Tokushima, my laptop's new best friend: 7.4°C and a lifetime of weird coffee runs
"tokushima's not the first place that pops into your head when someone whispers 'japan.' but here's the thing, when you're cozying up in a 12-step coffee shop with a wifi signal that wavers like my will to talk to strangers, you start falling for the details. like how the air feels like it's holding its breath at 74% humidity. or how the streetlights hum that way-1019 hPa, like it knows your Wi-Fi password. (yep, that's what the weather data says. don't judge.)
i tried ordering a 'flat white' at Tokushima's Station Coffee this morning. the guy behind the counter died. died. not literally! but his eyes? wide as saucers. 'you want that?' he asked. 'i thought i did,' i said. 'you're american. i thought you'd rather have coffee so smoky it's a crime scene.' turns out, he was right. the coffee here is bold. bitter. the kind that clings to your tongue like humidity in july. but hey, there's a whole community here who wears their sarcasm like a badge. yelp said it's 'cozy chaos,' but I heard a guy at the izakaya whisper 'this place makes old folks reminisce about their divorce.' so take that for what it's worth.
you know you've had enough when the local busker starts covering your laptop with doodles. gave me this sketch yesterday-a samurai in a hoodie, sipping matcha from a takeaway cup. i'm not sure if it's a compliment or a warning.
here's the real deal: tokushima isn't worried about impressing you. but the neighbors? they're different. osaka's 45 minutes by bus, fukuyama's closer than your last gym membership. if you get bored? well, you're already there. (i checked the weather. 7.4°C and hit you hard. hope you like that kind of thing. i mean, i do.)
yellow lights. old vending machines. that one guy in the park who shouts poetry to squirrels. tokushima's a vibe. not a vibe I can Instagram for $20. but if you're wired to find magic in the messy-in the way the rain blurs the map lines or the 70% of the time your english coffee order gets mangled-then maybe this is your kinda place. (PS: start with the coffee. read this TriAdviser review before you scream. [tokenadvisor link] and for the love of god, [local food blog]. my laptop and I survived the humidity. barely.", 35.6621,138.5682, 12"’>