When
you think of Japan drinks (non-alcoholic kind, not sake), you normally think of
green tea which is origin from Chinese. The
culture of Chinese Tea spread to Japan, Korea and also the rest of the world. But actually, beside tea, coffee is quite popular in Japan.
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Figure1.
Largest importers of coffee as % of world total 2006-10
Source. International Coffee Organization |
From
figure 1, we can see that the Unites Stated
is the biggest importer, averaging 1.27 million tonnes a year in the period
2006-10, followed by Germany (546,000 tonnes) and Japan (431,000 tonnes), while
the UK imports 184,000 tonnes. Japan is the third largest importer coffee in the World and the 39th
largest consumption per capita for coffee. This means Japan import about 7,8%
of the world’s annual coffee exports. Japan should import coffee from other country because Japanese climate
is not suitable for growing coffee beans.
Almost
all of green coffee beans are imported, and then distributed to instant coffee
manufacturers, regular coffee manufacturers, roasters, and major retailers
through import firms. The high number of imported
copies in Japan happened because coffee is not grown in Japan
except for the Okinawa Prefecture. Okinawa is truly Japanese home grown Green coffee
beans where many produced by private coffee
plantations as Hiro Coffee, Adachi farm
etc. So, most of the coffee consumed domestically in
Japan relies on imports.
History
Like
so many Asiatic nations, Japan’s first introduction to coffee occurred in the
1800s via Dutch trade ships. However, coffee didn’t start booming until the
1960s. Shortly after the import suspension ended in 1949, coffee started to
trickle itself back into the Japanese market. it can be boiled down to Japanese
interest in everything Western (especially after World War II), and large
investments in marketing.[1]
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Figure
2. Growth in Japan coffee consumption, 1960-2007
Source:
International Coffee Organization
|
The
first coffee shop was opened in Tokyo in 1888 and the coffee drinking habit
spread slowly with imports peaking at 140,000bags in 1937. Global conflict of
the World War Ⅱ
prevented significant imports of coffee during 1940s and the requirements of
post-war reconstruction dampened consumption during 1950s.
In
1980, The All Japan Coffee Association was established as an organization to
unify the coffee industry in Japan for the purpose of promoting the consumption
of coffee and contributing to the further growth of the coffee industry and
improvement of the diet of Japanese people. This Association comprises five
industry groups as follows:
(1)
National Coffee Roasters Association of Japan
(2)
Japan Instant Coffee Association
(3)
Japan Retail Regular Coffee Industry Association
(4)
Coffee Importers Association of Japan
(5)
Nippon Green Coffee Association
Coffee
in Japan is commonly roasted in individualized batches and ground in small
amounts. The resultant brews are generally darker and richer. In order to
replicate the nature of Japanese coffee, one should avoid mass-market brands.
Instead, individuals should obtain beans from independent roasters who are more
involved with the cultivation of the coffee crop. In addition to being smaller
in scale and output, these roasters usually produce coffee that has a more
complex flavor profile. While specialty coffee is always preferable, it is
especially ideal for Japanese coffee-making and its emphasis on the drinker's
sensory experience[2].
Coffe
in Japan Today
Base
on data of JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) 2011, the number of
regular cups of coffee consumed per week is 4.51, followed by instant coffee at
3.21 cups per week. The Japanese drink an average of 6.52 cups at home, and
2.77 cups at the workplace, showing a strong trend to consume instant coffee
and regular coffee at home and at the workplace. Although there has been much
attention placed on the health benefits of polyphenols in coffee, interest in
this effect has passed and sales of coffee on the whole have levelled out.
 | ||
| Table 1. Coffee Consumption by age - Cups a week - (2010) |
This
table shows the amount of consumption of men exceeded that of women. Age groups
of 40~59 in both men and women consume more coffee compared with other age
groups, while younger generations consume less amount of coffee.
