Kominka Café Koguma: Timeless Serentiy in Tokyo’s Historical Higashi-Mukōjima Neighborhood

The east bank of the Sumida River retains the old vibe of Tokyo’s shitamachi neighborhoods. Tucked among the historical buildings of Higashi-Mukōjima is Koguma, a row house-cum-café that offers an enchanting window into the past.

Time Standing Still

A 20-minute stroll from Tokyo Skytree or just 7 minutes on foot from Hikifune Station on the Tōbu Isesaki Line brings me to the unassuming entrance of the Hato-no-Machi shopping street. This is the neighborhood where the quaint café Koguma has operated for nearly 20 years.

I first visited Koguma a few years after it opened and was instantly captivated by the café’s atmosphere. Occupying the left-hand spot in a nearly century-old three-unit rowhouse, the shop was formerly a pharmacy. The old-fashioned storefront sign reading “medicines,” and the interior, which offered a slightly distorted view of the outside seen through the thick, uneven glass in the windows, had a charm all their own. On the wall, an old-fashioned clock ticked away the minutes as customers waited for their coffee.

The wall clock, the numbers on its face nearly faded away, and the storefront sign that says “medicines.” (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

Returning to Koguma for the first time in 15 years, I found the café’s atmosphere as I remembered it. It made me curious to know what, if any, changes the march of time had brought to the shop and the neighborhood.

Stepping into the Past

Few people today are familiar with the name Hato-no-Machi, a red-light district that existed in the turbulent years following World War II. Bordellos operated with tacit approval of the authorities, and the area flourished for a decade or so until prostitution was finally outlawed in 1958. Prominent Shōwa-era (1926–1989) writers Nagai Kafū (1879–1959) and Yoshiyuki Junnosuke (1924–94) often set their works in places like this, inspired by their distinctive seedy, melancholy aura.

The shopping street retains its prewar flavor, having miraculously survived the 1945 fire-bombings that incinerated much of Tokyo. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

The Hato-no-Machi shopping street takes its name from the adjacent red-light district. It flourished for two decades, beginning in the mid-1950s, supported by business from the nearby Mukōjima district of high-class ryōtei, traditional restaurants. Today, the narrow street, rich in prewar character and lined with private dwellings and a mix of open and closed shops, reflects the changing times.

From Pharmacy to Café

Koguma opened in 2006, although the building it occupies dates from 1927. Owners Yamanaka Masaya and Akiko refurbished the premises, breathing new life into the old structure.

A vintage glass medicine bottle on display harks back to when the building was a pharmacy. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

The Yamanakas carefully refurbished the interior, taking care not to add modern touches. The floor-to-ceiling shelves for storing medicines were left in place, and today they display books and ceramicware. The desks and chairs, some with students’ doodles still visible, come from a cram school operated by Masaya’s family. Pine planks finished using kakishibu, a traditional pigment made from persimmon juice, and bengara (red ochre) cover what was originally a bare concrete floor.

A wall clock in use since the café’s pharmacy days occupies pride of place. The timepiece, which had stopped long ago, mysteriously began ticking again when the Yamanakas opened Koguma.

The pendulum clock has been part of the shop for decades. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

“Sumida Modern” Branding

The menu at Koguma offers everything from coffee and Uji matcha latte to old-fashioned cream soda. Particularly recommended are a light meal and dessert carrying the local “Sumida Modern” branding.

One dish is the café’s grilled omuraisu, pan-fried rice smothered in a soft-cooked omelet. Dipping the spoon into the pillowy omelet releases a cloud of steam, uncovering ketchup-flavored rice accented with a blend of ten spices. Another is anmitsudama, an original take on traditional anmitsu, a Japanese-style dessert. Here fruit and azuki bean paste are enclosed in clear agar jelly, sweetened with brown sugar syrup poured over to taste.

Grilled omuraisu, served piping hot. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

Koguma’s distinctive anmitsudama. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

Connected Through Art

The Yamanakas are originally from Musashino in western Tokyo, where they formerly　ran a theater troupe. Coincidentally, a number of art projects were launched in the east of Tokyo starting in the early 2000s. Art was seen as a way to bring renewed vitality to Sumida and other parts of shitamachi, as the old downtown is known, which had been in decline for some time as industries withered and the population aged.

The Yamanaka’s first visited the area for a performance and were instantly drawn by the Hato-no-Machi shopping street, falling in love with its narrow alleys and streetscapes redolent of old-time Tokyo. They soon decided to move there and start a business. After opening Koguma, they became leaders in the local merchants’ association and have devoted their efforts to breathing new life into the community.

Faded Yesteryear

I walked around to get a feel for the neighborhood again. At the time of my first visit, many of the old buildings along the back streets of the former red-light district still stood, their fronts featuring fancy windows and elaborately tiled facades to attract customers. But they have all disappeared now, lost to a wave of redevelopment. The empty, weed-filled lots that I encountered have also been replaced by modern apartment buildings, and Koguma now numbers young families among its customers.

Once a new business set up by newcomers to the area, Koguma is now a firmly established presence. The building it is housed in has also changed. The rowhouse, originally joined by long beams, has been separated and three structures now stand independently from one another.

Koguma’s interior, though, still offers the same quiet surroundings. Akiko says she enjoys hearing the murmur of quiet conversation and the presence of people from her spot in the kitchen. “We make it a point not to converse unnecessarily with customers, so that they can enjoy peace and quiet, whether they come by to read a book or have a bite to eat.”

Some customers, coffee cup in hand, enjoy sketching Koguma’s interior and give their drawings to the Yamanakas when they leave. The quiet surroundings may stimulate inspiration and tempt them to draw.

In this corner of Tokyo still bearing traces of the prewar townscape, a café in a nearly century-old building acts as a quiet receptacle of memories. Lunchtime attracts many customers, so if you wish to enjoy the quiet, late afternoon is best. The shelves, once lined with medicines and cosmetics, and the wall clock under which countless people have spent time, are worthy of a visit to this old-fashioned neighborhood.

Kominka Café Koguma

Address: 1-23-14 HigashiMukōjima, Sumida, Tokyo
Hours: 11:30 am–6:30 pm (last order 6:00 pm)
Closed: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Access: 7 minutes on foot from Hikifune Station on the Tōbu Isesaki Line
Website: https://ko-gu-ma.com/ (Japanese)