Shōwa-era kissas all kind of look the “same,” and so you could argue they are as “pre-fabricated” as contemporary cafés, indie or otherwise. But the big difference is that the catalog of options forty years ago was far more “humane” — natural materials, very little “plastics” (though plastic is present in their Linoleum flooring and Formica tables), lots of dark wood and fabrics, tile, tin, plaster, warm lighting, weird lampshades, low-fidelity radio, “clutter,” the sense of life being lived and a space being used. Contrast with so many third-wave cafés — all glass and concrete, blonde wood, chairs designed to encourage a person to leave after twenty-minutes, not sit back with a newspaper for an hour.

Also, it’s worth mentioning acoustics — mid-century interiors are far preferred places to chat. Thanks to the copious fabrics, angles, and clutter, there’s little to no echo. Lion, in Shibuya, is a superior place to listen to classical music because of the room’s softness. Whereas your average Blue Bottle is basically a racquetball court that sells coffee.