Shimbashi cafe booms as oasis for smokers

Thursday 02nd July, 02:03 PM JST

TOKYO —

Salaried workers feeling cornered by the growing smoking ban in the city can take a breather at a ‘‘tobacco cafe’’ that recently opened in Tokyo’s Shimbashi district, becoming an oasis for smokers. Suitably named Cafe Tobacco, smoking is allowed in all of its three-story premises with 44 seats. The cafe also offers original blend coffee with a bitter taste, which is believed to go well with cigarettes.

A sign posted at the entrance advises people with children and those under 20 of age to refrain from using the cafe, but the smoke is not visible inside the building as smoke neutralizers are installed on each floor, according to its operator Towa Food Service Co. ‘‘Smokers also hate smoke from other smokers,’’ said an official of the Tokyo-based firm. The cafe opened near JR Shimbashi Station in April, while another cafe with the same concept is located in the nearby Yurakucho business district.

Kyodo

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8 Comments

beams at 02:22 PM JST - 2nd July

hahah...walk past this cafe everyday and rarely see more than a few people in it.
stirfry at 05:27 PM JST - 2nd July

original blend coffee with a bitter taste

otherwise known as crap coffee
kirakira25 at 08:55 PM JST - 2nd July

Sounds like a delightful environment to take a well earned rest in....NOT
Stonecoldsoba at 09:45 PM JST - 2nd July

hahah...walk past this cafe everyday and rarely see more than a few people in it.

Maybe that's why they're advertising here.

‘‘Smokers also hate smoke from other smokers,’’

If that's true, they (generally, of course) are even more pig-headed and inconsiderate than I thought!
usaexpat at 11:11 PM JST - 2nd July

Good, this is what I've been on about with the non-smokers. Just give us a place where we only kill ourselves and that will be just fine.
smithinjapan at 01:05 AM JST - 3rd July

Great. And the staff can earn a whopping ¥700 or so per hour to die a whole lot earlier.
usaexpat at 02:56 AM JST - 3rd July

smithinjapan: Or they could always make smoking a job requirement. Ok, ok, I see your point.
Sarge at 09:56 AM JST - 3rd July

I'll bet the guys coming out of this cafe have great breath.

"Smokers also hate smoke from other smokers"

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

So don't smoke, idiots!