Jan Chipchase » Tokyo Cafe Bounce

A week spent working out of Tokyo/cafes. The three best places in Tokyo to sup coffee, write and soak up the ambience?

&#187 The under the arches Dexee Diner – half way between Shibuya and Ebisu – you might even encounter the odd J-Pop starlet with Fifi in tow.
&#187 D&Dept the perfect opportunity to stock up on contemporary Japanese design classics in their expansive upstairs warehouse – with the bonus that you’re unlikely to encounter any other foreigners.
&#187 Upstairs at Cibone in Jyugaoka.
&#187 Montoak and Lotus – both by the design duo Ichiro Katami and Uichi Yamamoto and both in the vicinity of Omotesando.
All have the level of service and attention to detail that one comes to expect from Tokyo, and have a great lunch menu.

If you prefer quirky: Lion in the Dogenzaka love hotel district close to Shibuya Station is worth it for it’s monesterial ambience and cultural refugees – through it’s more of moleskin than MacBook kinda vibe.

Both Organic and the 2nd floor of the Nakameguro Shopping Center would have made the list except that they’ve succumbed to the continued mainstreamification of Nakame. R.I.P.