Part 03 of my series of apple pencil + ipad + procreate drawings…and apparently I like coffee because here I am again with another coffee shop memory!
Osaka, August, 2018.
I had just finished up my time working as a teacher at Ichikashi and wanted to spend my last few weeks traveling to some cities outside of Tokyo. Thankfully, my two amazing friends and fellow teachers - Steph and Alison - were down for the adventure as well. We decided to take a trip to Osaka to go to Universal Studios Japan (USJ) and give the Kansai area some love.
What I clearly remember was the weather. The days were so humid, muggy and sticky. We’re talking like 85 degrees with 90% humidity. yikes. And yet, as terrible as the weather can be at this time of year in Japan, I always found it oddly comforting and invigoration….cold water tastes better, so does ice cream, an air conditioned room feels like heaven on earth and an afternoon cup of black coffee can basically revive you.
Maybe that’s why this coffee shop we found on our way back from USJ was like an oasis in the desert for us…
MOTO COFFEE. Apple pencil. Ipad. Procreate
MOTO COFFEE. OSAKA
We had an awesome day at USJ. We saw Harry Potter world, ate Minion shaped pizza, took a picture with Hello Kitty and collectively agreed that, “USJ is basically a collection of every character that is not Disney.” Ha! The heat and humidity were getting to us though, so mid afternoon we called it a day and headed back to the main city center. Steph has an exceptional skill of knowing the best coffee shops in any city in Japan and took us to this spot she knew of, Moto coffee. Sitting alongside a river, the tiny white building almost looked like an office, or even an apartment complex - definitely not a place to get coffee. But the moment we walked in, it was as if we knew we discovered a gem. Minimally designed, simple menu and a second story window that looked out over the water - perfection.
The barista walked up the tiny spiral staircase and served our drinks to us in these amazing ceramic mugs on beautiful matching plates. We got toast (Japanese toast is the best) with peanut butter that came in dainty glass bowls. The coffee, the toast, the simplicity of it all, the break from the summer heat, mixed with the view of the water and the city out the window… too good to be true.
These are the hidden places that make Japan so special.
