Word: funakoshi
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...shrewdly exploited his compatriots' fixation on expensive luxuries is Keishiro Funakoshi, proprietor of the Akaneya Coffee Shop in scenic Karuizawa, a popular mountain resort 100 miles northwest of Tokyo. There, for 9,900 yen (roughly $38), he serves what must surely be the world's most expensive cup of coffee. Funakoshi readily concedes that it is not so much the quality of his coffee (a home-blended brew of charcoal-roasted grains freshly ground for each customer) or the decor of his establishment (a narrow, dark wooden hut decorated in rustic Mingei style), as the defiantly exorbitant prices...
...weaker brew, served in less ornate cups, costs a steep 495 yen (more than three times the standard price) when taken at the counter. That is where the majority of Funakoshi's customers sit, hoping to see someone come in and order the special $38 cup. Hardly anyone complains about the high prices. As Funakoshi explains it: "Compared to 9,900 yen, 495 is a real bargain...
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