“Let’s make an effort and go out for the day”, he said. “The blossoms will be in full bloom”, he said. “We’ll have a lovely time”, he said.
So they did. But they weren’t. And they didn’t.
Photographs from a small group of islands
Japanese standing bars are wonderful. There’s the usual decent food and cheap booze, along with the added bonus of a really good vibe. The latter is perhaps due to their decidedly rough and ready nature, or maybe even the fairly frequent coming and going of customers, but either way, they are always very convivial. Places where it’s incredibly easy to chat, feel completely at home, and also have fun, unexpected interactions.
Coffee Amikane doesn’t open very often, or indeed for very long. Just Tuesdays and Saturdays. From 7am to around 9. There are only 6 seats too. And drinks-wise, you can have coffee. That’s it. No size options. No flavours. No fancy embellishments. Just coffee. But when you are nearing 90 and still working, that’s presumably more than enough to worry about.