Café de l’Ambre

Café de l'Ambre is one of the most famous kissaten in Tokyo, a traditional Japanese coffee house of the kind that flourished in the decades after the war. It opened in 1948 and was run for many years by its founder, Ichiro Sekiguchi, who continued to roast coffee into his hundreds and became a legend among Japanese coffee enthusiasts. The sign outside describes it simply as a place serving coffee only, and that focus has not changed: there is no food menu to speak of, just coffee made with great care.

The café is known above all for aged coffee. Green beans are stored for years, sometimes decades, before roasting, which gives a mellow, rounded flavour quite unlike the bright, fresh style of modern specialty roasters. The shop occasionally releases limited quantities of old beans for sale, labelled with their harvest year. Each cup is brewed by hand at the counter using a cloth filter, poured slowly from a narrow-spouted kettle, and served in small cups. The house speciality is Kohaku no Joo, or Queen of Amber, a sweetened, chilled coffee served in a coupe glass with a layer of evaporated milk floated on top.

The café is open from 11:00 to 20:00 on weekdays, with last orders at 19:00, and from 11:00 to 18:00 on Sundays and public holidays, with last orders at 17:00. It is closed on Mondays. The room is small and dark, with a long wooden counter and a few tables, and it fills quickly in the afternoon, so be prepared to wait. Sitting at the counter lets you watch the brewing, which is part of the pleasure of a visit.

It suits coffee lovers, history enthusiasts and anyone curious about Japanese coffee culture before the arrival of the chains and the third-wave cafés. Allow time to linger, as the slow brewing is the point. The atmosphere is quiet and grown-up, so it is better for adults than for families with young children.

The café is at 8-10-15 Ginza, at the Shimbashi end of the district, about five minutes' walk from Shimbashi Station and a little further from Ginza Station. Kyubey and the Ginza West main shop are a few minutes away, and Hama-rikyu Gardens is a short walk to the south-east.