On April 4, Sunaba Coffee opened in Tottori Prefecture, the only prefecture in Japan without a Starbucks coffee shop.

The name "Sunaba Coffee" was derived from a comment made by Tottori Governor Hirai when the first Starbucks opened in neighboring Shimane Prefecture last year: "We don't have a Starbucks, but we have the best "Sunaba" (sandbox) in Japan. If so, can we consider it the Starbucks of Tottori? I wonder if Starbucks refugees in Tottori are flocking to Sunaba Coffee right now...? I was curious about all of this, so I decided to give it a try.


Incidentally, Shimane Prefecture just recently opened its second Starbucks Izumo Taisha store on April 22. It was very busy, with tourists and locals alike lining up to visit.


Sunaba Coffee" is conveniently located right in front of Tottori Station.

Sunaba Coffee is located about a one-minute walk from the north exit of JR Tottori Station.



Is the interior and clientele different from Starbucks?

The still-new white-walled store is lined with wooden tables in soothing tones. There are about 40 seats at the counter and tables. There is also a separate room in the back of the store that has tables (smoking seats), making it quite a large place.


Perhaps because it was a Saturday, the place was crowded with tourists and locals, and there were no businessmen working with their MacBook Airs open, as is the case at Starbucks. However, Sunaba Coffee is equipped with free Wi-Fi and power outlets under the seats, so it seems like a good place to work if you are so inclined.

What's on the menu?

I opened the menu handed to me. Most of the pages were devoted to snacks, with only one page devoted to drinks. I had a vague feeling that this was a coffee shop.



This time, I ordered the coffee that Governor Hirai drank on the opening day, the "Sunaba Pancake," which was recommended on Twitter by the author's favorite Tottori Prefecture yuru-chara, Tripi, and the "Tuna Cutlet Sandwich" from the extensive sandwich menu.

Everyone~? Sunaba Coffee has finally opened in Tottori~o(^▽^)o Governor Hirai visited the store to celebrate the opening and commented "the aroma of Sunaba spreads" after drinking the coffee. The store's most recommended menu item is "Sunaba Pancake" - please try it~ pic.twitter.com/ktTfEdODLb

- Tripi (@tottoripref) 2014, April 4

Coffee and food are both delicious!

The coffee arrived first, followed by the tuna cutlet sandwich.



The tuna cutlet sandwich, seasoned with mayonnaise and ketchup, is insanely delicious. The thickness and grilling of the toast and the exquisite crispiness of the tuna cutlet create a wonderful harmony. It is just the kind of thing I would like to eat for lunch or brunch on a day off.


And the deeply aromatic and full-bodied blended coffee. It makes me feel relaxed and at ease.

After a while, Sunaba pancakes also appeared. The volume and gorgeousness of these pancakes are enough to make everyone around look at them.


It looked like four small pancakes were decorated with fruit, cream, and vanilla ice cream. I was a little curious, so I flipped it over...


I was quite surprised to see a magnificent smiley (?) face. I felt quite relieved when I saw a pancake with a beautiful smiley face (?). The batter was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with a gentle flavor that reminded me of the pancakes my mother used to cook for me.


All you need is Sunaba Coffee.

In the end, Sunaba Coffee did not have any Starbucks-like elements. However, both the coffee and the food were very good, so I think I can proudly say that there is a Sunaba Coffee in Tottori. In addition to morning (7:30-10:30 a.m.) and lunch (10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.) hours, Sunaba Coffee is also open as a wine bar from 8 p.m. "as long as there are customers," so if you are interested, please visit whenever you feel like it.