Introducing a Japanese-style Starbucks located in Okage Yokocho~!
Among the 28 Starbucks regional landmark stores across Japan, the last one I visited was the Isenai Kumae store.
It is located in Ise City, Mie Prefecture. It is located on a street called Okageyokocho, which is close to the Ise Shrine’s inner shrine, which is also the store name.
It is similar to Starbucks in Insa-dong in Seoul. It preserves the traditional Japanese street, and modern convenience facilities and commercial facilities are lined up like a market.
Even on a weekday, the streets are crowded with Japanese people. Even though it is well past lunchtime, the food stalls are crowded and the streets are lively.
There are dozens of these traditional culture preservation districts across Japan, and I have visited almost all of them. Of all of them, this one is the most Japanese and beautiful.
This is my third time visiting this place, and I visit whenever I have a purpose. The first time I visited Ise Shrine, the second time I visited Ise City Manhole, and this time Starbucks opened in the meantime and was designated as a landmark, and even a Pokemon Manhole~!!!
The store has eliminated the seats on the 1st floor and has an empty space for waiting to receive takeout after ordering and a space to sell goods. Since it only operates on the 2nd floor, there are only about 30 seats.
From the window seats on the 2nd floor, you can see pedestrians sightseeing Ise Shrine with happy expressions. Maybe because it is the New Year, the crowds here are just like those during the cherry blossom or autumn foliage season in Kyoto.
Starbucks local landmark stores similar to this one are Dazaifu, Kyoto Ninenzaka, Kawagoe, and Nagano Zenkoji. All of them have Starbucks in the Japanese traditional preservation district.
The wooden building and store interior maximize the Japaneseness. Just visiting the store and drinking coffee is enough to become the purpose of your trip to Japan. Thank you.
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