TOKYO: Japan has a new cafe where customers can enjoy coffee brewed and served by a robot barista.
The robot named Sawyer debuted this week at Henna Cafe in Tokyo’s downtown business and shopping district of Shibuya. The shop’s name in Japanese means “strange cafe.”
The single-armed robot scans a ticket purchased from a vending machine and greets the customer.
“Would you care for a delicious coffee?” the barista, with a screen showing a pair of cartoon eyes, asks in a flat tone. “I can make one better than human beings around here.”
It grinds the coffee beans, fills a filter and pours hot water over a paper cup for up to five people at once. A cup of brewed coffee costs 320 yen ($3) and takes a few minutes.
Sawyer can also operate an automated machine for six other hot drinks including cappuccino, hot chocolate and green tea latte.
Customers, many of them young men, took photos with their smartphones while they waited in line.
The cafe operator, travel agency H.I.S. Co., says robots can increase productivity while also entertaining customers.
“An essential point is to increase productivity,” said Masataka Tamaki, general manager of corporate planning at H.I.S. He said only one person needs to oversee the robot cafe, compared to several people needed at a regular coffee shop, so it can serve better quality coffee at a reasonable price.
Tamaki says it’s not just about efficiency. “We want the robot to entertain customers so it’s not like buying coffee at a vending machine,” he said.
Takeshi Yamamoto, a 68-year-old restaurant employee who works in the neighborhood, said his first experience with the robot cafe was very enjoyable, and his robot-made coffee was delicious.
“It’s quite rich, and tastes very good,” Yamamoto said, as he took a sip. “You can get machine-made coffee at convenience stores, too, and it’s actually good. But here, I had great fun.”
Robot makes coffee at new cafe in Japan’s capital
Robot makes coffee at new cafe in Japan’s capital
Harry Styles announces 2026 global tour: See the dates
- e news arrives a week after Styles revealed his fourth studio album will arrive March 6. Titled “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally”
NEW YORK: Harry Styles is getting back out on the road. The English musician announced his “Together, Together” tour on Thursday. It’s a 50-date run made up of residencies in Europe, the UK, Brazil, Mexico, the US and Australia.
Styles’ tour launches May 16 with six nights in Amsterdam, followed by six nights in London, two in São Paulo, two in Mexico City, 30 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, two in Melbourne and two in Sydney, where it will conclude in December.
Openers include Robyn, Shania Twain, Jorja Smith, Jamie xx, Fousheé, and more.
There are a few pre-sale opportunities. The general sale for São Paulo begins Wednesday and the Mexico City sale begins Jan. 29.
The general sale for Amsterdam, London, Melbourne, Sydney, and many New York dates begins Jan. 30. The last New York dates, Oct. 10 to 31, will go on sale Feb. 4.
Styles is no stranger to residencies. During his “Love on Tour” in 2022, he did a 15-night stint at Madison Square Garden, which Ticketmaster labeled “the highest-grossing single engagement in the venue’s history.”
The “Together, Together” tour news arrives a week after Styles revealed his long-awaited, fourth studio album will arrive March 6.
Titled “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally,” the album is Styles’ first full-length project in four years. It follows the 2022, critically acclaimed synth pop record “Harry’s House,” which earned the former One Direction star the top prize of album of the year at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
The cover for “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” features the 31-year-old artist in a T-shirt and jeans at night, standing underneath a shimmering disco ball hung outside.
