what-do-you-feel-in-an-era-when-cafes-are-disappearing Coffee Shops & Cafes

Coffee Shops & Cafes

What Do You Feel in an Era When Cafes Are Disappearing?

About this topic

What do you feel in an era when cafes are disappearing? This question reexamines the loss of physical 'third places' and the accompanying emotional, cultural, and social changes. Independent coffee shops and old cafes that once dotted every corner of the city are vanishing one after another due to the expansion of chain stores, the spread of remote work, the rise of delivery culture, and economic pressures. Do we not feel this disappearance not merely as 'inconvenience,' but as a sense of loss and nostalgia that 'special time is being lost'? Cafes were not just places to drink coffee, but provided 'extraordinary everyday' where one could spend time slowly, converse with others (or alone), introspect, and feel the air of the city. Their disappearance symbolizes that modern society, in prioritizing 'efficiency' and 'speed,' is losing 'leisurely time,' 'face-to-face relationships,' and 'memories rooted in place.' This question not only laments the disappearance of cafes but quietly asks how we will seek 'places to belong' from now on and how we will cherish time and space. Beyond nostalgia, hints for new forms of 'cafe culture' or possibilities for 'third places' are also hidden.

Conceptual positions
01 Nostalgia Studies Approach

Views the disappearance of cafes as nostalgia for a 'better past,' while seeing that nostalgia as illuminating the difficulties of living in the present. Lamenting what is lost becomes an opportunity to rediscover the value of what remains.

02 Urban Sociology Approach

Analyzes the disappearance of cafes as a result of urban 'gentrification' and 'homogenization of commercial spaces.' Streets where independent stores disappear and chains or online dominate weaken community bonds and deepen isolation.

03 Phenomenological Approach

Views the disappearance of the 'place' of cafes as the loss of 'placeness' through which the body engages with the world. The loss of spaces imbued with the aroma of coffee and the voices of regulars shakes the foundation of everyday 'comfort.'

04 Cultural Anthropology Approach

Examines the uniquely Japanese 'cafe culture' in comparison with Western cafe culture, viewing the process of disappearance as cultural transformation. The loss of Japanese customs like 'morning sets' and 'regular customer culture' thins out daily rituals and seasonal sensibilities.

Talk entry points

  1. How did you feel when a beloved cafe or coffee shop near you disappeared?

  2. What do you think is the biggest reason why cafes are decreasing?

  3. If all cafes disappeared from the city, how do you think your life and mood would change?

  4. Which is stronger for you: the feeling that disappearing cafes are 'a pity,' or the feeling that 'it can't be helped'?

  5. In an era when cafes are disappearing, what kind of new 'places to belong' do you think we should create?

  6. Is there a cafe you would like to visit 'one last time' in your life? Why there?

Conceptual tensions
Nostalgia vsAcceptance of Reality
Is lamenting disappearing cafes being bound to the past, or rediscovering lost value? There is tension between treating nostalgia as mere sadness or using it as a lesson for the future.
Efficiency vsLeisure
The disappearance of cafes is the result of modern 'speed' and 'efficiency' being prioritized. However, tension arises in how to evaluate the value of the 'leisurely time' lost in exchange.
Physical Space vsDigital Space
The question is whether online communities or virtual cafes can replace the role of physical cafes. There is tension in how much unique value of a 'place' involving the body digital can reproduce.
Individual vsSociety
The disappearance of cafes is a private loss of 'my favorite place is gone' for the individual, but at the same time a public issue of decreasing 'places of connection' for society as a whole. The tension between these two layers complicates emotions.
End vsBeginning
Is the disappearance of cafes to be lamented as an 'end,' or seen as the 'beginning' of a new culture of belonging? There is tension in viewing disappearance not as mere loss but as a process of transformation.
Talk note

This topic is about talking about time, space, and connection in modern times through the disappearance of the 'place' of cafes. Rather than ending nostalgia as mere sadness, let's make it a time to rediscover the value of what was lost and think together about how to create future 'places to belong.' Cafes are not just places to drink coffee, but mirrors that reflect our very 'way of living.'

Glossary
Third Place
A place other than home or work for social interaction, relaxation, and creation. Cafes are a typical example, and their disappearance symbolizes the modern 'crisis of belonging.'
Nostalgia
Nostalgia or sense of loss for past places or times. Nostalgia for disappearing cafes is not mere reminiscence but includes longing for lost 'leisurely time.'
Slow Time
Time spent leisurely without prioritizing efficiency or speed. Cafes embody slow time, and their disappearance represents a change in modern society's sense of time.
Face-to-Face Relationships
Human relationships built in physical spaces where names and faces are known. The regular customer culture of cafes nurtured this, and its disappearance increases anonymized relationships.
Memory of Place
Personal and collective memories tied to specific places. Disappearing cafes mean losing memories of the city's history and individuals' lives.
Belonging in the Digital Age
New forms of 'belonging' that humans seek in an era where online spaces replace physical places. The disappearance of cafes makes this question more urgent.
Talk prompts
Ice breaker

Is there a cafe or coffee shop that you once thought 'I liked this place' but is now gone? What did you feel in that store?

Deep dive

If all cafes disappeared from the city, where do you think you would spend 'time to think slowly' or 'time to talk with someone'?

Bridge

As you listen to the other person, try imagining: 'This person must have also spent important time in some cafe.'

Further questions
  • About the meaning of preserving disappearing cafes in photographs
  • Why memories of the last visit to an old cafe remain especially vivid
  • Considering the difference between chain stores and independent stores from the perspective of the 'soul' of cafes
  • Is a 'third place' necessary in the remote work era?
  • Where do people 'slow down' in a city where cafes have disappeared?
  • Can nostalgia be turned into energy to create a new cafe culture?