By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
They may come from a Land Down Under, but the entrepreneurs behind Aussie-born coffee legend Single O have booked a flight to the Land of the Rising Sun - and are flinging open the doors to their most central Japanese outpost yet - Single O Yurakucho - right in the thick of one of Tokyo’s busiest train stations.
Nestled in the Lumine Street precinct and directly connected to JR Yurakucho Station’s Ginza Exit, this pint-sized, punchy cafe is a masterclass in how to serve high-quality coffee at bullet-train speed.
With just 14 seats, the new venue is compact, but big on ambition. Designed for Tokyo’s 120,000+ daily commuters and a steady stream of Ginza-bound wanderers, it’s Single O’s fifth cafe in Japan and its first inside a major train station.
It’s also the most potent expression yet of what the brand does best: combine Australian cafe culture with Japanese precision, sustainability and efficiency.
"We’ve always dreamed of making top-notch coffee accessible in the most unexpected places,” says Single O CEO Mike Brabant. "Yurakucho is that dream in action. It’s where great taste meets great timing.”
At the heart of the cafe is Single O’s Freepour Batch Tap System - a cutting-edge setup that pours everything from oat lattes to matcha with the flick of a tap. Think six taps, 18 customers served in 30 seconds and a rotating roster of blends and single origins that includes a show-stopping Papayo bean from Colombia’s Holguin family and a beautifully bright-washed Ethiopia.
Prefer your coffee brewed to order? There’s a full espresso bar and a V60 station, too.
The bites are just as brilliant. Designed for grab-and-go or a quick recharge, the food menu is full of fun, local favourites - with an Aussie touch. There’s the cult-status housemade banana bread with espresso butter, the cheekily named Tokyo BAE roll and a playful Avo Show sando that blends the best of both Asian and Oceanic influences.
Long-time collaborator Luchetti Krelle has teamed up with sustainable design pioneers like Defy Design and Flange Plywood to kit out the cafe with recycled plastic tables, upcycled timber chairs and ceramic cups by Australian legend Malcolm Greenwood.
Even the serving boards and coasters are crafted from repurposed green bean sacks - a nod to Single O’s ongoing Re:Jute initiative. Add to that a bespoke mural by Japanese artist Ryuji Kamiyama, and you’ve got a venue that’s clever, conscious and clearly not designed to merely serve up coffee. Instead, delivering a work of art.
To celebrate the launch, Single O is also dropping a seasonal blend called Firecracker, inspired by Tokyo’s iconic Sumida Fireworks Festival. Expect a vibrant, fruity profile, available both as beans and in Parachutes (Single O’s signature drip coffee bags).
It’ll be served at all Single O locations in Japan and Australia, plus online - so you can get your Firecracker fix. Even if Tokyo isn’t on the cards just yet.
The cafe’s launch is the latest in a long line of Japan milestones for Single O’s Japan GM Yu Yamamoto, who started with the brand at Surry Hills and has since played a key role in expanding its Japanese footprint - from the original roastery in 2014 to buzzy spots in Hamacho, Ryogoku, Shibuya, Kanda and now Yurakucho.
Whether you’re a commuter racing for the next train, a tourist chasing Tokyo trends or just a coffee-lover curious about where Aussie cafe culture is heading next, Single O Yurakucho is the perfect pit stop.
