Coffee places open early

Hi there
Does anyone have any coffee recommendations for a coffee snob from Melbourne Australia? I will be in Tokyo, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Osaka
If possible, one that is open early morning (before 7am)

Thank you!

Best coffee I had in Melbourne was made by a Kiwi - most of the places I went to when I was working there (for eight years) weren't that great. But, for good coffee early, you should try single serve drip coffee - available in packs of five or ten from a combini - make it in your room. At around 40cents a cup, you might be surprised how good it is (I managed to get one of my previous clients to give up the coffee they had brought with them for their trip as they found it so good).

Bills in Shichirigahama near Kamakura opens at 7:00.
https://billsjapan.com/en/shichirigahama
All other stores will be open by 9:00.
https://billsjapan.com/en
Paul Bassett's Shinjuku store opens at 7:30 on weekdays.
https://www.paulbassett.jp/store/shinjuku/

Unfortunately in more than a dozen trips to Japan I have never had a decent cup of coffee there. Usually burned and stewed, just horrible. I tend to go without rather than disappointing myself, though every so often they will have a pod machine which is better than what is usually served.

Oddly enough the tins of coffee arent too bad, probably all of the sweeteners.

The Daimon branch of Byron Bay Coffee is also open at 7:30.
http://www.byronbaycoffeejapan.com/
https://www.instagram.com/byronbaycoffeeco_daimon/?hl=ja
MONZ CAFE opens at 8:00 on weekdays.
You can also drink flat white using coffee beans from New Zealand's popular coffee shop "Allpress Espresso".
https://www.monzcafe.com/aboutus/
iki Espresso is also open at 8:00, and you can also drink flat white using "Allpress Espresso" coffee beans.
https://www.iki-espresso.com/cafe-en/coffee-class/
I went to this area last week to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art. There are many coffee specialty shops in this area, including Blue Bottle Coffee.
By the way, Blue Bottle Coffee also opens at 8:00 at Kiyosumi Shirakawa. In Tokyo, the Hiroo store opens at 7:30.
California third wave coffee.
https://store.bluebottlecoffee.jp/pages/kiyosumi
Fuglen in Norway opens at 7am.
https://fuglen.no/Fuglen-Tokyo-Tomigaya

This sounds a bit mean - but you'll have more luck getting good iced coffee in a combini than good hot coffee in Japan. Good coffee does exist - but rarely near Melbourne quality if you like expresso with milk

People will spend hours researching places to get the best “Kobe beef” or “omakase sushi” or figuring out how to get a reservation at a Michelin 3-star restaurant, but then expect to find good coffee just by going into an ordinary chain coffee place or department store basement baiten. It’s like expecting to find really great cheese or bread at an ordinary supermarket.

If you make an effort, you can get very sophisticated coffee in Japan, but you’re not likely to find it unless you look. You can try googling “third wave coffee” in the cities you are looking at (Tokyo has quite a lot of places), or search Google Maps for “coffee roasters” and carefully review the results to see whether any given place looks promising enough to you. (You may not approve of their roasting or brewing methods.) The problem with these places is that most of them don’t open early. I have only found a few in Tokyo that open as early as 8. Many of them 9 or 10, or even 11. And you may or may not like the coffee at any given place. These shops don’t stay in business unless they have a fair number of customers who consider themselves to be connoisseurs, but they may have different palates from yours. At any rate, I do believe you can probably find coffee that meets your standards but you’re not going to stumble on it by chance. Do your research, and possibly be prepared to make a pilgrimage.

I’m sure Starbuck’s is very far beneath your dignity, but their flagship roastery in Tokyo does open at 7. You might possibly want to check it out so you can thumb your nose at it.
https://www.starbucksreserve.com/en-us/locations/tokyo

I am not a coffee snob but I do really like my coffee in the morning. I make my own drip coffee in my hotel room, with varying results depending on where I get the ground coffee. I bring equipment for heating milk with me (I have my own technique that uses hot water and the laws of physics) and have even been known to tuck a small battery-operated milk frother into my suitcase. Good for making matcha latte as well. (I like them, with no apologies to the matcha purists.)

