The Unforgettable Day I Met Audrey Hepburn in Daikanyama -

When I fixed my itinerary for Daikanyama, never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d meet an icon in one of its cafes. Audrey Hepburn is the epitome of beauty and elegance. So I guess it is fitting then that it is in classy and beautiful Daikanyama that I got to sip coffee and have a picture taken with the legendary star.

Plan it then Wing it

It all started with a plan. Like all of my travels, it ALWAYS starts with a very detailed plan. From the time I saw an inflight article (Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay magazine, where else???) about Daikanyama and its many interesting shops and cafes, I couldn’t get it off my mind.

First on my list, was the famous bookstore, Tsutaya T-site. From what I’ve read, it is a modern complex (three connected wings) which houses a selection of books, movies and music. Well, from the picture alone, I could tell that it will be worth seeing.

photo below: one of the pretty areas between the buildings taken from REThink Tokyo blog.

The day for my Daikanyama adventure finally arrived. When we got off the station, I checked Google maps and excitedly led the way to the T-site. Although I had a plan, I’m not one of those who strictly sticks to a schedule and list of places to see. Usually, I keep an eye out for delightful finds. And as I looked around to check my bearings, I saw this white coffee shop with a deck.

It was a perfect spot to dine al fresco and do some people-watching (one of my favorite hobbies that I do by myself). Even the name of the place Sign All Day, was intriguing.

photo in front of the cafe, almost exactly how I spotted it years ago, taken from Japan Guide.com

So I Said, What About Brunch at Sign AllDay?

I was admiring the artful facade of the cafe was done, when a figure caught my eye. It was a slim woman with coiffed hair which reminded me instantly of Holly Golightly, the character made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Everything about her spoke to me of Holly: the hair, the outfit, the pearls, then I did a double take — what?! It WAS Holly Golightly. She was also people-watching! I had to take a closer look. So I told the hubby we are taking a detour early in our planned exploration.

Operation SELFIE shot!

The figure was so life like that I had to have a picture taken with her. Since the coffee shop was empty at that time of the day, I coaxed my hubby to take a quick shot of Audrey and me. I sat and posed at the table next to her. After that, I surreptitiously looked around and saw that the lady at the counter seemed bored. I am so sure I am not the first OR the last tourist to pose with Audrey.

I wanted one more picture with Audrey. But because I didn’t want to push my luck, I got up and ordered an iced latte. The server was not happy. I think if she could boot us out she would, but I thought, hey I ordered a drink and won’t stay long. Hmmm, on second thought, that probably was exactly why she was pissed. haha! I only ordered a drink and have no intention of staying for a full meal! hahaha! Oh well.

No Mermaid Here, Just Coffee and Sandwiches

Those were my first pictures at Daikanyama. What a great way to start my day!

Walking around, I saw the Mermaid Cafe and it seemed familiar. I then remembered reading about it as one of the lovely cafes in Daikanyama. Going inside, we found that it served sandwiches, pasta, salads and of course coffee and juices. It was a bit pricy for what we ordered but as far as interiors went, it was clean and lighting was nice.

Beautiful Intriguing Bonjour and Mocha

We went into Bonjour Records shop which looked so cool that it felt more like a lifestyle store than music store. I remember the slow pour coffee set displayed at the counter which looked so tempting to use. We spent quite a bit of time looking at the records, clothes, posters and just tinkering about.

A few shops down was Rootote shop where I found unique bags. It was an interesting shop that I shared the pictures and wrote an entire blog about it! I still have some regret about one bag I didn’t buy (the one that got away haha). But I take comfort in knowing I will be back.

Happy with my shopping finds, we were wandering the streets (wandering, not lost) when I saw this sign which says original coffee from Yemen. Now I haven’t been to Yemen but heard a bit about the origins of coffee. Naturally, I wanted to see what this coffee shop had to offer.

It was a shop that was more narrow than wide. And the focal point was the long wooden counter with a few bar stools in front of it. I couldn’t hide my delight when I saw the shelves of pretty cups and saucers displayed on the wall behind the counter.

Lovely Little Cafe ... She's Living My Dream!

A pretty Japanese woman greeted us warmly and asked us for our order. Naturally, we just had to try their signature coffee. As we observed her, we instinctively knew she owned the small shop. Her name was Maiko Miyake. We asked Maiko about starting her business, and why this particular type of coffee beans.

It turns out that part of her life experience was living abroad, and that’s how she discovered coffee. Her cafe serves single origin coffee sourced from Yemen, Turkey among other places. I love that she served them in different cups and saucers — I am such a big fan of drinking from pretty cups and saucers! I have a small collection of those (more about this and some of my travel finds, including the ones I got in Daikanyama in my next blogs).

The coffee was good, the company was great. It felt like we were old friends who spent an hour together to catch up on where life brought us. I hope Maiko is doing well and is safe during this pandemic.

As we parted ways, we had a smile on our face. We were so ready to face the August heat wave and explore some more! (please watch out for the third installment in my Daikanyama series – of books, scarves and cups).