You can hear the sounds of the bell tower from the Japanese-style Starbucks on Kawagoe’s Kanetsuki-dori Street.

On March 19th, 2018, a new Starbucks opened up on a corner in Kura-no-machi. This Japanese-style Starbucks respects the feeling, atmosphere and scenery of Kawagoe making it a bit different from other locations.

Japanese

Kawagoe’s Kanetsuki-dori Street Starbucks Coffee Store

The Japanese style Starbucks "Kawagoe Kanetsuki-tori store” is located in the important preservation district of historic buildings near the “toki-no-kane” (bell tower), a popular tourist spot.

It itself is a tourist attraction where you can take a break from walking and enjoy the smell of coffee and the sounds of the bells at the same time. You will definitely want to stop by this coffee shop during your time touring Kawagoe.

It would be a shame to not see it! Things to look out for at the Kawagoe Kanetsuki-dori Starbucks.

A photo from the opening day (March 19th, 2018).

The store entrance.
I arrived 30 minutes after the store opened, and as you can see there was already a large queue of 70 people waiting.
Many people were taking photos of the storefront and uploading them to SNS.

An impressive store with a wood exterior, tile-roofing and steel frame to match the surround scenery.
Cedar from Saitama Prefecture was used for the exterior.

The inner entrance way.
Many stylish and cute seats were set up.
If you sit in these seats, you can have a cup of tea or coffee while enjoying the view of the streets of Kuradukuri.

The interior is designed with an Edo black and white plaster motif.
These hues are often seen in Kawagoe’s Kura (Cellars/Warehouses).
The design of the exterior and interior was made with the image of connecting things like Kawagoe and coffee through people.

This cushions attached to the back of the benches are made of Kawagoe's traditional fabric, "Kawagoe Tozan".
Because of its high quality and low cost, Kawagoe Tozan gained explosive popularity in the Edo era and had the beloved nickname "Kawatou".

The "ume musubi" (plum cloth cords) are tied one by one by the baristas and represent the connection between the Kawagoe area and Starbucks.

There are numerous fusumae paintings from late Taisho period ~ early Showa period.
The paintings were taken from the fusuma (Japanese sliding screens) of the house of the old Taisho era Odawara family.
They sit in frames made from Japanese cedar from Saitama Prefecture.

The frames from the aforementioned fusuma (sliding doors) were removed and refurbished to display these works depicting coffee cherries.
If you look at these pictures carefully, you can find five varieties of traditional Japanese patterns being used: Hoshi Shippou, Tachiwaki, Bundou-tsunagi, Kagome, and Seigaiha.

A sample of each Japanese pattern

Hoshi Shippou, Bundou-tsunagi, Kagome
Tachiwaki, Seigaiha

A painting of coffee cherries.

Tachiwaki, Seigaiha, Kagome

Hoshi Shippou

Bundou-tsunagi.

If you stop by the shop, please try to find the patterns!

In addition, there are works of art made from black plaster-style boards.
They have a motif of bees, baskets for coffee berries and honey-comb.
The baskets are represented by the kagame (woven bamboo pattern).
The paintings depict the friendly relationship between people and coffee well.

It also has patio seating in the middle of the store.
The patio provides an aspect that is a bit similar to ryoutei (a traditional Japanese restaurant).
It is enclosed with a roof so sitting there on somewhat rainy days is ok.

There is also a spacious Japanese garden past the inner door of the Starbucks!
The picture was taken in the mid-march season so unfortunately the garden is a bit barren, but it is well maintained by the gardener so from spring to autumn it will likely be a beautiful sight.

There is also terrace seating in front of the Japanese garden where you can enjoy your coffee or tea while experiencing the changing of the seasons.

The space between the patio and terrace.
This part stands out as you can’t walk through it, but it was built with care.

Since it’s a Japanese-style Starbucks, I ordered a Matcha Cream Frappuccino this time. I knew it would be sweet when I ordered it, and just as I thought yes, it certainly was.
As of now (March 19th, 2018), it does not have any original menu items that are only available only at the Kanetsuki-dori Street store.

When does the Toki-no-Kane (Bell Tower) Chime?

The Toki-no-Kane (Bell Tower) chimes four times a day at 6:00 am, 12:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm.
If you can work out the timing, I recommend sitting on the patio or in the courtyard and enjoying the chimes of the bell.

There is one here too!! The Kyoto Ninenzaka Yasaka Coffee Shop is another Japanese-style Starbucks.

In fact, there is also a Starbucks in Kyoto where you can enjoy a Japanese-style atmosphere.

（Source：Starbucks coffee）
The "Kyoto Ninenzaka Yasaka Coffee Shop Store" located in Ninenzaka leads the way to the Kiyomizudera Temple.
This store is inside a traditional two-story Japanese house that was built over 100 years ago.
Various efforts are being made to protect the Kyoto cityscape, and things like lining up in front of the store during busy times are prohibited.

（Source：Starbucks coffee）
This corridor resembles a 'tori-niwa garden' (garden path) which are often seen in traditional houses in Kyoto.

（Source：Starbucks coffee）
Even the counter bar is done in a Japanese-style.

Of course, the seating is also done in a Japanese-style!
This was the first Starbucks in the world at which you can enjoy coffee while sitting on tatami mats, with a noren (a sign curtain that hangs at the entrance of Japanese stores) hanging at the entrance.

Store Overview

Starbucks Coffee Kanetsuki-dori Street Store Overview

Hours of Operation　8:00-20:00
Number of seats　77 (56 in the store, 21 on the terrace)