Housed inside a renovated 70-year-old townhouse in Sangenjaya, SAMAA_ (@samaa_coffee ) approaches coffee as something that extends beyond taste alone. Reclaimed materials, remade vintage uniforms and furniture created from recycled plastic collected from Indonesian rivers quietly shape the atmosphere, reflecting a philosophy that connects environment, craft and daily life. Throughout the day, shifting natural light transforms the space, making time itself feel like part of the design.
Coffee supervision is led by extraction specialist Hibiki Fujioka, who combines traditional techniques with scientific approaches to draw out the layered character of each bean. Alongside the house blend, drinks such as the “Super Milk Brew” highlight the sweetness of milk through carefully controlled extraction. The same attention extends to the food, including long-fermented bagels created with étéco bread, as well as a selection of natural wines available both in-store and for takeaway.
Photography by Aya Kawauchi
Based on an article by Pen Japan
SAMAA_
1-33-7 Kamiuma, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
10:00–22:00
Open daily
@samaa_coffee
Over two and a half centuries, Japan adopted an isolationist policy known as sakoku which literally means ‘locked country’. It was established during the Edo period (1650-1842) by the shogun (‘general’ in Japanese) Iemitsu Tokugawa. Thus, the residents were banned from leaving the island on pain of death, while foreigners were not welcome on Japanese territory.
This voluntary reclusion was perceived as an obstacle to the development of global commerce and the United States called for commercial relations to be opened. In 1858, faced with the threat of a potential conflict, feudal Japan signed the Harris Treaty, also known as the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, with the New World. After this, westerners partially made their entrance in this formerly impenetrable country, bringing cameras with them.
See link in bio for the full article.
Article: @lea_tram
Photography: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. 1890 - 1909.
#postcards #arts #photography #vintagephotography #oldjapan #japan #tokyo #penmedia #penmagazine
From bonsai and netsuke to food replicas and capsule toys, miniature worlds appear throughout Japanese art and everyday life. Across centuries and mediums, these small-scale objects have often balanced precision with suggestion, condensing textures, landscapes, and gestures into carefully observed forms.
Rather than simply reproducing reality, many of them invite a slower way of looking. A tiny carved animal, a miniature tree, or a perfectly recreated bowl of ramen can reveal an extraordinary attention to detail and atmosphere.
Cover, slides 2–3 & 7: The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Public Domain
Slide 4: Rlinx via Wikimedia Commons
Slide 5: Meg Rutherford via Flickr
Slide 6: Reginald Pentinio via Flickr
#miniature #bonsai #netsuke #japaneseart #japan
Mount Aso is located on the island of Kyushu in the Aso-Kuju national park, which straddles Kumamoto and Oita prefectures. Despite its name, which might suggest it has just one summit, Mount Aso is actually a volcanic complex that comprises around fifteen cones, situated in the centre of one of the biggest calderas in the world, extending over 18 kilometres from east to west and 25 kilometres from north to south, and with a perimeter measuring 100 kilometres.
Visitors coming to discover Mount Aso will come face to face with the imposing Naka-dake. Reaching a height of 1506 metres, it is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Its summit is marked by a strong smell of sulphur, and can be accessed by cable car or car. Visitors can even take a look inside the crater, where they’ll find a stunning blue lake. But panic not – safety comes first during visits. There is a website where visitors can access official information about the current state of the volcano, and in the event of a violent eruption, access to the site is forbidden. There are also several bunkers on the slopes to protect visitors in the event of a smaller eruption.
See link in bio for the full article.
Article: scordrock
Photography: Raita Futo
#mountaso #volcano #travel #traveljapan #japan #tokyo #penmedia #penmagazine
Opened in Omotesando in April 2026, Soho House Tokyo (@sohohouse.tokyo ) marks the members’ club’s first location in Japan. Spread across four floors of the Grid Tower, the new space brings together hospitality, wellness, dining and art, with more than 40 artists featured throughout the interiors. Overseen by senior art collection manager Sara Terzi, the collection includes paintings, photography, ceramics and digital installations by artists connected to Japan and Tokyo through heritage, practice or experience.
