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A café where the coffee is secondary is one way to describe <a href="https://lion.main.jp/?DestinAsian">Meikyoku Kissa Lion</a>, a beloved Tokyo institution. Nestled between nightclubs, love hotels, and sex shops in the backstreets of Shibuya, just steps from the chaotic <a href="https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/2177/?DestinAsian">Shibuya Scramble Crossing</a>, this nearly century-old music venue defies the odds and reflects the city’s deep dedication to cultural appreciation. The front wall of the space is dedicated to custom-made three-meter-high wooden speakers, which drench the café in an ocean of classical music. Scheduled LP concerts run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily, and the strictly upheld no-talking policy allows visitors a chance to lose themselves in the music with next to no interruption from the happenings of daily life outside. The menu is simple: coffee, tea, melon floats (an old-school Japanese café staple), and not much else, but it makes sense because <a href="https://lion.main.jp/?DestinAsian">Lion’s</a> signature offering is not on the menu: what local and international guests come here for is the sound. —Lucy Dayman
<a href="https://lion.main.jp/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lion.main.jp</a> 
+81 3 3461 6858 
<a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/mLvLRDQCNLi8P7iT6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2-19-13 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan</a>

Meikyoku Kissa Lion (Lion Café): Roaring Success

Tokyo Attractions