Sip your coffee to the backdrop of a magnificent, panoramic view next to this Starbucks in Toyama Prefecture. Starbucks Japan will often go to great lengths in designing its branches to blend in with

Sip your coffee to the backdrop of a magnificent, panoramic view next to this Starbucks in Toyama Prefecture.

Starbucks Japan will often go to great lengths in designing its branches to blend in with the local atmosphere. We’ve previously visited one such branch that is often said to be the most beautiful Starbucks in the world, which also underwent renovations not quite six years ago. That location is the one within Toyama City’s Fugan Unga Kansui Koen, called Kansui Park by the locals.

We were in the area and decided to pay the branch another visit, as it’s only a ten-minute walk from Toyama Station. This particular spring day still had a lingering chill in the clear air, but we breathed it in deeply as we strolled to our destination. Luckily, the walk was very straightforward, without any fear of getting lost.

When we reached the park, it took a moment to accept that this natural oasis was in the middle of the city. The canal itself was also wider than we thought.

We quickly located the Starbucks in the spacious park grounds. As it’s its own little building, we could quickly tell why it previously won the top prize in a Store Design Award. The exterior was simple and sleek, with gorgeous full-length glass walls that let in plenty of sunlight. It also looked absolutely natural perched on its little hill by the canal.

While the interior of the shop wasn’t incredibly spacious, the glass walls lent an extra sense of freedom. We looked around for a spot to sit down once we got our drink, but all of the seats inside were full, so we headed to the outdoor terrace instead. However, that actually turned out to be the best choice we could have made. We were able to sit right in front of the water with an unparalleled view of Tenmon Bridge, the main symbol of the park.

Gazing out at the view, it struck us how peaceful this spot must be regardless of the weather. Even a cloudy, damp day like this one had its own relaxed charm, and we were able to enjoy being outside for longer than we would have if the sun were beating down. Even the coffee seemed to taste extra special as a result.

After a while, however, we got up to scope out a vantage point that the cashier had recommended to us about where to take in the best, sweeping views of the park. That recommendation was to climb up the observation towers on either side of Tenmon Bridge, pictured in the previous photo, all of which are free.

Upon reaching the top of one of them, we had no choice but to agree. Not only was the Starbucks building itself right in front of us, but we could even see the Tateyama Mountains in the background!

All we could think was that the locals are super lucky to have such an amazing Starbucks branch easily accessible to them at any time–and we were grateful to them for sharing a helpful tip with us.

Speaking of the Tateyama Mountains, you can enjoy more of the local scenery by taking the Tateyama Kurobe Alpen Route through some towering ice corridors.

Cafe information Starbucks Toyama Fugan Unga Kansui Park / スターバックス富山環水公園店 Address: Toyama-ken, Toyama-shi, Minatoirifune-cho 5 富山県富山市湊入船町 5 Open 8:00 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Website

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