Afternoon Tea in Shin-Okubo: Tokyo’s little Koreatown

I lot of people probably don’t know this but I was studying Korean in Tokai College my freshman year. Back then, the guy that I was dating from high school was really into k-pop (I mean, a lot of us were getting into the K-pop wave back then) and from there I started getting really interested in learning Korean. Up until that point I was just focusing on learning Japanese. I gave up learning Korean after my first year only because I couldnt find anyone else to practice with outside of the classroom. Since then, I’ve completely forget how to speak Korean but I do remember how to read some Hangul.

Fast forward 4 years later In Tokyo’s own Koreatown: Shin-Okubo, one station down from the infamous Shinjuku Station on the Yamanote Line. I‘even always loved going to Shin-Okubo to pick up Korean skincare stuff but also because there's a little history behind the relationship between Japanese and Koreans living in the area. Of course the Main Street is crowded and filled with teens and young adults as they walk and eat deep fried mozzarella corn dogs, korean pancakes, and ice cream, and of course bubble tea along with Korean BBQ shops lining not just the Main Street but the little alleyways too. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t one of those girls walking while eating a cup filled with tteokbokki (spicy Korean rice cakes) and fan-girling because I saw my favorite K-pop Idol *cough cough* Min Yoongi from BTS....

Ah yes, If I wanted bootleg photos of my favorite idols or korean actor goods, Shin-Okubo is the place to Be.

Aside from that, Shin-Okubo has a few cute cafes too. One of my favorites is Cafe MUI MUI.

This is actually the second time I’ve gone here. The first time I went was some time back last year after drinking with a friend from my university. We graduated the same class but hadn’t talked since the graduation ceremony. It’s usually by common to go out for drinks or eat when catching up with old friends here. During that time, we had just came back from a Korean BBQ place and were craving something sweet or just a place to sit down and talk al title longer since we overstayed our time limit at the restaurant. Which is how we stumbled upon MUI MUI.

What I really like about MUI MUI is that its a half cafe half dessert bar. What I mean by that is that by day time, its a regular cafe. You can order a variety of coffee drinks and tea along with some cafe. In the picture above, I went during the afternoon with a couple friends: one girl I knew from my part time job at and another girl who‘s actually Korean who I became friends with through another friend. It had been a while since we all met up so we decided to of course just have coffee and some sweets while talking about the usual girly stuff (hahaha 恋バナ as in the usual “love talk/story” That a lot of girls here love to talk with their girlfriends about). I got myself a slice of gateau chocolate with some hot tea. The other girls got a vey instagramable tall glass of an iced caramel macchiato (every time I see this word, I think of Bretman Rock’s younger sister, Princess pronouncing this for the first time) and a milk crepe cake with some hot tea.

MUI MUI also has a waffle plate and some other interesting virgin mixed drinks from their menu along with Korean soju, beer, and a couple sours.

The mood is very nice and comforting with Tiffany Blue as a nice touch against warm Wood and white (got that subtle complimentary orange/blue vibe going on). I also really like their music choice as its a lot of really Chill and not so pop-y Korean tacks playing (when Zico’s Any Song and Hyukoh’s Wi Ling Wi Ling came on I was like, okay, yesssss). But they also mix in some similar Japanese chill songs that really fit the ambiance and setting. Just like Cafe Stay Happy in Shimo-Kitazawa (you can read about it here) MUI MUI also has a loft like seating That over looks the space plus lets you look out the windows down on the streets of Shin-Okubo. Along with Counter seats that lets you see the cafe workers make their drinks for you. That time we went though, there wa only one person working a very busy cafe so I felt a little bad for him.

From 5pm till closing, customers receive お通し (otooshi) which is an appetizer to cover the table charge that they add from evening onwards. I thought this was a nice touch, hence why I said “dessert bar”. I think this was the first time I’ve seen a cafe serve otooshi, especially since theyre usually appetizers like kimchi, edamame, or some kind of small meat dishes. But to match the cafe sweets theme, They served some slices of fruit (mangos) and a nice selection of cookies. The photo I took above (with reallly awful photo quality) was from last year when I went with my univeristy friend after drinking and eating dinner. Here we both ordered Care Lattes, Mine was hot with your traditional latte art. The iced version comes with a cute metal stirrer. Sorry its so hard too see with this photo. After dinner it was a nice pllace to relax and sober up. But be warned that if you smell like Korean BBQ, you’ll probably smell like garlic while coming in, or vice versa for others.

I also reccomend MUI MUI to friends who dont know because of their loft and nice atmosphere. The only problem is that its quite a far down the Main Street if you don’t mind going through the crowds of people. Usually when I need a time to cool or sit down from walking around Shin-Okubo, I‘like stop by here if not then one of the other cafes in the area. But to me, Coming after dinner was deffinately a plus because of “complimentary” sweets :)