A truly historic event took place on August 27, 2022: for the first time in Japan, a café specialising in specialty coffee opened on the grounds of an active Shinto shrine.

The Nashinoki ('Pear Tree') Shrine, located along the eastern wall of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, is known for the water from a spring near its main altar, which is served at the Japanese monarch's table. When planning the café, an agreement was made with the shrine that this precious water would be piped directly to the café, and the coffee would be brewed using it.

This establishment was opened by Kioi-san, a well-known entrepreneur in the coffee world, as the third location in his micro-chain, Coffee Base. The unique feature of this café is that it only offers standing room inside, so it is technically a coffee stand. However, if you wish, you can sit in the shrine's garden on the long wooden porch along the building. Additionally, tatami-matted rooms in a nearby hut are occasionally available. They are usually occupied by a Canadian (!) tea ceremony master, but on days when he is not conducting his classes, the space is shared with coffee enthusiasts.

The main innovation, however, is the coffee tasting (it almost begs to be called a coffee ceremony) and the dedicated room for it. Different brewing styles for the same coffee, pairings with traditional Kyoto sweets (kyogashi)—each month, connoisseurs of the noble drink can look forward to something new.

In short, if you want to dive deeper into coffee culture ('to find yourself on the other side of the cup,' as the concept of the establishment states), there is no better place in Kyoto.