We’re working with Roast Magazine’s Daily Coffee News on a new series of interviews with some of the Tokyo coffee scene’s most interesting and influential people. If you’re interested in learning more about the people behind Tokyo’s best coffee and how they came to love their craft, then read on! Expect new interviews bi-weekly.

Taiju Hayashi of Arise Coffee Roasters

 Taiju Hayashi is the man behind Arise Coffee Roasters, a two cafe/roasting operation based in Tokyo’s Kiyosumi-Shirakawa neighborhood, which, thanks in part to the opening of Blue Bottle Coffee, has become something of a coffee-tourist destination within the city. In contrast to Blue Bottle’s characteristically stark, visually clean interiors, Arise’s two locations carry a distinctly more relaxed vibe, a reflection of the laid back owner himself… Read the Interview

Kojima Kenji of Fuglen Coffee Roasters

Kojima Kenji, manager of Fuglen Tokyo and owner of Fuglen Coffee Roasters, is at once frank and charming. His road through the coffee industry has been characterized by hard work and the willingness to switch paths and take risks, and he now stands as a pillar of one of Tokyo’s most exciting and creative coffee operations… Read the Interview

Kevin Thaxton of Blue Bottle Japan

Blue Bottle Coffee came to the relatively quiet, somewhat industrial Kiyosumi-Shirakawa area in late 2014 before officially opening there in February of 2015, and along with it came quality control manager Kevin Thaxton… Read the Interview

Ishii Toshiaki of Amameria Espresso

Ishii Toshiaki of Amameria Espresso is a relative veteran within Tokyo’s young specialty coffee scene. He has been doing hands-on coffee work since 2002, driven by an intense curiosity about the science of the bean…Read the Interview

Kawano Yuma and Aihara Tamito of Light Up Coffee

In Kichijoji, a small city in West Tokyo famous for its park, high-end real estate, and shopping streets, there is Light Up Coffee, whose young owners Kawano Yuma and Aihara Tamito are enthusiastic pushers of lighter coffee roasts with the goal of changing Japanese coffee culture, and their excitement is infectious…Read the Interview

Sakao Atsushi of Onibus Coffee

Sakao Atsushi is the founder of Onibus Coffee, one of the most respected roasting companies in Japanese specialty coffee, especially among industry peers who in this Tokyo Coffee Profiles series have routinely named it as one of their must-visit coffee shops…Read the Interview