Options for a place to sit down with a nice cup of coffee or tea have expanded in Japan in recent years, but the favored haunts of the young and trendy are neither cozy kissaten nor chain outlets such as Starbucks and Tully's. They're cafes.
Cafes are everything that kissaten are not. The latter are the dingy meeting places of middle-aged salarymen who want to smoke and drink coffee. Cafes, on the other hand, have style.
Some are furnished with period furniture or Eames chairs and play light, relaxing music, such as bossa nova or French pop, in the background. Funky knicknacks -- ranging from cups, plates and kitchen utensils to plants and posters -- are carefully selected to create an eclectic mood. Altogether, the feeling on entering a cafe is that you've stepped into a comfortable living room.