Starbucks Japan currently has a pop-up store (taking over an art gallery in Tokyo) where
you order by grabbing a color-coded book from an expansive book shelf and take it to your barista for your drink.
They call the store the
"Starbucks Espresso Journey" and it was designed by Oki Sato of design company
Nendo. The space takes up two stories and the first floor resembles a private study or library with a clean design lined neatly from wall-to-wall by a gradient sea of brown books.
I think the whole idea is to slowly peruse the books until you find the right one for you so that, while you're looking at books, you're actually deciding your cup of coffee. Once you offer the book to your barista, you get to keep the cover as a souvenir.
The store serves a limited menu of only 9 espresso-based drinks corresponding to 9 books in varying shades of brown. Not to worry if choosing your drink by color seems too random, the book covers also include the names and descriptions of the drinks. The menu includes two limited time drinks, the Double Short Classic Latte and Double Short Classic Cappuccino which feature double the espresso and some simple syrup over their regular counterparts. Regardless of which book/drink you choose, each cup costs 500 yen (~$6.43 U.S.).
The paper cups are a limited-edition design made expressly for the concept. Additionally, there is also limited edition "Starbucks Espresso Journey" goods such as totes and tumblers only available at the pop-up store.
Here's a look at the full menu of drinks and the colors they correspond to:
On the second floor is a spacious room to enjoy your coffee:
Additionally, you can get a lesson from a Starbucks barista on how to make a Starbucks latte using the same equipment they use:
As well as sample Starbucks Via instant coffee:
The store is the first of its kind and has been open since September 9. It ends its run this Sunday, September 30.
For more details, you can check out the
store's page on the Starbucks Japan website. If you want to see more pictures, check out the
store's Foursquare page here.