When
Starbucks opened its first store in Japan, it redefined the coffee-drinking
culture in Japan. It was established in October 1995, as a joint venture
between Sazaby League and Starbucks Coffee International, the international arm
and subsidiary of Starbucks Coffee Company the leading retailer, roaster and
brand of specialty coffee in the world. Since the opening of its first store on
August 2, 1996, in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Starbucks network has expanded
rapidly throughout the country and has reached 955 stores as of the end of
March 2012[1]. Stores are located in all sorts of locations,
ranging from shopping centers, office building and hotel lobbies, to
universities, hospitals, airports, and train stations and drive-through sites, employing
more than 21,000 partners (as the company calls its employees).[2].
Although
famous American coffee places such as Starbucks and Tully’s are everywhere, but
there are also Japanese coffee places serving western style coffee. Two
of the most popular are Doutor and Excelsior, which also serve prepared food
(including sandwiches) and pastries.
Today,
we can buy both hot and cold coffee in around 5 million vending machines (as
well as convenience stores called combini) in Japan. The Japanese Coffee market
is a very competitive, saturated market. A few of the popular Japanese canned
coffee brands are Boss (produced by Suntory), Georgia (produced by Coca-Cola),
Nescafe (produced by Nestlé), and Roots (produced by Japan Tobacco).
Sales
by types of coffee have been influenced by the trend to eat at home, triggered
by the recent economic slump and the rise in coffee prices. Instant coffee and
portion coffee packs, which are more convenient and reasonably-priced compared
to regular coffee, have increased sales. Portion coffee packs refer to one-cup
coffee products that can serve coffee or café au lait just by adding water or
milk.
Various
studies were made
related
to the positive effects of coffee drinking also
affects the rapid growing of coffee drinkers
in Japan. One study found that the risk of the most
common type of liver cancer was reduced by drinking coffee. People who drank
only one or two cups of coffee per day had a slightly lower risk of getting the
disease compared to non-drinkers, but people who drank three or four cups of
coffee were about half as likely as non-drinkers to get this kind of liver
cancer. Meanwhile, people who drank five or more cups per day had an even lower
risk than that (about one-third the risk of non-drinkers)[3].
Then,
a research using data from 67,470 women who participated in the Nurses’ Health
Study, found that women who drank four or more cups of coffee per day had a 25%
lower risk of endometrial cancer than women who drank only one cup of coffee
per day. Compared to women who did not drink any coffee, those who drank four
cups or more per day were 30% less likely to develop endometrial cancer.
Decaffeinated coffee was just as effective as caffeinated coffee, but
caffeinated tea did not lower the risk of endometrial cancer[4].
Conclusion
Japan as one of the developed countries
in the world have undergone a cultural shift that is heavily influenced by
elements of western culture. In the past people used to drinking Japanese
tea only, now the trend has changed to
coffee drinkers. The growth of coffee cafes and vending machines that specifically
for coffee shows that coffee is widely accepted in Japan either by the younger
generation and the older generation and has become a modern lifestyle.
The
high of coffee enthusiasts in Japan become an export opportunities for the world's coffee producers countries like
Indonesia. Based on data of MOF (Ministry of Finance) in 2010, Indonesia became
the sixth largest coffee exporter to Japan's. Surely, the quality should also
be adjust to the tastes of the market in Japan who want the best quality of coffee.
[1]
Company Overview, http://www.starbucks.co.jp/en/company.html
[2]
Chris Betros, “Coffee break”, Japan Today,
May 30 2011( http://www.japantoday.com/category/executive-impact/view/coffee-break-2)
[3]
Cadden ISH, Partovi N, Yoshida EM. Review article: possible beneficial effects
of coffee on liver disease and function. Alim Pharmacol Therap 2007; 26(1):
1-8.
[4]
Je Y, Hankinson SE, Tworoger SS et al. A Prospective Cohort Study of Coffee
Consumption and Risk of Endometrial Cancer over a 26-Year Follow-Up. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers
& Prevention 2011; 20(12): 2487-2495.
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