Showa Retro – Cafe Sepia in Shibamata

Walking through the classic Shibamata district of Tokyo’s far eastern end, right on the border with Chiba Prefecture I found this lovely Show Retro cafe called Sepia (昭和レトロセピア). The interior, the music, the proprietor, the food, everything is pure 100% Show, full of vintage posters, records, furniture, wallpaper, drinks and comic books and toys from the later half of Showa, in this case roughly the 1950s to 1980s. If you are into vintage stuff and classic Japanese retro diners vibe, this is the place for you. The shop is absolutely tiny, but I counted over a dozen seats so I can imagine it gets absolutely crowded in here! The food was great, and I asked for the most classic thing on the menu which was Pasta Napolitan, which although very standard now was all the rage back then, and a couple of simple ham and cheese sandwiches. It went great with the coffee and melon soda float! To get here go to Shibamata Station and then follow the crowds towards the famous shopping street, half way through it you turn left and have a little look around. The address is 7 Chome-4-11 Shibamata, Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan which should help if you carry a smart phone. Prices are reasonable and the atmosphere great. I don’t know the opening times but I would think this is a day time kind of place.