Among the featured works are Toru Otani’s contemporary reinterpretation of traditional Japanese folding screens, Ryoji Ikeda’s immersive media installation, and Keita Morimoto’s atmospheric paintings of urban light. Terzi describes Japanese contemporary art as uniquely layered, carrying traces of traditional aesthetics while constantly evolving into new forms. Rather than separating art from daily life, Soho House Tokyo integrates the collection into lounges, bars, corridors and social spaces, encouraging visitors to encounter artworks through conversation, music and the changing light of the city.
Based on an article by Harolld for Pen Japan
Soho House Tokyo
Omotesando Grid Tower 11F–14F
3-8-35 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Known as Japan’s leading plum-producing region and the birthplace of Nankō plums, Minabe in Wakayama Prefecture has long shaped the culture surrounding umeshu. Now, the new MINABE CRAFT UMESHU Liquor Boutique (@minabe_craft_umeshu ) near Gakugei-daigaku Station offers visitors the chance to explore the category through all 11 expressions created by the brand. Using bases ranging from gin and sake to awamori, brandy and mirin, each bottle reveals a distinctly different character. Among them is “Yii,” described as the world’s first gin-based umeshu, alongside “Fuu,” which draws out the gentle sweetness of mirin.
The boutique approaches umeshu not simply as a homemade drink, but as something to be appreciated with the same attention as wine or spirits. During tastings, visitors can learn about the plums, production methods and stories behind each blend directly from the staff. The experience extends beyond taste as well, with the fragrance “Amanoume,” developed with Nakameguro perfume brand Libertaparfum, offering another interpretation of the aroma of Nankō plums. Here, a single glass of umeshu opens onto a wider landscape of flavor, craftsmanship and scent.
Photography by Aya Kawauchi
MINABE CRAFT UMESHU Liquor Boutique
3-7-13 Takaban, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Mon–Fri: 16:30–21:00
Sat, Sun & Holidays: 11:30–21:00
Open daily
Hidden within YAECA HOME STORE (@yaeca.ikkaku ) in Tokyo’s Shirokane district, Sakamoto Yaeca quietly carries forward the spirit of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s unfinished library project, “Sakamoto Library” (@sakamoto_library ). Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves are filled with secondhand editions matching titles once owned by the composer himself, ranging from novels and poetry to philosophy and picture books. Visitors are free to browse, read and purchase the books, while the collection changes regularly, creating new encounters with each visit.
The space unfolds slowly through sound, objects and small gestures tied to Sakamoto’s memory. Otomo Akamatsu’s sound installation fills the room with subtle natural tones, while the adjoining café serves cakes from the long-loved pâtisserie Saveur alongside coffee and books. In the garden stands a German piano that Sakamoto had played since the age of three, now placed outdoors as part of an experiment in “returning it to nature.” More than a bookstore or café, Sakamoto Yaeca offers a quiet way to step momentarily into the composer’s sensibility.
Photography by Aya Kawauchi
Sakamoto Yaeca
4-7-10 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo
11:00–19:00
Closed Tuesdays
#sakamotoyaeca #ryuichisakamoto #tokyo #japan
Hidden inside a room of an old apartment in Kichijōji, Natto (@natto_km ) feels less like a conventional antique shop than a carefully composed personal space. Everyday Japanese objects from the Heisei era onward, made from materials such as plastic and aluminum, are gathered densely across tables and improvised shelves. A monochrome Rubik’s Cube made in Japan, a smart ball game once found in ryokan arcades, a screwdriver set missing everything but its box. Familiar yet strangely overlooked objects quietly resurface here with renewed presence.
The shop’s distinctive display style was born accidentally, when owner Kawabata tried to fit as many items as possible into a flea market booth. Despite the density, the space never feels crowded. Instead, each object seems to emerge with its own atmosphere and history. Stepping inside feels almost like wandering into someone’s private room, where casual conversations over tea and small encounters with forgotten tools allow everyday objects to reveal unexpected stories about contemporary Japan.
natto
4-1-15-202 Kichijōji Honchō, Musashino-shi, Tokyo
12:00–19:00
Closed Tuesdays
Photography by Aya Kawauchi.
