Starbucks opens in former Kobe imperial guest room

According to West Japan Railway Co. and other sources, the lounge opened in the second-generation station building completed in 1889 and was moved to the current location when the third-generation station building was constructed in 1934. Records show that between 1947 and 1968, Emperor Showa (1901-1989) visited twice and Emperor Emeritus Akihito, 90, dropped by once when he was crown prince. The lounge was turned into the stationmaster's office in 1972, when the Sanyo Shinkansen Line began service between Shin-Osaka and Okayama, and Shin-Kobe Station opened on the bullet train line as the new gateway to Kobe. The former lounge opened to the public as part of a restaurant in 2016 after the chairs that imperial family members sat in, dubbed "thrones," were removed. The restaurant closed in January of last year. Starbucks, which was operating at a different location within the PLiCO facility since 2012, decided to relocate to the new site, about three times as large as its previous outlet.

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Jhopesstrawberry said:

Ahh yes! A boujee Starbucks! Wonder if this one is overpriced to?

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