A kissaten (喫茶店), literally a "tea-drinking shop", is a Japanese-style tearoom that is also a coffee shop. They developed in the early 20th century as a distinction from a café, as cafés had become places also serving alcohol with noise and celebration. A kissaten was a quiet place to drink coffee and gathering places for writers and intellectuals.
![](http://178.128.105.246/host-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Cafe_by_Koichi_Suzuki_in_Kanda-Jinbocho%2C_Tokyo.jpg/220px-Cafe_by_Koichi_Suzuki_in_Kanda-Jinbocho%2C_Tokyo.jpg)
In urban areas, people frequent kissaten for breakfast where they might have "morning service" of thick toast, boiled or fried eggs, a piece of ham or bacon, and a cup of tea or coffee.
There is also the modern phenomenon of the manga kissa, which is a version of the kissaten with video games, manga and vending machines.
See also
editReferences
edit- Merry White (May 2012). Coffee Life in Japan. University of California Press. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-520-25933-1.