Kyoto, the city with the highest coffee consumption in Japan, is also famous as a city with a thriving coffee culture. When you walk around the city, you will see numerous cafes and coffee shops, and you will see many people walking around enjoying a cup of coffee. WEEKENDERS KYOTO is located in this city. They serve a carefully selected cup of coffee in a Kyo-machiya townhouse, which is the very embodiment of good old Japanese culture.


To deliver a cup of coffee that is made with the utmost care

"I've always loved coffee, and I opened the predecessor cafe with the desire to serve delicious coffee. But when I saw that some customers didn't order coffee at the cafe, I was troubled by the fact that I wanted to serve delicious coffee but couldn't. After thinking hard about what it was that my husband and I really wanted to do, we decided to start by roasting coffee."

As a result of searching for a way to convey his passion for coffee to his customers, he started sourcing and roasting the green beans himself. He told us that he learned roasting knowledge by himself and gained experience. He opened WEEKENDERS COFFEE TOMINOKOJI in 2016 and relocated the roastery in 2019. He now serves coffee roasted in-house.

Discover an old Kyoto townhouse hidden at the back of a parking lot

"Before setting up shop in Tominokoji, I ran a cafe in Sakyo Ward. Regular customers would tell me that it was a little far away and that if it was closer I would come every day, so I thought that when I set up my next shop, I would move to the center of Kyoto.

While we were looking around town for a new location, we came across our current Kyomachiya. Kyomachiya are often located at the back of an alley, but this one has a large parking lot right in front of it. We fell in love with the spaciousness and sunlight that fills the space, even though it's in the center of town. We instinctively knew this was it and immediately signed the lease."

The new store is a Kyo-machiya townhouse, which can be said to be the epitome of good old Japanese culture. The pillars, walls, gardens, and other features give the space a Japanese feel that is very appealing.

We have come this far by continuing to grow alongside the spread of coffee culture

"These days, even small coffee shops can procure green beans and roast them in-house. However, until a few years ago, it was difficult for privately run stores to replicate this," said Masahiro Kaneko, sharing the difficulties they faced at the time. He said that the reason they are now able to procure green beans themselves is due to the spread of coffee culture.

"I think the fact that Starbucks Coffee opened stores in Japan was a big factor in making it easy to enjoy coffee in Japan. When Starbucks opened in Osaka, I loved coffee so much that I went there to drink it."

At the time, the only way to procure coffee was through large-scale imports by companies. Later, with the arrival of the "third wave" coffee culture, it became possible for individuals to procure raw beans as well.

Mr. and Mrs. Kaneko are at the forefront of coffee culture and continue to serve coffee as they do today. They are responsible for the entire process from sourcing the green beans to serving the coffee, and they continue to have a passion for coffee.

Our commitment to roasting: "Making the most of the individuality of coffee beans"

"Since I started working with roasting, I've learned that the key to deliciousness lies in the original flavor of the green beans, even before roasting. For this reason, I visit coffee-producing areas such as Colombia and Kenya, and repeatedly taste the beans there before deciding which green beans to procure."

"I try to roast in a way that brings out the natural characteristics of the raw beans, so I pay close attention to the degree of roasting depending on the type and condition of the beans. My focus in roasting is to bring out the individuality of the raw beans," says Kaneko with confidence.

The coffee that Mr. and Mrs. Kaneko prefer has a clear, fruity flavor. The bright, fresh flavor fills your mouth, and you will be surprised by the unique taste that you have never experienced before.

Aiming to be a place where people can gather around coffee

"We focus on providing carefully crafted coffee. People who are drawn to that passion naturally come to our store. The image we had when we first opened the cafe and changed it into our current form has become a reality. We feel that we have found a new 'place to be' here, different from the comfort of a coffee shop."

Mr. and Mrs. Kaneko's passion for coffee is felt both at home and abroad, and has created the space known as WEEKENDERS COFFEE.

WEEKENDERS COFFEE

電話：075-746-2206 

Address: Kyoto City, Nakagyo Ward, Tominokoji-dori, Rokkaku-shita, west side, Honeya-no-cho 560 detached

Access: 7 minutes on foot from Karasuma Station / 6 minutes on foot from Kawaramachi Station

HP:https://www.weekenderscoffee.com/

SNS:https://www.instagram.com/weekenders_coffee/

*For details on business hours and holidays, please check the link above.