MIA MIA: Redefining the Tokyo coffee scene
Mia Mia only opened its doors in mid 2020 and it’s already making huge waves in the Tokyo coffee scene. On paper, opening a cafe in the sleepy Tokyo neighbourhood of Higashi-Nagasaki sounds like a risky bet. Thankfully, the bet has more than paid off for Vaughan & Rie Allison, the Japanese-Australian couple behind Mia Mia. Through sheer force of personality and a clear vision, the duo has created a warm and inviting space that is not only serving up some of the best coffee in the city but actively creating an entire community with Mia Mia at its centre.
The name itself, Mia Mia (pronounced Maya Maya), is an indigenous Australian word referring to a temporary shelter that was propped up out of leaves & bark and used as a communal gathering space. As the indigenous people were nomadic, any mia mia would ultimately be dismantled and a new one set up somewhere else. Vaughan and Rie have placed this concept of shelter and communal gathering at the centre of every decision regarding their cafe.
The cafe most certainly isn’t made of bark & leaves though. It has a gorgeous Australiana weatherboard-clad exterior and a tastefully arranged interior that was all designed by Rie (who is also a successful international architect). Any trip to Mia Mia will likely find both the inside & outside full of an eclectic mix of people milling about - think students, local business owners, creatives, business people and more.
What makes Mia Mia unlike any other coffee shop in Tokyo, is the way that Vaughan & Rie focus not just on regular service but on making sure that every customer is able to meet someone new, make lasting connections and walk away from the cafe feeling like they are part of a community.
This energy and sense of community that the couple has injected into Higashi-Nagasaki is leading to a sudden boom in stylish, up and coming locations in the area. 42 Diner & Grocery and Fra are two new eateries that have popped up nearby and the owners of both are regulars at Mia Mia. Vaughan & Rie have also just recently started a new venture around the corner from Mia Mia. The new space, named I Am, will function as a gallery/event space/shop/base for Rie’s architectural work.
Vaughan & Rie are also adept at finding smart ways to partner with other local businesses. The “world’s best doughnut” as Vaughan has titled it is often on sale at the cafe. These are doughnuts sourced from Convenience Store Takahashi, a small restaurant just north of Nerima station. “World’s best” may be an unfounded claim but these simple doughnuts are absolutely incredible and worth a taste if you see them on offer.
It’s not just exaggerations though, Vaughan is also full of dad jokes (“dajare” in Japanese) - encouraging customers to refer to an ice latte as a “Nice Latte” and handing out straws as if they were Omikuji (a traditional Japanese practice of picking out your fortune on a paper strip). As an avid music fan, he also has the cafe decked out with a record player and full sound system. He’s prone to periodically break into dance and does his utmost to get everyone else involved. It’s this kind of energy that makes each trip to Mia Mia a memorable experience and keeps you wanting to come back.
In a city of intimidatingly cool cafes centered around Shibuya & Nakameguro, Mia Mia offers something new and exciting to Tokyo. It has taken a risk by looking outside of this traditional cafe sphere and finding a place where it can unashamedly be itself, dad jokes and all. The following of loyal patrons and features in both Popeye & Monocle are evidence that this risk is paying huge dividends. While the indigenous people of Australia designed a mia mia to be temporary, we can only hope that this one stays around for a long time to come.