Before disposable lighters became commonplace, matchboxes were part of everyday life in Japan. Cafés, bars, restaurants, and tobacco shops often produced their own designs, turning small practical objects into miniature pieces of graphic design.
Created mainly during the Showa era, many of these labels combined bold typography, bright colors, and playful imagery that still feels strikingly modern today. What survives is not only a record of advertising, but also a glimpse into the visual culture of everyday Japan.
Cover image: scan by Fred Cherrygarden
Slide 2 photograph: Fabian Reus via Flickr
Slides 3–9 scans: Patricia M via Flickr
#japanesematchboxes #retro #showa #japan
In my neighborhood, when disposing of plastic bottles, you’re required to remove the caps and labels. I follow this rule, and judging by the collection net I usually use, most people do as well. Yet the other day, when I went to take out my trash, I noticed that a large number of bottles had been discarded without following these instructions. In a hurry, I threw away my own bottles as usual, choosing to ignore the ones already there. On my way to the station, I found myself thinking about it the entire time.
Not because I regretted not sorting other people’s trash—the thought didn’t even occur to me. I mentioned that I was in a rush, but even if I’d had plenty of time, I don’t think I would have corrected anyone else’s mistake. What struck me instead was the line I draw for myself: I follow the rules when it comes to my own trash, but remain indifferent to how others dispose of theirs. Had I been a saint, I would have removed the caps and labels from those bottles without a second thought.
Of course, I would like to be that kind of person. But somewhere along the way, I gave up on becoming one. When exactly did I stop aspiring to that level of integrity?
I remember the moment clearly. I was in my second year of middle school. The next day, I was supposed to travel to another school for a practice match, and I asked my mother for the 1,000 yen needed for transportation. She took a bill from her wallet and placed it on the table. When I looked down, I saw that it was a 5,000-yen note. I hesitated for a moment, then said, ‘You gave me the wrong bill.’ She replied, ‘Oh, you’re right,’ put the 5,000-yen note back, and handed me a 1,000-yen bill instead.
See link in bio for the full essay.
#essay #satoshiogawa #novelist #japan
Monohon (@monohonramen ), located in London, is a genuine ramen-ya. Diners sit at the counter to enjoy their piping hot bowl of noodles while watching the team at work in the kitchen. Most importantly of all, founder Ian Wheatley created the recipe for the broths, the tare (sauces that form the base for ramen; a shoyu ramen, for example, is made from soy sauce) and the noodles made in the restaurant himself.
His career path was not clear cut. After arriving in Osaka in the mid-90s to teach English, Ian Wheatley did not develop a taste for Japanese cuisine immediately. The subtle flavours of tofu and even sushi escaped him. He had an epiphany after a few months, however, after trying okonomiyaki, a fritter that reminded him of bubble and squeak from his homeland.
See link in bio for the full article.
#monohonramen #ramen #restaurant #london #japan
Have I ever had a bathing experience as unforgettable as this one? Moonlight stretched across the night sea like a luminous path, drawing my mind outward as I soaked in the water. Each incoming wave carried a cool touch of seawater, mingling with the hot spring rising from the rocks to create a perfectly tempered bath. It was a moment both soothing and strangely familiar, as if stirring some distant memory. If I had to describe it, it felt like being held within the womb of the Earth itself.
Yakushima, a remote island of untouched natural beauty, is home to numerous free-flowing hot springs of exceptional quality. Among them, one stands apart: Hirauchi Kaichū Onsen, treasured by the small coastal community at the island’s southern tip.
More than 400 years ago, villagers discovered hot water seeping from gaps in the seaside rocks. Using chisels, they carved into the stone and arranged rocks to form bathing pools. Since then, it has been cherished as a place of healing for the local community.
There are three baths here, though their shapes can only be seen for about two hours before and after low tide, which occurs twice a day. At all other times, they are submerged beneath the sea. It is, quite literally, an ocean bath.
See link in bio for the full article.
#hirauchikaichuonsen #onsen #hotsprings #yakushima #japan
