JOE’S SOAP (www.instagram.com/joessoap_marche) is a charming café located directly opposite Nabata Station on the Kintetsu Ikoma Line in Ikoma, Nara, making it an especially convenient spot to visit. Set on the ground floor of an apartment building, just a minute’s walk from the station, the café also features a small terrace that adds to its relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.

The history of JOE’S SOAP is connected to its original identity as a soap and cosmetics shop. The JOE’S SOAP brand began in Manhattan, New York, and the Nabata shop originally focused on its handmade soap and related products before gradually developing into the café and gift shop it is today. The café was added several years after the original shop opened, creating a space where the lifestyle and gift side of the business could coexist with coffee and food.

Coffee is one of the main focuses, with an original house blend prepared as hand-dripped coffee. The café is particularly known for its large American-style chunk cookies by Me Eat Cookie (instagram.com/me.eat.cookieeee) , which contain generous pieces of ingredients and are a good match for the coffee. Other food offerings have included bagels, panini and cakes.

The interior is bright and relaxed, with a casual New York-inspired feel and around 15 seats, including counter seating, tables and a small outdoor terrace. The space also incorporates the shop’s original soap and lifestyle-goods concept, giving it a warm and distinctive character.

Right beside the station, the exterior has the feel of a small independent neighborhood shop, with a simple café frontage and terrace. Its mix of café, boutique and gift-shop elements makes it feel quite different from a typical station café.

One of the highlights is the house coffee paired with their generous American-style chunk cookies, available in a variety of flavors. The combination of coffee, handmade soap, lifestyle goods and food gives JOE’S SOAP its unique charm.