Coffee Arrow, Kumamoto: A Single Recipe, A Lifetime’s Dedication

Coffee Arrow, Kumamoto: A Single Recipe, A Lifetime's Dedication

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Coffee Arrow, Kumamoto: A Single Recipe, A Lifetime’s Dedication

coffee-arrow-kumamoto-cafe-dedication-leica-m10-p-rangefinder-camera-digital-apo-summicron-35mm-f2-asph-2-m-interior
Leica M10-P, APO-Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH, Coffee Arrow Kumamoto
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Leica M10-P, APO-Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH, Coffee Arrow Kumamoto

When I travel, I rely heavily on Google Maps for reviews of various cafes and restaurants. I came across some reels and photos of Coffee Arrow in Kumamoto, Japan. It looked like a quiet, cosy place that I could enjoy. But before that I highly recommend you to visit Suizenji Ezuko park. It’s beautiful there.

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Leica M10-P, Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Suizenji Ezuko park Japan
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Leica M10-P, Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Suizenji Ezuko park Japan
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Kodak Portra 400 (at 320), Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Kumamoto Japan

After a chilly experience at the top of Mt Aso, the volcanic mountain in Kyushu, Japan, we drove to this city, rich in samurai history, spending a night in hopes of finding some warmth before heading to Unzen for a hot spring. My last visit here was in 2019, and, surprisingly, I couldn’t recommend anything but the view of Kumamoto Castle from the hotel. This time, we only wandered around the main areas, having fun taking photos. My wife carried her pocket-sized Ricoh GRIIIx; I’m glad she likes it, and we had so much fun taking photographs together.

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Leica M10-P, Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Kumamoto Japan
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Leica M10-P, Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Kumamoto Japan
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Leica M10-P, Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Kumamoto Japan

The next day, before driving to the port to catch a ferry to Unzen, we had a stroll around the city, checking out the castle in hopes of seeing it repaired after the earthquake, but with no luck—it was still undergoing construction. We then headed to Coffee Arrow, the cafe I had pinned on Google Maps. I wasn’t expecting anything like this at all; it sparked my confidence to talk to different people on this trip. Upon entering, I immediately felt as if in a different era, with well-kept wooden furniture, fresh flower decorations, and a poster of Ophelia, painting by John Everett Millais set against classical music playing in the background. I knew I was in the right place! There are only a handful of seats next to the bar, and the owner kindly took our orders and prepared his famous, and only, drink in the cafe—Amber coffee.

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Kodak Portra 400 (at 320), Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Coffee Arrow Kumamoto
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Kodak Portra 400 (at 320), Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Coffee Arrow Kumamoto

Amber coffee was completely new to me. I had never tasted anything similar before. It’s clear in colour, like its name suggests, and lightly roasted. So clear that you can see the bottom of the cup. The scent is mesmerizing and the taste so pure, starting with a bitter note and ending with a mild, sweet flavour. It’s unlike normal coffee that gives you a strong scent and taste to keep you awake.

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Square Lens Hood for Nokton 35/1.5
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Front Protector Ring for Nokton 28/35/40/50 and ZM
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Leica M10-P, APO-Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH, Coffee Arrow Kumamoto
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Leica M10-P, APO-Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH, Coffee Arrow Kumamoto

The 88-year-old owner was so kind and kept talking to us, even though we couldn’t understand a single word in Japanese, but he showed us some magazines in Chinese that I could read and other newspaper cuttings. We tried to communicate a bit using Google Translate, but I forgot which application was for voice translation, which was a bummer. His dedication to his own recipe has spanned over 65 years. Imagine perfecting every step and technique, making modifications with such persistence. I admire his dedication to his passion. You can sense he really enjoys what he is doing. I wish him all the best and good health!

Coffee Arrow
Address: 10-10 Hanabatacho, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0806 Japan

coffee-arrow-kumamoto-cafe-dedication-leica-mp-film-negative-color-kodak-portra-400-summilux-50mm-f1.4-pre-a-v3-e46-titan-interior
Kodak Portra 400 (at 320), Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Coffee Arrow Kumamoto
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Leica M10-P, APO-Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH, Coffee Arrow Kumamoto

I shot all the images with my Leica M10-P with a Leica APO-Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH lens and some film shots with my Leica MP 0.85x and Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 loaded with a roll of Kodak Portra 400 (rated at ISO 320). Next post will be about Nagasaki and some other film shots that I took during the trip. Stay tuned!

All images have been resized to optimise webpage loading speed. For the highest resolution images, please refer to my Flickr account.

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Kodak Portra 400 (at 320), Summilux 50mm f/1.4 Pre-a E46 Titan, Kumamoto ferry

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