Ebisu and Daikanyama, Wednesday to Sunday

Tokyo · 4-5 hours · afternoon

Four rooms on the calmer west side of Ebisu, from a Daikanyama cafe to a vinyl bar, finishing at a hidden cocktail bar the moment it opens at 18:00.

The route

1. Blacksheep Espresso
Daikanyama, Shibuya
Start in Daikanyama, 76 metres from the station. Order the affogato, espresso over ice cream is what this small Schemata-designed cafe does best, on Terraform beans.
6 min walk to the next stop
2. or COFFEE
Ebisu, Shibuya
A minimalist counter two minutes from Ebisu Station, in a room shared with a tattoo studio. Come for the owner and the easy conversation, the cortado was flat on our visit. It closes at 17:00, so do not leave it late.
5 min walk to the next stop
3. epulor on the winding path
Ebisunishi, Shibuya
The dusk stop, and the reason this route has no dead hour. Up one flight in an unmarked building, a curved counter, records on the turntable, and a hot matcha from Kyoto that is the order here. It gets busy from about 18:00, so arrive before then.
5 min walk to the next stop
4. Janai Coffee
Ebisu, Shibuya
End here once it opens at 18:00. The coffee stand at street level is the disguise and the hidden bar is the point. You need a reservation, which means solving the riddle on its website first.