Have you ever been to a Starbucks in Japan?
On the other hand, as a Japanese, have you ever been to a Starbucks in a country other than Japan?
The first Starbucks store was established in the United States and is now loved all over the world, but in fact, the products, taste, and appearance differ from country to country.
In fact, I frequented local Starbucks when I was in Canada and when I stayed in Thailand.
Of course, I have been to many Starbucks in Japan as well.
I noticed that “Starbucks is totally different in each country! I was surprised to see how different Starbucks is in each country.
As a Japanese person, I was attracted to the Japanese Starbucks because of the Japanese spirit of service, the cute culture, and the attention to taste.
Of course, I am not criticizing Starbucks in other countries.
I hope you will take this into consideration as I write this article based on this premise.
So, in this article, I will introduce the charm of Starbucks in Japan!
If you have never been to a Starbucks in Japan at all, or if you haven’t been to that many yet, as soon as you finish reading this article, get out of the house and go buy one!
If you are not in Japan, get on a plane and come here right now ＼(^o^)／!
Three Attractions of Starbucks in Japan
There are three main attractions of Starbucks in Japan.
The first three are [hospitality], [cute], and [delicious].
(The order is different from the title, but let me use this order. It’s easier to write.)
Omotenashi, to break it down a bit more, means that the customer service attitude and communication is wonderful.
Cute and tasty are just like the words.
I feel these three are the main attractions of Starbucks in Japan.
Let me explain them one by one.
Attractions of Starbucks in Japan ① Hospitality（O・MO・TE・NA・SHI）
「O・MO・TE・NA・SHI」
It was popular, wasn’t it? Yes, it was used to convey the attractiveness of Japan during the bid to host the Tokyo Olympics.
This word is not only used to attract the Olympics, but is really embodied everywhere in Japan.
One such example is Starbucks.
I feel that Starbucks’ customer service is outstanding among Japanese customer service. If anything, I felt it was the best in the world.
There are too many stories to list, but let me tell you one of the most impressive.
There is a store that I often go to, and when I went to Canada for a year, 4-5 staffs gave me cookies and small candies as a gift. It wasn’t one gift for all of them! They all gave me one for each of them. And with a message.
Of course, the store’s profit is important, but I was more impressed by the spirit of taking care of customers.
I am sure I am not the only one who has experienced this kind of thing, and it is not that the Starbucks I used to go to was a place that did such a thing in particular.
You will experience warm, customer-first customer service in any store in Japan.
Of course, customer service in other countries is wonderful, but Japanese hospitality is something to be proud of.
Attractions of Starbucks in Japan ② Cute
Starbucks in Japan is cute.
What’s more, the colors of the drinks, especially Frappuccinos and lattes, have a colorful appearance that attracts people like the “kawaii” culture and Harajuku that is typical of Japan.
Although colorful and cute looking products are sometimes sold in other countries as well, I have the impression that most of them are quite calm and simple compared to those in Japan.
In Thailand, some honey plum matcha lattes were green with plum purple mixed in, just like in Japan, but they were still simple in color.
Thus, the cute culture and appearance of Japanese Starbucks can be said to be one of its main features.
And a must-see for men!
I am talking about “kawaii” (cute), but not only the products, but many of the staff are cute as well.
Not a few men go to Starbucks just to see how cute they are. (I am not one of them.)
It is no exaggeration to say that the charm of Starbucks in Japan is that there are so many cute staffs that you want to go to Starbucks.
Attraction of Starbucks in Japan ③ Delicious（Oishii)
And finally, Starbucks in Japan is by far the best. Here it is.
It really is delicious.
Starbucks offers not only coffee-based products, but also a wide variety of teas, sweet Frappuccinos, and more.
All of them are delicious.
What I would like to mention here is the consistent good taste of coffee.
As many of you know, the taste of coffee can vary greatly depending on the brewing method, temperature, time, etc., even with the same beans.
At Starbucks in Japan, you can order the same thing and have high quality coffee with basically the same taste no matter who makes it.
However, in my experience, even if you order the same menu item overseas, the taste can vary considerably depending on the brewer’s brewing method.
I felt that in Japan, there is a system, training, and quality control in place to ensure that there is no difference in the brewer’s method.
Of course, there were times when the coffee was just not to my taste due to the different types of coffee beans used in different countries.
However, I still felt that Starbucks in Japan is by far the most delicious.
A little about the exterior
This is Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo.
It is one of the most popular stores in Japan, built by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma.
This is the Starbucks Shinjuku Gyoen store.
It is a beautiful store surrounded by nature in Shinjuku Gyoen, which is crowded with many tourists.
There are still many Starbucks in Tokyo and other parts of Japan that have an appearance that fits the local area and atmosphere.
Some people even go on Starbucks tours just for the sake of it.
We have introduced three attractions of Starbucks in Japan, and the appearance of Starbucks is another attraction and point to be enjoyed!
summary
In this issue, I have introduced the charms of Starbucks in Japan.
I have shared my impressions from my perspective as a frequent Starbucks visitor both in Japan and overseas.
There are three attractions that I introduced.
- Hospitality（Omotenashi）
- Cute
- Delicious
These are three things.
As I mentioned, Starbucks in Japan has overwhelming appeal in these three areas.
If you have never been to a Starbucks in Japan, or if you have not been to many Starbucks in Japan, I hope you will visit many times and feel their charm.
Thank you very much for your time!
I am a free spirit who travels for work-holiday and overseas trips.
I have a beautiful and wonderful heart, and I will introduce you the charms of Japan.
Recently, I grind and brew Starbucks beans at home every day.
