Tea
Travelers can enjoy a variety of teatime pleasures at tranquil tea houses, elegant café terraces, and other shops serving tea. No foreign visitor should go without also trying Japanese green tea.
Kissaten (coffee shops)
A wide variety of coffee shops can be found almost anywhere in Japanese cities. Most shops have a varied drink menu offering tea, coffee, fruit juices, and soft drinks at around 400 to 500 yen per drink, with some also serving beer and cocktails. Many coffee shops serve a fairly cheap (around 600 yen) "morning set" (a set breakfast meal usually consisting of toast, a small salad, a hard-boiled egg, and a drink), and some shops also serve set lunches for around 1000 yen. Cakes, sandwiches, and other light snacks are available throughout the day.
There are also many nationwide chain shops serving coffee for around 200 yen a cup, as well as many shops of famous foreign coffee chains, all busy regardless of the time of day. Customers order and pay at the counter and take their purchases to sit down at a table of their choice. Elegantly decorated shops serving delicious cakes and confections can also be found in department stores or underground arcades. With so many kinds of coffee shops available, visitors can enjoy a coffee break at a shop that fits their mood almost anywhere in the city.
Specialized shops
These are shops specializing in certain types of coffee or tea. The numbers of such shops specializing in Japanese green tea, Chinese tea, and herb tea are increasing and popular among both men and women of all age groups. Fresh tea leaves and tea services can be purchased at some shops.
Patisseries and “tea corners”
There are a number of pastry and cake shops where customers can drink beverages—such as coffee or tea at a pastry shop or Japanese green tea at a Japanese confectionary shop—while enjoying the cakes or sweets they have purchased there. Moderately-priced cake and beverage sets are also often available.
Tea corners at temples, gardens, and art museums
Famous temples and gardens often have spaces where frothy powdered green tea is served (prepared in the same way as at a tea ceremony), and visitors can enjoy an ideal spot to savor Japanese tea at their ease. Art galleries and museums also have tea corners for visitors.
Open-air cafes
Open-air cafes are generally not very common in Japan, but some are located in shopping centers or areas adjoining parks.
