Sumida Park Open Cafe

Coffee on the banks of Sumida River

Manish Prabhune Jan 23, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Two coffee shops, Tully's Coffee and Cafe W.E have opened in the Sumida Park.</p>

<p>You have got a direct view of the Tokyo Skytree from both cafes. The walkway along the river is retained wide enough for visitors coming around for a stroll. Cafe W.E is relatively spaced out and has outside seating, too; although winter might not be the right time to enjoy the coffee outside in cold. Depends on you!</p>

<p>A lucky snap when I was able to shoot both, the ship passing by and the Spacia Line train leaving Asakusa Station and heading towards Nikko.</p>

<p>Tully's Coffee also has seating outside and I think this is the better option, as the interior is kind of crammed with a huge stuffed teddy bear and other stuff.</p>

<p>The newly constructed modern box-like structure of the Tully's Coffee shop at the Sumida Park Open Cafe</p>

<p>Snap of the Tully's Coffee shop from the inside. Around 6 seats are available on the window side facing Tokyo Skytree, but they are mostly occupied. You may have to wait for your turn.</p>

<p>It was thanks to a pamphlet I had collected at Asakusa Station that I got to know about this place. Onceme and my wife went there again on a weekday later in the evening for an after-dinner coffee and there were only a few people around. Great stuff if you want to enjoy a nice view without the crowds.</p>

<p>Shot of the Tokyo Skytree from inside Tully's.</p>

The Sumida-gawa Renaissance Project initiated by the local government and some business establishments is trying to revive the waterfront area alongside Sumida River. They do that by holding events like the Tokyo Hotaru Festival “Symphony of Light” when blue LED lights are released onto the river, and through landscaping and developments along river banks. Just recently two cafes have been opened and they offer a beautiful view of the Tokyo Skytree and the river itself. With the Tokyo skyline undergoing transformation since the arrival of the Tokyo Skytree, the neighborhood is also witnessing more business activity as a positive side effect on the overall local economic front. The cafes are open until 21:00 in the evening.

Manish Prabhune @manish.prabhune

Travelling to various places and locations in Japan for over 20 years now, I want to share my experiences and also hear about destinations that I still have not been to in the land of the rising sun. Am a photography enthusiast and love to do slow shutter blue hour photography in Tokyo.