nordic notes in japan

I like coffee as much as the next girl does. Probably not more, nor less. One black cup to start my day. But there is something special with this bitter beverage. The smell, the steam, the poisonous looking color. Coffee in itself might be a beverage, but the concept of coffee its not. It’s a ritual, almost sacred in its simplicity. Growing up in Sweden, the concept of fika is woven into everyday life. A moment of stillness, to connect, and to simply be. Its all about being in the present moment, enjoying a cinnamon bun or a cheese sandwich. Fika is a holy concept but as much about the coffee itself, as it is about companionship.

A little history lesson: Coffee arrived in Sweden in the late 1600s, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that it became the nation’s unofficial fuel. Despite royal attempts to ban it, the Swedes refused to give up their cups. Today, Sweden ranks among the world’s top coffee consumers per capita — proof that fika is more than tradition; it’s a strong part of our identity.

In Japan, coffee followed a different path. Introduced through trade in the late 1800s, it first took space in kissaten — old-fashioned cafés where writers, thinkers, and dreamers gathered. Each cup was brewed with patient hands, accompanied by jazz music and a faint hum of conversation. Even today, these nostalgic cafés coexist with the modernity of cement walls and Spotify jazz.

While Sweden celebrates togetherness through coffee, Japan celebrates precision and quiet. In Stockholm, fika is laughter over chokladbollar. In Tokyo, coffee is an observation in a perfectly designed cup. The Swedish café invites conversation; the Japanese café invites reflection. Yet both are built around the same idea — that coffee time is human time.

Whether it’s the warmth of a cinnamon bun or the scent of freshly ground beans, both cultures have found meaning in the pause. And in that pause, we find something deeply universal. Because in a world that constantly rushes forward, coffee — in all its humble beauty — is a human reminder to slow down, to notice, and to connect. (Written while enjoying a cup) – Nordic notes in Japan