Passengers at the book café in Japan (Photo: thoidai.com.vn)
The café is located at a quiet street corner, which is a few minutes' walk from Yotsuya Station of the JR railway.
The owners of the book café are Ms. Vu Linh Huong and Mr. Tran Dinh Cuong, (both born in 1995). Cuong and Huong both went to Japan to study in 2014 and 2016 respectively. The two learned to know each other while working in the Vietnamese Youth and Student Association in Japan (VYSA). Huong is originally a book enthusiast and since she participated in VYSA, Huong still dreamed that one day she would bring Vietnamese books to Vietnamese people in Japan and create a place where everyone can freely gather, chat, read and buy books.
Cuong wanted to have a place where Vietnamese people can easily access Vietnamese books because there are more and more Vietnamese in Japan. At the same time, he can promote delicious Vietnamese coffee to Vietnamese and Japanese people. The two wishes met and they decided to open a book café. In early January 2022, iShite - Vietnamese Book Coffee Tokyo was debuted.
The menu of the book café focuses on Vietnamese drinks such as black coffee, milk coffee, coconut milk coffee, yogurt coffee and cakes for breakfast such as salted egg sponge cake and bread.
iShite now has up to 5,000 books, including books for sale and books for reading with various types such as business book on stock, real estate,
iShite's bookcase now has up to 5,000 books on shelves, including books for sale and free-to-read with diverse genres: business books on securities, real estate, literature books, and children's books of famous authors.
Therefore, passengers can go to the café to choose and buy books or reading books and drinking coffee. Moreover, at weekends, iShite organizes talk shows to share experiences from forerunners. The café is also a place to meet and discuss activities of Vietnamese community in Tokyo.
Not only a space to connect for Vietnamese people, iShite is also a favorite place for Japanese people.
“The number of Japanese people who want to learn Vietnamese language is very large. That's why there are young Japanese people coming to the café to read Vietnamese books. In addition, Japanese people also love to drink coffee and Vietnamese culture,” Huong said.
“The coffee at the shop is clean, which is roasted and grounded by the shop, so it is loved by many Japanese people. Some people always have to buy a cup of coffee to take away before coming to the company every day,” she shared.
Within a few months, iShite - Vietnamese Book Coffee Tokyo has become a dear place for Vietnamese and Japanese people of all generations to come together to exchange, learn and help each other when needed./.