Kominka Café Koguma: Timeless Serenity in Tokyo’s Historical Higashi-Mukōjima Neighborhood

The wall clock, the numbers on its face nearly faded away, and the storefront sign that says “medicines.” (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

The shopping street retains its prewar flavor, having miraculously survived the 1945 fire-bombings that incinerated much of Tokyo. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

A vintage glass medicine bottle on display harks back to when the building was a pharmacy. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

The pendulum clock has been part of the shop for decades. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

Grilled omuraisu, served piping hot. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

Koguma’s distinctive anmitsudama. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

Koguma owners Yamanaka Masaya (left) and Akiko. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)

Koguma, the end unit of a former three-unit structure. (© Kawaguchi Yōko)