Since I started a daily life of continuously drinking coffee, the number of times I visit cafés has increased dramatically. What caught my attention is that many of the customers and staff are foreigners. Isn't it more interesting than I imagined that people of various nationalities and languages enjoy the same café's coffee? One beverage can be enjoyed in the same, similar sense. Even though it's the same drink, there are many varieties, and many values are shared.
When we at RCS recently set up a booth at the plaza in front of Higashi Hongan-ji near Kyoto Station, we were also visited by foreigners speaking various languages. With greetings, accents, etc., it was truly diverse, and even translation apps were confusing about what settings to use, making communication difficult. Yet, when I saw customers enjoying themselves with smiles, I felt the international commonality of coffee and my heart danced.
Providing the same cup that matches the image imagined by customers whose culture and lifestyle are completely different, the "deliciousness" of coffee is common. When I conveyed the taste description, they went from surprise to an expression of understanding, which made me happy.
Seeing the customers' expressions, I realize that we are handling the kind of drink described above. Coffee is not just a preference item; it is a medium that gently connects people, creating small places of interaction worldwide.
Here is the venue for the Suita Rising Sun Japan Coffee Festival
