Kōhī - Japan versus Melbourne

Tea ceremonies and ocha (green tea) are the quintessential Japanese drink but coffee is big here too....

But how does coffee in Japan stack up for a coffee snob from Melbourne?

Instant coffee dispensed from a thermos by the tea lady on the Shinkensen was overpriced and terrible. 

Coffee in a can is available from the ubiquitous vending machines and at the supa. There is quite a variety of brands and blends, black or with milk, available chilled or hot, and surprisingly quite good. 

Drip filter and cold filter are common at the kissaten, in a range of blends, served hot or iced. This is good coffee. 

There where also drip filter bags, at some of our accommodation and from the supa, that you peg across your cup with cardboard prongs then slowly pour through hot water - not bad and definitely better than instant. 

Coffee from an expresso machine was less common but we did find it available in some kissaten. Not quite up there with Melbourne baristas but the mild roasted blends we tried were good (with not a lot of crema) and the steamed milk for latte was variable with the best from the tiny bar at our little hotel in Kanazawa.