Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2013

I had a treehouse when I was a kid. I confess I used it as my own private clubhouse long after it stopped being age-appropriate. When I was in high school, a big storm knocked down the tree it was in and our back room wasn’t the only thing that was crushed.

So when I heard about Nanjya Monjya, a café in an honest-to-goodness treehouse, I knew I had to go. Never mind that it was only open a few hours on Fridays and Saturdays, weather permitting. Never mind that it was rather inconveniently located far from the station in a suburb of Yokohama. And never mind that the food menu had exactly three items on it: curry, French toast and pizza. This was a chance to hang out in a treehouse again!

I rocked up on a Saturday afternoon to find a line snaking down the street. It turns out the treehouse—part of a quirky room-share arrangement—was recently featured in the new TV show Sharehouse no Koibito. With just 20 seats to go around, it would be a long wait, but I was not to be deterred.

Two hours later I was questioning my priorities in life. Also, whether we would be able to be seated before the café closed. Sure enough, just as we were nearing the front of the line, the staff came down to apologetically announce they were running out of food and would only be able to seat a few more people. We didn’t make the cut.

Still, they were nice enough to let us up into the treehouse to take a look around, and it is definitely the kind of place you could while away an afternoon. Situated on the top of a hill, the treehouse gets lots of sun and has a great view over the neighborhood. The mismatched chairs and funky objets d’art give the place an authentic hideaway feel, and it certainly had the cramped layout and slightly sick-inducing sway of my old treehouse. Naturally, I loved it.

As I sadly climbed down the steps and went in search of another place to eat, I thought to myself, “Fate may have intervened this time, Nanjya Monjya, but I’ll be back, and next time, I’ll be first in line.”

quirky cafés

If you don’t fancy waiting in line for your cup of Joe, try these other offbeat watering holes.

Kyusyokutoban

If, for some odd reason, you are nostalgic for the days of school lunches, sit at a tiny desk in a tiny chair and eat tiny dishes commonly served in Japanese schools.
Open Mon-Sat 11:30am-2pm, 6-11pm, closed Sun. 1-4-4 Moto-Asakusa, Taito-ku. Nearest stn: Shin-Okachimachi. www.kyusyokutoban.com

Office

Relax in a place that looks like your office, at Office. Just try not to get crumbs in the keyboard.
Open Mon-Sat 7pm-3am, closed Sun. 5F Yamazaki Bldg, 2-7-18 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku. Nearest stn: Gaienmae. www.transit-web.com/shop/cafe/office

Sakuragaoka Café

Goats are the new cats. Hang out on the terrace with Sakura and Chocolat, the owners’ pet billies. Just keep an eye on your waffles.
Open Mon-Sat 11:30am-4am. 1F Shinoda Bldg, 23-3 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.udagawacafe.com/sakuragaoka

Handazuke Café

If you thought maid cafés were the nerdiest coffee spot, Handazuke Café is a step up. It doesn’t even serve food—or drinks (customers bring their own). It does offer free use of a soldering iron and other tools, though, so you can build electronic gadgets (possibly a coffee maker?). They even have workshops, a live webstream—and it’s free.
Open Mon-Fri 6-8:30pm, Sat-Sun 1-6pm. 11-14-6 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku. Nearest stn: Suehirocho. http://handazukecafe.com

Café & Bar Steam Locomotive

This one is sure to make your kids—or the kid in you—squeal in delight. The café is built around a huge model train display with several locomotives whipping around the tracks. There’s also plenty of train-themed food and a trinket shop.
Open Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-8pm. 1F Shin-Yurakucho Bldg, 1-12-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku. Nearest stn: Yurakucho. www.steamlocomotive.jp

Machine Café & Lounge Nico

Not many Japanese homes have room for a bulky sewing machine, so what are crafters to do? Head to Nico, where they have 11 machines of different types for you to use, as well as all the other tools of the dressmaking trade. And coffee, of course.
Open Tue-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 10am-5pm, closed Mon. 103 Arai Daiichi Mansion, 7-19-16 Kamisoshigaya, Setagaya-ku. Nearest stn: Sengawa. http://nico-sengawa.jimdo.com