Cafe Paulista

Opened in December 1911 in Ginza by Mizuno Ryo, known as the "father of Japanese emigration to Brazil," Cafe Paulista is widely regarded as one of Japan's oldest surviving coffee houses and a pioneer in introducing coffee culture to the country. Mizuno received Brazilian coffee beans free of charge from the Sao Paulo state government in gratitude for his work resettling Japanese immigrants, and built the original Ginza shop into a gathering place for writers, artists, and students; John Lennon is among the notable visitors over the decades. Today the two-floor cafe serves single-origin, sustainably grown coffee alongside light meals, sandwiches, and cakes in a setting that recalls its Taisho-era origins.