In our modern world of smartphones and e-readers, sometimes we miss the sensation of holding a real book in our hands and thumbing through its pages. When this sentiment hits, there’s no better place to go than to ARABIQ Books & Gallery Cafe – a fixture on the Nakazakicho scene since 2007. Founded and run by former town planner Ken Moriuchi, this haven of coffee, art, and literature is named after a bar in the well-known Japanese mystery novel Kyomu-eno-kumotsu, one of the country’s most famous detective stories. With its warm, cosy interior lined with tall, disheveled bookshelves, retro chandeliers, and the latest art exhibit which changes once or twice a month, it is the perfect place to lose yourself in a good book or catch up with an old friend. You can’t go past the chocolate cake or the tiramisu (¥450), and the drinks menu is almost guaranteed to have something you’ve never heard of or tasted. Ken recommends the Fieker (coffee with Austrian rum) or the Maria-Theresa (coffee with orange liqueur, whipped cream and hard candy sprinkled on top), apparently a current favorite on Instagram!