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Stephanie ASSMANN, Global Coffee and Cultural Change in Modern Japan, Social Science Japan Journal, Volume 25, Issue 2, Summer 2022, Pages 403–405, https://doi.org/10.1093/ssjj/jyac016
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Extract
The first scene of this book takes the reader to a Starbucks outlet in close proximity to Rokkakudō, one of the oldest temples in Kyoto, which is reflected in the windows of the coffee chain store. The contrast between ancient Buddhist tradition and modern consumption could not be greater. This is discussed by the author with a great sense of intuition and perception: ‘Gazing on this scene, we can either lament the loss of elegance and spirituality of ancient times to the imported images of globalized consumption or try to comprehend the new reality that embraces both aspects as two interconnected elements responsible for forging new tastes, lifestyles, and identities’ (10). The author resists the temptation to criticize the standardization and globalization of consumer tastes as an expression of capitalism but instead seeks to analyse the presence of global coffee chains as an integral part of mundane life in cosmopolitan cities: ‘They may be bad places concealing themselves as good places, but what is evident is that they are very important places’ (138). This neutrality in tone is one strength of Grinshpun’s ethnography on global coffee chains.