Starbucks In Japan

Above, the Shibuya Crossing Starbucks with its second floor dining room with a bird's eye view of the crossing.

During my six trips to Japan, I've always managed to satisfy my need for an occasional cup of coffee even though Japan is more of a tea-oriented country.

Thankfully, there are several coffee chains in Japan. They include Starbucks, Becker's, Tully's and others. The Starbucks at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo has a dining room that has a bird's eye view of the crossing (it was even used in the movie Lost In Translation) and a Starbucks in Nagasaki is located in the harbor area and was an easy two-minute walk from my hotel. And, a Starbucks was situated at Hakata Station and around the corner from my hotel in Fukuoka.

Japan Today has an interesting article on Starbucks:

When Starbucks opened its first store in Japan in Ginza in the summer of 1996, it redefined the coffee-drinking culture in Japan. The Seattle-based company now has 920 stores in Japan and is on track to open another 50 by the end of this year.

In Japan, Starbucks (which is named after the first mate in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”) operates as a joint venture between Sazaby League and Starbucks Coffee International. Japan was the company’s first overseas market and remains its most profitable outside North America.

During my last trip to Japan (December 2010), I stopped at a Ginza Starbucks (photo above) that was located in the basement level of a shopping mall. I don't think it was the aforementioned "first store."

One thing I found out about Starbucks in Japan, Starbucks gift cards from the U.S. aren't usable. I tried to use one in 2006 at the Shibuya Crossing. When I handed it to the cashier, she had no idea what it was. By the way, my usual Starbucks beverage of choice is their hot Caffe Mocha with whipped cream.

To read the Japan Today article, go here.