I have a recommendation for lovers of coffee who happen to be adventurous. HATCOFFEE and Café Reissue are specialty coffee shops in the greater Tokyo area that are popular for their latte art. From Taylor Swift to anime to Snoopy – you can request whatever your heart desires. The extremely talented baristas make your requests come to life. I am lucky to have visited both shops and was impressed by both equally. Feel free to read about them, especially the mini-itineraries I created with each one, to help any interested tourists plan their trips more thoroughly.
Café Reissue
In the middle of Harajuku, Café Reissue is a shop that specializes in 3D and 2D latte art. When I visited, I chose a 2D artwork of Levi from Attack on Titan. I ordered a honey latte for 1,600 yen. I had no complaints about the coffee – it was rich and creamy. Nor do I have any qualms with the art – it certainly looks like Levi. Unlike the other café on this list, Café Reissue does not take reservations. This can be a plus or a minus, depending on the person. Wait times can vary depending on what time of the year it is, so I recommend showing up before the shop opens at 10 a.m.
Proposed mini-itinerary: Meiji Shrine opens at sunrise. Avoid the crowds by having an early morning at the shrine. Then, walk down Takeshita Street. At this time of the day, the businesses should be shuttered, and the street won’t be super packed as usual. It is a perfect time for cute photo-ops in front of the more interesting storefronts. Finally, you can wait outside Café Reissue 30 minutes early to secure yourself a short wait time.
HATCOFFEE
HATCOFFE is a tiny coffee shop in Taito-ku. To the inexperienced traveler, it may seem out of the way, but it is indeed very close to many tourist attractions. It also specializes in 2D and 3D latte art. This shop has a special stand you can prop up your phone on to record your latte art being made. I believe this is one advantage over Café Reissue. I ordered a 3D choco latte for 1,200 yen. I was once again pleased with the amazing coffee flavor. I also adored how cute my design turned out. Wait times can be as long as 3 hours at this location, so it’s recommended to make reservations here.
Proposed mini-itinerary: After exiting HATCOFFEE, walk a few short minutes to enjoy Tokyo’s infamous “kitchen town” Kappabashi. View everything from impressive knives, lacquered dish ware, to plastic toy food models. After exploring this area, make your way to the Sanrio Gift Gate so you can take a picture of the interesting Hello Kitty storefront. Finally, go ahead to Asakusa where you can enjoy the infamous Senso-ji Temple and its boisterous thoroughfare.
Sam in Foreign Lands 
Leave a comment