Cafe in Seol, Busan, Cannes and Chiba Japan

In August 2023, I visited Seoul, and in October, I went to Busan and France.

Every morning, I would look for a café near my hotel. Even ordering a simple coffee had its etiquette, which made it enjoyable!

South Korea (Seoul & Busan)

South Korea has a lot of cafes! There’s a café at almost every intersection.

I wonder why there are so many.

I’ve heard that in South Korea, due to its hard water, the coffee tastes great… but upon further research, there are various opinions.

Regarding the water situation in Busan (compared to Kumamoto City in Japan),

Every café had “Americano” at the top of their menu. I believe this is probably what we’d call regular coffee or blend coffee in Japan.

Come to think of it, when I went to Spain in 2017, I was also confused about what to order at cafés!

Spanish Espresso

In the end, I think I settled for “coffee with milk.”

Is the South Korean Americano just a diluted espresso? Whether it’s drip or not remains unclear…

In Japan, the “American” is a slightly diluted coffee, right? I mostly see it in nostalgic coffee shops from the Showa era.

Once, while dining with South Korean guests in Japan, they ordered an “Americano” after the meal.

What came was “American coffee” = a light coffee… haha.

In Busan, I visited places like “Here is Coffee” and “Blu Shaak Coffee.”

I wonder if there are many third-wave cafes in South Korea. They were all delicious. Thank you for the food.

Starbucks in South Korea also has exclusive menus and mugs, which my colleague bought as souvenirs.

France

When I visited Cannes in the spring of 2023, I was excited to visit a café where “Attack on Titan” was playing.

Cannes – Attack on Titan 2023.4.18

This time, I ordered an omelette, coffee, and croissant in the morning.

A croissant, coffee, and orange juice cost 1500 yen. If you add an omelette, it’s 3000 yen.

The coffee (usually espresso) costs around 2-300 yen…

But somehow, sitting at an outdoor table, casually sipping coffee, it feels so European and I love it.

Singapore

Then Singapore. It’s filled with chain stores. I played it safe with Starbucks.

English was widely spoken, and there weren’t many unfriendly people, so I had a relaxing time.

Chiba

After returning home, I revisited the café “Seven Steps Coffee Club” in Nishi-Chiba.

While chatting about cafes in France and South Korea, the owner said that “hand drip” originated in Japan. “Blue Bottle Coffee” introduced it and popularized it here.

Indeed, I haven’t seen it abroad. Most places just use espresso machines.

And everyone drinks espresso. Is it like drinking sake in a small cup?

In Japan, the practice of filling large cups to the brim is mostly seen at Starbucks, right?

By the way, there’s also Dutch coffee.

In Chiba City, on the right side of the street leading from Taharaya to Parco (now a tower), there’s a 2nd-floor record store called “DROPS RECORD.” I used to frequent it.

There’s an old café entwined with ivy, reminiscent of Jimbocho.

Its name is “European.”

I visited it for the first time in 30 years.

I remember seeing a large Dutch coffee machine on display, but now that I look again, it seems quite small.

I had Viennese coffee and ham toast. It was delicious.

【Kainori-san Visits a Pure Café】Chiba’s Mountain Cabin-Style “European”. Orange Page, 2023.10.13.