Yes, Book and Beer Cafes Exist: Here are Two of Tokyo’s Best

After a long, hard week, who doesn’t love to kick back and relax? Some of us might curl up and sink into a good book.

Others might crack open a cold one and sink into their favourite comfy chair. I’ll even come out and say it. A huge chunk of the population probably loves to do both. In that case, isn’t it strange that book and beer cafes aren’t really a thing?

Well, to everyone’s delight, a few enterprising Japanese businesses have also hit upon this question and are working hard to bring book and beer cafes into the mainstream.

Below, we’ll explore two different book and beer cafes, both of which cater to different stages of the book-and-beer love affair. Despite belonging to Tokyo’s most hipster-y district, these two cafes are some of the most interesting things to do in Shimokitazawa.   

For Browsing Fiends: B&B

Our first entry caters to the early stages of book-and-beer love: browsing. It’s called B&B (Book and Beer), and it leans more toward the “bookstore” side of the experience. What makes it unique is that you can—and are, in fact, encouraged to—wander their store with a beer in hand. Nice. The concept was born from the owners’ own thoughts about how nice it would be to browse books while nursing a beer, and it certainly is a relaxing experience. Whether you prefer draft or craft, there’s options on hand to please everybody. And there’s also a range of wines, teas, and soft drinks available.

(You can read the rest of the article at this link. This article was first published by Team JJ on February 2, 2020. Check here for deeper and unique insights into visiting Japan, including wellness, travel, cuisine and more.)

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