As the name suggests, UCC Coffee Museum belongs to the Ueshima Coffee Company, famously abbreviated to UCC, a household name in Japan. Tadao Ueshima, the founder of UCC, once dreamed of being able to tell as many people as possible about the wonders of coffee. Therefore, on 1st October 1987, a coffee museum was built by the UCC Group.
The museum offers a unique and complete experience that will keep you entertained during your visit. Here you will learn everything you need to know about coffee, including its origin, history and culture. For example, do you know that coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia? And that the Ethiopians were the first who carried out the tradition of drinking coffee, through a coffee ceremony called Kariomon? Well, surprise, surprise, I’ve told you that you’ll discover a lot.
Next, you will learn about what it takes to prepare a bag of coffee. Ever wonder how a cup of coffee can taste so divine? Aside from how well you serve it, there are actually some necessary steps that first need to be taken by a coffee producer in order to assure the quality of your coffee before it finally ends up in your cup.
At the end of the tour, head over to the Q&A Corner where you are welcome to participate in a fun coffee quiz. If you can answer all the coffee-related questions, you can go home with a certificate as a souvenir. Afterwards, don’t forget to enjoy two cups of UCC coffee for free at the Coffee Tasting corner and take a peek at the museum shop.
Aside from the museum, the building itself also has a separated coffee shop, UCC Coffee Road, where you can try UCC’s best selection of coffee. Feel free to choose over your usual cup of cappuccino or maybe even taste the premium ones, such as the world’s best Arabica: Bourbon Pointu. The coffee’s distinctive characteristics would literally take you to the moon!
The museum is easily accessible. You can take the JR train to Sannomiya Station, change to the Port Liner bound for Kita Futo, and later get off at Minami-Koen Station. It is located exactly in front of the station, next to the headquarters of UCC. From there, it only takes a minute or two to walk via a connecting bridge to reach the building that will lead you to the wonderful world of coffee.
