare. There was something pleasantly light about it; it reminded me of marshmallows. It was a bit too sweet though; I prefer heavier spices, especially cloves. Their napkins were comparatively softer. I think it could have something to do with the 30% bamboo fiber content.

Overall, Japan's been treating me well. Although there was a slight bump in the road my first night, which was spent in Kyoto. I was on the same floor as a bunch of Japanese schoolgirls on some kind of class trip. perhaps it was someone's idea of a fantasy, but not mine. It may have something to do with the most obvious reason [ed.– nope, not a pedophile], or it could have something to do with one of the girls mistakenly calling my room (trying to reach a friend post-curfew, probably), parroting my English, and giggling. But it's still been a good time.
- posted by roger @ 7:22 PM