arigato gozai mashta, Nico Style

Japan, world of fish, hashi, and ramen, has the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.

Who knew the Asian island was full of Italian coffee shops, French bakeries, and delicious sweets?

My next few entries seek to share my journeys through Japan via cappuccino.

First up:

Nico Style

Located in Naramachi (Nara Town), Nico Style is a small coffee shop tucked away amid old-style Japanese buildings. Perfectly preserved, these historic buildings show a peek of the traditional Japan not usually seen by tourists.

While walking through Naramachi visiting an art-shop owner, I was suddenly distracted by advertisements on a shop showing pictures of cappuccinos with Buddhas and reindeer delicately etched in the foam. I had to go in.

The shop owners immediately invited us in to sit down. I mistakenly thought I’d grab a quick cup to-go, but my US-mentality was quickly changed when we found ourselves at a table, casually looking at menus completely in Japanese. Luckily, pointing at photos of what you want is universal, so I was able to order a cappuccino with a Buddha (seen in the photo above).

But beyond the cute decorations on the coffee and the excitement of sitting in a coffeehouse in Naramachi, I say in all honesty that I had the best coffee I have ever had. The foam was perfectly creamy and the sugarcube gave just enough sweetness to contradict the bitter espresso.

The service was also great, considering a group of non-Japanese speaking tourists had just casually walked in. The waitress spoke no English, but easily and seamlessly took our orders, brought our drinks, and brought the checks. One person in our group spoke a little Japanese and was able to ask politely if I could take photos of them and their shop. The man quickly grabbed a machete and posed – for lack of a better way to describe it – like a samurai. The woman laughed, took the blade from him, and grabbed a fresh apple from the shelf. I wish I could’ve snapped a photo quickly before the scene changed, but I think the one we wound up with nicely characterizes the atmosphere of the shop.

Score: A+     Price for a cappuccino: around 600¥ (about $6)   Wait time: 1 min.

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