By the way, some Japanese coffee shops Doutor Coffee are open from 6:30 or 6:45.
https://www.doutor.co.jp/en/how_to/#findastore
Many of the BECK'S COFFEE SHOPs inside JR East stations are open from 6:00.
https://foods.jr-cross.co.jp/becks/?_gl=1*ur0yen*_ga*MTY2MTU4MTE2Mi4xN....

Cafe Veloce is also open from 6:45.
https://c-united.co.jp/veloce/

Building on my harsh comments before - I find that Japan has quite good cold brews and such at specialty stores.

However - high quality expresso with baristas with a focus on milk can be quite difficult to find. There are a few drinkable bottled coffees though which are of the cold variety.

I personally find the beans (with roast) along with the type of milk is not the same as Melbourne.

But as some of these cities are huge and there is often real specialization in different food/drink types, excellent coffee joints will exist but they will be mainly independent stores.

If you find Starbucks drinkable - then you can find them almost everywhere.

A few years ago Japan Guide’s esteemed staff writer Raina Ong did a piece on the Kiyosumi Shirakawa district in Tokyo, which at least at the time was known for its third wave coffee shops (I believe it still is). The coffee culture is only one topic covered by the article, but it’s an entertaining piece (complete with some of Ong’s fine photo captions). You might find it interesting. I don’t know if all of the places she mentions are still in business but you could easily check online. Don’t expect them to open at 7, though…
https://www.japan-guide.com/chottozeitaku/190419.html

Hi!

I am not a coffee snob by any stretch but I found Blue Bottle quite disappointing. I don't get the obsession with it unless you are just really into all things Bay Area, California.

I think the issue is finding a good coffee place that opens early and serves coffee. I think a lot of places that open early or just sort of mediocre.

I have had some pretty good coffee at some hotel's breakfasts, but I am pretty sure most of the hotels don't allow non-guests in for their breakfasts. It also can vary because of course it is being made fresh and people vary in their coffee making skills.

I thought the lattes from the Strings Zelkova in Harajuku was quite good. It was probably the best hot coffee I had last trip, though I admit now the majority of coffee I had was iced because it was very hot in June/July.

Good luck!

Thank you all, will look into all your suggestions !

I recommend Kielo Coffee near Akihabara Station.

They open at 8am (9am on weekends) and there's a selection of drip coffee, expressos and lattes. They also have a few baked snacks such as cheesecake and carrot cake.

https://goo.gl/maps/qc19VRufKRJCatET6

Things you will not find in Japan:
Half decent coffee, good coffee or great coffee.
Of course, if you have an American background it will seem normal to you.

Everyone has their own tastes.
when you believe you are better than others, that is your arrogance.

probably English itself is not polite language.
in Japanese, if you don't like the tastes, it is expressed as 口にあわない, it does not suit my mouth (tongue).
of course, non-educated and non-intelligent Japanese say この味はきらい. it tastes bad.

The truth seems to have hit a nerve.
Throw out a fishing line and a fish (or someone) always takes a bite.

haha,
it is the good way to extract racists who pretend to be innocent.

All of the above makes for entertaining reading. Thanks so much.
The average Australian is pretty much a 'coffee snob' (me included)...especially if you're from Melbourne!
You don't realise this until you are in a country like Japan...where there is not a barista led cafe on every street corner.
So, in your desperation (and mine) it just MAY be possible that by the time you leave Japan, you will be perfectly happy to drink Y100 machine made coffee from a paper cup while standing outside in the carpark with your friends in the rain?? Oh yeah! This was my experience after 5 months living in Japan, and I count it as some kind of personal victory...so be patient with yourself.
BTW, I always travel with my single size coffee plunger and a tin of coffee. You've got to wrap your socks around something in your backpack right? Mights as well be the coffee.
And another thing, for ever more, you will never take Australian coffee-culture for granted. It's fabulous!