SOME MANGA TO GO WITH YOUR COFFEE

TEZUKA SHOTEN & CAFE OFFERS JAPANESE COMICS’ LOVERS NEW PLACE TO READ, EAT AND DRINK

On the second floor of Paradise Park in Prawet district, within the Tokyu department store section, Tezuka Shoten & Cafe aims to be the first manga (read: Japanese comics) cafe in Thailand, having opened in December last year.

As evident by the name, the cafe offers comics’ fans a place to read the works of Osamu Tezuka, widely known as “the father of manga”, while enjoying snacks and drinks. The menu is inspired by the artist’s work, with names being references to his characters and comics.

Customers can order drinks and snacks at the counter and head over to the cafe’s comics section. They are able to pick and read the late artist’s books, like a library. All of his popular comics are here, from Astro Boy and Black Jack to Phoenix and Kimba The

White Lion. The cafe also serves as a haven for manga collectors, as they can buy comics and memorabilia to add to their collections, although they are sold at a high price, as expected.

I first had a hot cup of Black Jack coffee (B75), which comes with cute Astro Boy foam art. The coffee comes with one of four Tezuka’s characters, which is on the coffee froth. It serves as a nice warm drink as you enjoy your comics. I also had a taste of the Japanese-style Tamagoyaki egg (Rolled Omelette) sandwiches (B70), which is a part of the cafe’s new food menu released last week. Served as two pairs of sandwiches, each with a thick layer of omelette, they were scrumptious and makes for an excellent cheap meal that can be eaten any time of day. I washed it all down with an Iced matcha latte (B70) which was, while refreshing, a bit too sweet for my liking.

Also worth mentioning are the mini-sized Taiyaki cakes. The fish-shaped sweet treats are served in groups of seven, which can either be in small cups of seven (B80) or 15 pieces (B160).

Tezuka Shoten & Cafe’s menu does what it does best: to provide Japanese snacks and drinks at a reasonable price while customers enjoy some of the best and timeless manga Japan has to offer. Best of all, the comics are available in seven different languages — Japanese, English, Thai, Korean, Chinese, French and Spanish.

Japanese owner Toru Sasaki, who grew up with and has a passion for the literary form, hopes that the cafe will motivate customers to appreciate manga and learn Japanese. If you have a manga itch you need to scratch, come on over, grab a quick bite and read a few comics.

Tezuka Shoten & Cafe is located on the second floor of Paradise Park shopping mall in the Tokyu department store section. For more info visit fb.com/TezukaShotenAndCafe or call 097-1624039.