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It may or may not come to your surprise that downtown Fukuoka is home to dozens of Starbucks cafes. Since I’m from Canada, where Starbucks is a common sight, I also go regularly to enjoy a cup of coffee (coincidentally, if you end up finding a Japanese exchange partner, Starbucks will likely be the initial meetup spot). However, what I find really strange about the Starbucks stores here is that customers sit there as long as they want. I’ve seen some people spend their whole day there, and they don’t get reprimanded by the staff! What’s even more strange to me is that Starbucks are often-times very full, and sometimes there are crowds waiting to claim seats. The staff helps customers find free seats as soon as they spot them, but don’t say anything to those who are hogging the seats while taking naps, doing textbook-loads of homework, etc. I see this happening as well in other coffee places and fast food restaurants. Do you think it’s strange?
PS- if you ever need to order coffee using skim/fat-free milk, say 無脂肪 (mushibou). However, most staff at Starbucks understand ‘non-fat’, and everything on the menu is in katakana.
