Rokuyokan Cafe: It's like the world of Ghibli. A unique long-established coffee shop in Kofu

Last updated： December 25, 2023

Rokuyokan Cafe

Rokuyokan Cafe is a long-established coffee shop in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture that has been in business for over 55 years. Jazz music plays in the restaurant’s Taisho Romantic and Showa Retro atmosphere, allowing you to spend a quiet time in a calm atmosphere.

Business hours

9:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Regular holidays

Sunday

Seat

Table seats: 4 seats
Counter seats: 4 seats

Payment

Cash only

Smoking

All seats available

Equipment

Wifi: None
Power: None

Telephone number

+81-55-222-6404

Parking lot

Coin parking available nearby

Access

5 minutes walk from JR Kofu Station

Location

2-15-15 Marunouchi, Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture 400-0031

It’s like a wonderland! Another world storefront

The most distinctive feature of Rokuyokan is its store appearance.

It is located in the middle of Kofu city, surrounded by modern buildings, and this appearance suddenly appears. Anyone who encounters it without knowing it will definitely be surprised.

According to the owner, the madam who runs Rokuyokan, a long time ago, the son of the governor of Yamanashi prefecture gave him a foreign plant, and although the madam didn’t like it, her husband thought it was a good idea and brought it in. However, in the blink of an eye, the vines began to grow, crawling under the building, and eventually covering the entire building.

“I used to remove it, but it keeps growing and there’s nothing I can do about it, so I just leave it alone.”

Madam was speaking with a wry smile.

But in the end, these vines create a shocking worldview, and it’s beautiful, like the world of Ghibli. Covered in bright green foliage, the building looks truly otherworldly.

Cozy space and many antiques

The interior of Rokuyokan is lined with antique furniture and furnishings, giving it a Taisho romantic atmosphere. The walls are decorated with retro posters and paintings, so you can spend a relaxing time here.

Pink telephone (special simple public telephone)

In the olden days, coffee shops always had special public telephones, commonly known as “pink telephones.” Maybe this one is current?

Photo of the old Kofu Station

A photo of the old Kofu Station was displayed.

I forgot to ask what era the photo was taken, but seeing so many cars driving around, I guess it was from the Taisho era or the early Showa era.

No. 23 automatic wall telephone

Inside the store, there is a No. 23 automatic wall telephone, a telephone from around 1953 (Showa 28), on display.

His No. 23 automatic wall-mounted telephone, introduced in 1952, was a last-ditch effort to accommodate the increasing number of telephone subscribers after World War II.

After World War II, demand for telephones skyrocketed. However, the No. 2 automatic telephone he was using at the time did not have sufficient performance, and it was necessary to increase the number of lines. The supply of his state-of-the-art No. 4 telephone could not keep up, so he created his No. 23 automatic telephone by modifying his existing No. 2 automatic telephone using spare parts from his No. 3 telephone.

History of Japanese telephones

The No. 23 automatic wall-mounted telephone was produced as a stopgap, and after the production of the flagship model was completed in time, it was gradually weeded out from around 1960. It’s a very valuable phone these days.

This is Rokuyokan’s menu.

Drinks

Coffee

Rokuyokan blend (organically grown beans): 600 yen
Blend: 550 yen
American: 550 yen
Mandelin: 700 yen
Kilimanjaro: 700 yen
Iced coffee: 600 yen
Cafe au lait (hot/ice): 650 yen
Cafe Mocha (hot/ice): 700 yen
Vienna coffee (hot/ice): 650 yen

Tea

Darjeeling (hot/ice): 550 yen
Ceylon (hot/ice): 550 yen
Earl Gray (hot/ice): 600 yen
Royal milk tea (hot/ice): 650 yen

Soft drink

Milk (hot/ice): 550 yen
Cocoa (hot/ice): 700 yen
Matcha milk (hot/ice): 700 yen
Lemonade (hot/ice): 650 yen
Orange juice: 500 yen
Apple juice: 500 yen
Coke: 500 yen
Singer Ale: 500 yen
Melon soda: 600 yen
Lemon squash: 600 yen

Float (ice cream on top of a drink)

Coffee float: 780 yen
Matcha milk float: 880 yen
Cola float: 680 yen
Cream soda: 780 yen

Dessert

Cake: 550 yen
Ice cream (vanilla): 530 yen
Coffee jelly parfait: 800 yen
Shingenko parfait (shiratama, black honey, azuki): 850 yen
Strawberry parfait (seasonal menu): 850 yen

meal

Rokuyokan does not serve breakfast, so you can choose from “light snacks(軽食)” for breakfast.

Lunch (weekdays 11:00 AM - 2:30 PM): 900 yen per item, 1200 yen with coffee

Monday: Ginger grilled pork
Tuesday: Japanese-style hamburger
Wednesday: Chicken sauté
Thursday: Demi-glace hamburger
Friday: Curry and rice

Snacks(軽食)

Toast (butter & jam): 500 yen
Pilaf: 850 yen
Hayashi rice: 900 yen

Dark roasted coffee and soothing jazz

Madam recommended Rokuyokan blend, so I ordered Rokuyokan blend and toast.

The aroma of perfectly toasted toast and coffee matches the atmosphere inside this store, amplifying the joy of spending time at a coffee shop.

The Rokuyokan Blend is a dark roasted coffee, so it had a rich yet refreshing taste and was very delicious.

A high-quality and elegant moment created by Madam’s personality.

Rokuyokan is run by my grandmother (I call her Madam).

Although Madam has an outspoken personality, she feels that she must be very caring. A Taisho Roman style store created by such a madam and delicious coffee.

You can spend your time in a high-quality and elegant space that you can’t imagine from the outside.

There are things that she can create because she has actually lived her life.

I believe that the atmosphere of Rokuyokan was created because Madame actually lived and experienced it firsthand.

Taisho Roman and Showa Retro are not things that can be created just by trying to create them. Something that can only be established if there is an essence called time.

It was as if I had traveled back in time to that era. You can really feel the atmosphere in this coffee shop.