Common is stylish cafe and hairsalon in one that opened its doors in August 2021.

Common stands for "COffee Mo salON mo", which means literally ‘and coffee and salon’ and is owned by a couple, where the husband, who lived and worked in New Zealand as a barista for 4 years (speaks fluent English) as well as a being a former Kurasu barista, runs the café and his wife runs the hair salon in the back.

The café is located on a 5 minute walk from Karasuma Line's Marutamachi station between Nijo Castle and Kyoto imperial Palace in a quiet residential street. It's a renovated machiya, with an exterior that combines elements of the old machiya (canopy, Japanese tiles and the typical Japanese wood framework) with a modern large glass entrance.

Inside the café the floor has a beautiful pattern of hexagon terracotta tiles. A wood bench on the left side of the café has a mortex finish and comes with two canvas pillows as well as a stack of magazines for customers to read while enjoying their coffee. This in combination with the terracotta tiles gives the cafe a Mediterranean look and feel.

The running joke is that the café has a (Mediterranean) Maltese look, which is ironic since its located in Marutamachi. A sort of a Japanese wordplay or pun.

The interior uses a variety of different elements gathered from various sources. Some of the wood furniture and the beautiful oak counter top are from'Tsumugi Syoukai '. The hanger, money tray, menu clip board and shop sign outside are from'bowlpondplatz ' and the dodecahedron (12 sided) speaker is from handmade by'Sonihouse ' from Nara.

For coffee, common uses 3 types of different beans from Kurasu . The menu has handdrip, espresso, americano, latte and mocha as well as hot chocolate, fresh pressed juice and even alcohol (martini largo). The drinks are carefully prepared and served in beautiful Japanese ceramics from'Kawajiri Seitoujo '.

The hairsalon in the back is reservation only but is a beautiful salon that combines the old machiya interior with a modern design. Customers have a view over a beautiful inner Japanese garden while having their hair done.

Common is a great and stylish café that opens early in the morning with super friendly staff that serves delicious coffee in beautiful Japanese ceramics. It's a great place to start your day.

Interior details: dodecahedron (12 sided) speaker ( https://www.sonihouse.net/ ), furniture ( Tsumugi Syoukai ), Ceramics ( Kawajiri Seitoujo)

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Early morning cafes in Kyoto