Pronto
After a night full of delicious tempura and cheap wine from a nearby Family Mart convenience store, breakfast the following day was absolutely in order. The free tickets to the hotel breakfast buffet were kind to my wallet, but I wanted to try something new. Therefore, a couple of classmates and I went to a nearby café that looked promising. I didn’t know what they served there, but the aesthetic seemed trendy. A true millennial like myself is always down for a photogenic food joint. Pronto Shijo Karasuma, or Pronto for short, was the name of the eatery. Along with food, they also sold books and records.
Upon arrival, I found the place to be quaint but vibrant. They sold foods that were familiar to me. The menu offered scrambled eggs, croissants, and sausage and egg English muffin sandwiches. I went ahead and ordered the scrambled egg plate with a croissant and lemon iced tea.
An egg-cellent breakfast
The food came out and filled me with nostalgia. A dollop of ketchup topped the eggs. I gave up this childhood favorite long ago because all of my friends thought it was “kinda weird.” Scrambled eggs had been pretty hit-or-miss for me so far in Japan. That being said, these eggs hit the spot. They were probably the best eggs I ate during my time in Japan. They came with a side salad that refreshed my palate and a slice of thick cut toast that was reminiscent of Texas toast. The croissant was buttery and flaky, and reminded me of a better rendition of a Starbucks croissant.
Jeugia and record store dreams
With a belly full of breakfast food, I checked out what Jeugia, the shop portion of Pronto, had to offer. A flight of stairs led me down to wonderfully curated selections of music, music players, books, and other miscellaneous gifts. I was giddy to find artists like James Blake, Haruomi Hosono, and more obscure musicians I didn’t expect to find like Jerry Paper. The books included beautiful photos and Japanese typography. As a result, I wished more than ever that I knew the language more. Stationery, washi tape, and eco-friendly water bottles lined the shelves; among all of these items, I found the perfect Father’s Day gift for my dad. I had to restrain myself from buying more than I did in the gift shop portion of the store.
I found out through some internet sleuthing that Jeugia is a music store with numerous locations across Japan. They sell instruments, records, music lessons, and books and miscellaneous items. It was a great experience to see a shop that sells physical copies of music and mediums to play it on thrive the way Jeugia does.
Music and food are two things I’m personally very fond of, and it made me happy to see the two fused into one common space. It definitely made me envious that more spaces like this don’t exist in the U.S. With the revival of record purchases and music aficionados swearing that “music sounds better on vinyl,” who knows? Maybe more places like this will pop up. And if that’s the case, my wallet better watch out.
