Hello from Tokyo!
Welcome to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics…
...without any spectators
...during a state of emergency
...a fifth COVID-19 wave
...and did I mention it's hot and a typhoon is hitting?
How are the Olympics?
I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten this question, including the similar:
what is Tokyo like
can you go see the Olympics
how’s the preparation
Every time, I have the most disappointing answer:
Basically, I can’t really tell if the Olympics are happening.
CAVEAT: there are a lot of Olympic promotions and NEWS, which are a part of my life. However, in terms of day to day and actually seeing athletes, Olympic members (volunteers, staff, etc.), venues, and what not...not much.
For the first time in my life, I am not as excited about them. This likely has to do with the fact that I had tickets and am now unable to attend, but also, there is so much controversy about whether they should be held or not. That being said, I would still rather HAVE the Olympics than not in a perfect world. (But this is the simple answer. I am not going to get into the politics of human lives vs a sporting contest now, but it isn’t an easy answer with a simple solution obviously.)
selected* news highlights
*selected and not in any particular order (importance, date, views, etc.)
quotes are inserted since these are pretty subjective classifications
The “good”
Japan’s first gold medal of 2020 is Men’s 60kg Judo1
about a quarter of Japan’s population is fully vaccinated (in my HUMBLE opinion, it should've been this far ahead way before the games started.)
The “bad”
an Ugandan weightlifter ran away before the games even started to “start a new life in Japan”. Recently he returned2
the Tokyo Olympics are the hottest on record and games are being rescheduled due to the temperature and humidity3
The “ugly”
“Go to hell IOC” protest before the opening ceremony4
Tokyo is testing only about 10K a day5, meanwhile an estimated 20k tests a day are happening for Olympic related personnel6
Tokyo is hitting record amounts of COVID cases per day7
unsolicited recommendation #9
This unsolicited recommendation is for someone who has been asking about coffee for a while. So perhaps it’s technically not unsolicited, but also not 100% coffee.
Imagine yourself, it’s the first day in Tokyo, you just flew here. You’re tired, hungry, disorientated. If you wake up before 11am (which I hope you do), then I recommend the “morning set” to start your day.
background
The chain coffee shop scene is a little intense in Japan. You got Starbucks of course, but there are some other big Japanese players:
Tully’s (originally from the US, but operating by Ito En, a Japanese drink company8)
Doutor
Komeda’s
Saint Marc
and quite a few more.
the morning set
So now for the morning set. If you go anytime from opening until 11am (for most places) the coffee chains and some bakeries often offer a morning set, which usually consists of a drink and breakfast item. More often than not, butter toast (with shokupan) is most common, sometimes with a boiled egg. Lately, chains have been expanding offerings, with other breakfast items such as croissants, egg toast, yogurts, and whatnot. The best part is that it hovers around the ¥500 range, or about USD 5.
“Why would I eat a piece of toast in Japan?” Hey now, don’t get aggressive. I have a couple arguments to at least try this once:
Japanese shokupan is superior in almost every application compared to normal white bread (see this Bon Appetit article if you’re curious about shokupan.) Furthermore, even if you don’t get shokupan, Japanese bread is something special.
It’s affordable and a good way to experience some Japanese coffee culture. Japan doesn’t have as strong of an indie coffee culture as the US, but things are changing. (You should visit both :) )
It’s actually economical (most of the time). Most coffee chains charge ¥300-400 for ice coffee, then adding a pastry or breakfast item is usually another ¥200-400. (Unless you go to a convenience store, grocery store, etc.)
Now, I hope you feel compelled to go out and try a morning set in Japan. Of course, go to a real bakery (I actively seek out good bakeries and would be happy to recommend), a coffee store, have a traditional Japanese breakfast, and what not. But if you’re here for a week, why not have a morning set?
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas, especially around the Olympics. Should they be held given the current health crisis? Would you try a morning set? Let me know!
Thank you for the Coffee tour Sandra. And have a morning set for me. ☕️🍞🥖 I love trying coffee and bread in the places I travel. So glad you are taking in good coffee too. ❤️