On the outskirts of central Shibuyaโjust past the towers of H&M, Don Quijote, and the Bunkamura department storeโisย a curious space withย a small van inside it. That van containsย an espresso machine, a grinder, a hanging plant, two stuffed animals, and a few other miscellaneous bits and pieces. If you can find this van, youโve found Garage Coffee.
Owner Shinichiro Yamashita says the shop is named for its short historyโbefore Garage Coffee, the space was literally a parking garage. When that endeavor went south, Yamashita was invited to turn the space into a dedicated coffee shop and roastery, and he openedย Garage Coffee in June of 2016.
Yamashita says his van is idealย for coffee deliveries and outdoor events, but itโs also a subtle nod to his humble beginnings with Motoya Express, a van-based coffee catering service. At that time, heย liked the freedom of the work more than coffee, but eventually he discovered roasting and opened a small coffee shop in the quiet neighborhood of Heiwajima to followย his passion. The old Fuji Royal at the back of Garage Coffee has been hisย trusty sidekick ever since.
โAlthough I get better at roasting with time,โ he says, โIโve really come to realize that, no matter how good you get, the beans are everything.โ
This is part of the reason Yamashita serves a comparatively small range of coffee: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Burundi Buzira, and two blends. Theseย days heโs less interested in variety and more interested in serving a selection of his favorites, which runย the spectrum fromย light to dark.
When I first met Yamashita, he said he saw light roast as sashimi (raw fish) and dark roast as grilled fish: While one pursues a purity of flavor, the other looks to craft something new through cooking and experimentation. And playing with these ideas is clearly hisย favorite thing about working with coffee.
โRoasting is just really interesting,โ he says. โI get excited when we get new beans to roast, and I love the anticipation of discovering the potential in a new coffee. I also like that blends offerย a chance to create something new. Itโs fun.โ
The interior of Garage Coffee feels like a rehearsal space for a โ90s indie band: a chain-link fence, simple bench seating, plastic drums for stools, and walls dotted with posters and postcards. There are even a few amps by the wall, playing the dayโs soundtrack.
Although the cafe space is usually quiet and relaxed, Yamashita says the pace of the neighborhood took some getting used to: There are more tourists and fewerย regulars. He loves the variety of people that visit, but he misses connecting with the local community. The area has both benefits and drawbacks. Heย says itโs a popular location he never thought heโd find himself in and attributes the luck he had finding theย location to the changing identity of Tokyoโs population.
โI donโt think coffee has changed a lot, but I do think that people are changing,โ he says. โThey understand coffee more and know more about it. Thereโs also more media, both domestic and international. The change hasnโt been big, reallyโitโs been slow and steady.โ
And when I think about it, slow and steady is a good description for Yamashita and Garage Coffeeย as well. In his little coffee shop with his little van, heย has introducedย a slower pace of life into one of Tokyoโs busiest locations, while finding steady work doingย the thing he loves most.
Hengtee Lim is a Sprudge staff writer based in Tokyo. Read more Hengtee Lim on Sprudge.
