I first met Nami of Jaho Japan many years ago when I entered the world of specialty coffee working at Jaho as a barista myself. She was at my US location to bring her chef to learn recipes first hand from one of the owner’s mothers to bring back to their Tokyo location. 

When Steve and I got to Japan, she was one of the first people I rang up. At the time she was running Jaho Japan’s first location in Naka-Meguro and hosted a variety of homemade pastries, expertly crafted coffee and Japanese craft beers at her small shop. 

Because of the company’s American-Japanese background, Nami told me it was a hotspot for many foreign born citizens, or temporary visitors from other countries and was a great spot to witness cultural exchange. They opened me and my very limited Japanese vocabulary with open arms and even behind the bar, giving me a chance to learn the art of Japanese customer service and show off my latte art skills. 

At the time being in a new country and not knowing any Japanese felt overwhelming at times and I fought off a lot of homesickness or even just the comfort of knowing what exactly was going on around me. Getting invited into JAHO and to step behind the bar was a weight off my shoulders as I looked down to realize even across the globe, coffee is coffee, and the familiarity of pouring warm frothy cups with love and serving them with pride to a eager guest was exactly what I needed to relax and enjoy my first trip to Japan. Now whenever I am feeling at a loss or a little out of place, or overwhelmed, no matter where I am, a coffee shop is the first place I run to relax, with its universal whirr of grinds and loving embrace of roasted aromas. 

One of my favorite memories after my first trip, while I was still a in a US location, was witnessing a Japanese customer who had regularly gone on dates with his girlfriend in the second Tamachi location on a facetime call with her, enjoying the same sandwiches they usually ate together, in the same coffee shop, just at different times of day and geographic locations.

Since then, Jaho has become a permanent stop on all my trips to Japan. My second trip to Japan, the Naka Meguro location had closed but now they were still residents of the Tamachi area, boasting a large sitting area and colorful decor. Their offerings expanded and were now able to be made in house, and it was absolutely bustling whenever I arrived. 

I was so grateful to Nami for hosting a small party of Japanese baristas who had been honored to introduce to coffee, and some who even went on to come back to Nami to help in her location. 

My third time in Japan I found myself wandering through the concrete jungle of Shibuya to find a quiet oasis of greenery, food and drink and the location of Jaho’s newest store in Shibuya Bluefront. This store is located hidden under a green arch blending into the green of walking paths around the large Blue Front Building. All around it are incredible places to play outside with children or lounge on a sunny day, but the store itself offers quite a bit of cozy seating if you find yourself needing to sit inside, as well as hooks on the ground to secure a well behaved furry friend while you enjoy your coffee. This store still boasts delicious homemade food and pastries as well as coffee roasted by Nami herself. 

Every time I come back to Japan I am constantly amazed at what Nami is able to create and her ability to nurture a cozy welcoming atmosphere and foster a global community with the art of her coffee and baking. With grace she is able to be a savvy business woman, regularly contributes to her community by hosting pop up cafes at local animal adoption events, fostering an international community of exchange and tasty & nourishing food, all while continuing to pursue specialty coffee and learning how to improve her technique every day. I am so excited to see what more she will do with her career in coffee and what her stores will continue to grow into, and I’m so grateful to have such an incredible friend to share her culture with me.