Today let me bring you to Kawagoe! Only 30 minutes from Tokyo, it’s a must-visit place to feel the atmosphere of Edo period (1603-1867) and enjoy the Kurazukuri zone (warehouses district) and the famous Toki no kane, a clock tower rising above the streets providing a nostalgic scene. Of course you can’t avoid the “Kashiya yokocho” (penny candy alley) and eat all the delicious japanese sweets this place has to offer (sweet potato lovers, here’s your spot ah ah ah!), but there is more around to experience a very nostalgic feeling!

Dear readers, you know me… I really do love a place full of showa or taisho scent. And guess what you can also find in Kawagoe? A taisho roman street! This elegant atmosphere of an early 20th century Japan in the middle of Kawagoe, the « Little Edo » really stole my heart… And so the cute taisho kissaten in this street did as well! 

Shimano Coffee Taisho-kan (シマノコーヒー大正館) 
Building: Since 1933 (Showa 8) – Café: Since 1996 (Heisei 8)
Smoking
No Wi-Fi, no power outlets 
Popular and can be crowded 
Recommendation: sweet potato cheesecake, black sesame cheesecake 
Japanese Menu  
Alone, couple, friends
We love: the elegant interior
Special points: siphon coffee, interesting choices of cheesecakes 
Drinks prices: 580-980 yen 
Kissa-meter: Elegantly Taisho nostalgic 

Closest train station: Hon-Kawagoe station

Overview

• The building itself was built in 1933 but the café opened in 1996. It has been a kimono store for years before turning to a nice coffee shop. 
• Even if the café has been opened for less than 25 years, the retro atmosphere feels real. They kept somes parts of the previous store and they carefully thought about everything to create the most authentic taisho kissaten they could.
• Dark mahogany wooden interior with a touch of taisho roman, green velvet chairs, soft lights, jazz music… The place is just so elegant! 
• This is a smoking kissaten but every time I went there I didn’t notice that much people smoking. Compared to some kissa with an heavy cigarette smell around, I don’t get bothered by that here. I guess because of the customers mostly being young women or women in their late 50’s, cigarette is not a problem here. 
• They have an interesting choice of tastes for cheesecake (matcha, sweet potato, sesame etc…)
• Cakes are quite cheap compared to other place and everything is homemade
• If the place is crowded (generally on weekends) it can be a little bit noisy. However, it wasn’t loud enough to disturb me while I was reading.

Tips

• They are making siphon coffee and their coffee is just amazing. I was quite surprised by the high quality of the beans used for coffee and also the choice. I love their Panama Esmeralda Farm “Geisha” straight coffee (980 yen).
• It’s not so common in kissaten but they serve organic coffee (780 yen)
• Sweet potato lovers, this one is for you: please try the sweet potato cheesecake (400 yen)! I promise you’ll remember this taste a long time after that. 
• They also serve a coffee cheesecake (380 yen) and a black sesame one (400 yen). Both are quite good and I like them much more than the plain cheesecake and the matcha one (which are also good but I just prefer the two above). 
• If you’re not a fan of cheesecake they serve a small purin à la mode (630 yen), chocolate cake (400 yen) or homemade cookies (480 yen).
• The whip cream is homemade as well and so good! Super thick but not too sweet. You can get some of if with cakes or in their mocha parfait (780 yen)
• I also tend to like their chiffon cake: fluffy and not too sweet. It reminds me a little bit the ones of Chatei Hatou in Shibuya. They serve it sometimes but it’s not on the regular menu. They usually have a today’s special cake, so you may be lucky and get a chiffon cake! 
• if you’re more into sandwiches and toast they do serve some. The choice is quite simple. If you’re a bread lover you could get pizza toast (630 yen), tuna toast (630 yen) and plain toast with Jam (430 yen). The hot sandwiches are about tuna-lettuce, ham-cheese or potato-lettuce (sic!); everything coming for only 480 yen. If you’re extremely hungry you can get a double portion of the hot sandwiches for 630 yen.
• All cakes and deserts are coming in set so I highly recommend to order one!
• At the moment they don’t have english menu so it can be a little bit tough to order but I heard they will make one! So maybe they already did… 
• By the way, they have a sister store: mocha romankan shimano (opened in the 2010’s but with a very retro style). They have nice morning set, so feel free to give it a try as well! 

Shimano Coffee Taisho-kan (シマノコーヒー大正館)
Address:  Taisho roman street, 13-7 Renjakucho, Kawagoe, Saitama
(埼玉県川越市連雀町13-7 大正浪漫夢通り)
Phone: 049-225-7680
Monday 〜 Sunday 08:00 – 19:00
Shimano Coffee Taisho-kan’s Website