Coffee Culture: Onibus Coffee – Tokyo, Japan

May 4

May 4 Coffee Culture: Onibus Coffee – Tokyo, Japan

Diana

Japan

The train rumbles, pulling in to Nakameguro station, where commuters will disembark to get on with their day. Most of them will likely come here, to Onibus to start the day right, with the best cup of coffee in the city.

Much as been written about Onibus Coffee, one of the original 3rd Wave Coffee places in Tokyo. But it would be a blatant disregard to not feature Tokyo’s most popular speciality coffee destination in a story. After all, this was the place I most visited during my time in Japan.

With two outposts in the city, the original in the quiet neighbourhood of Okusawa, in Setagaya Ward, and the newest one nestled in a small side street next to the train lines of the trendy district of Nakameguro, Onibus is focused on fostering community-driven culture, through good coffee. Something that, at the time of Onibus creation, wasn’t a thing in Tokyo.

When travelling through Australia, Atsushi Sakao, the founder and owner of Onibus, observed how the myriad of coffee shops and stalls throughout the country seem to know the orders of regular patrons by heart. The drinks were prepared as soon as the staff saw them walking up. This idea of fostering a connection with regular coffee drinkers became the concept that translated through everything this brand does, starting with the choice of name; Onibus, the Brazilian word for public bus, it connects people to things and places and a part of everyday life. And that’s what Sakao wanted Onibus coffee to be for Tokyo’s denizens.

The shop in Nakameguro, my regular place to stop for a cup of their excellent original blend STEP, is an old Japanese house, refurbished and refashioned as a two-story café by the rail tracks of the station. The ground floor has the sitting area organised around the small room the coffee is prepared in. Long benches against the wall or greenery offer people the chance to strike a conversation with others and to observe the goings of coffee making. There’s also the added bonus of taking in the scent of freshly roasted and brewed coffee.

The upstairs area, almost at the same level as the trains on the Tokyu-Toyoko Line across the street, is smaller and cosier; Good to catch up on some work or take a break from exploring the neighbourhood. Another reason, albeit a strange one, to sit upstairs is to experience the trains pulling up and out of the station which makes the whole building tremble slightly, and the coffee vibrates against the egg yellow kintsugi cups.

As for the coffee, the drink options are simple: espresso, americano, latte or hand drip, nothing else. But the beans, that’s a different story. You won’t find anything on the menu that is not fair trade beans from sustainable and traceable sources — the definition of speciality coffee. When overwhelmed by options, Onibus original blends are always a good option; STEP, with citrus and chocolate notes and a long after taste is my favourite. But for single-origin, then Kenya with orange notes with a creamy mouthfeel is the one to go.

Onibus is a coffee shop that seems to rise above its dictionary definition; creating a community and highlighting Japanese artisans (from their cups and floor tiles to the produce sourced for their baked goods) is much at the heart of their business as selling good coffee. Something rare that should be preserved as much as possible.