Nestled in the bustling alleyways of Tokyo’s Shibuya district, this café is a serene musical retreat surrounded by lively bars and ramen shops. Walking beneath the arched entrance, with its facade of faux stone and plaster, visitors enter the storied halls of Meikyoku Kissa Lion, a century-old two-story café.
Image Source: Google Maps
The term "meikyoku kissa" combines "meikyoku" (masterpiece) and "kissaten" (café), encapsulating the café's essence. Meikyoku Kissa Lion is one of the few remaining masterpiece cafes in Japan. Originally built in 1926, it burned down during WWII but was reconstructed in the original design and expanded in the 1950s, according to KEYT-TV. The cozy interior of the popular coffee shop is typically marked by hushed whispers, antiquated European decor, and streams of classical music playing in a sound-proof setting.
Music is a defining characteristic of this renowned café. The place is a haven for audiophiles and music enthusiasts. Within this brick-built oasis lies a state-of-the-art audio system. A bank of gigantic wooden speakers is mounted on the wall, and in front of it is a huge collection of over 5000 vinyl records and music CDs arranged in alphabetical order.
Plush wooden seats, upholstered in red velvet-like fabric, face the wall-mounted music system. While the cafeteria pulsates with a sweet cacophony of classical music, the space remains dimly lit with crystalline yellow-light electric chandeliers, soothing warm-toned lamps, and soft-glow candelabras. Clusters of ornate picture frames and golden Greek-style columns adorn the other walls.
Upholding a meditative ambiance, the café bans talking, chatting, photography, and mobile phone use. The simple menu, which has remained unchanged since 1926, comes with a list of old-school beverages like lemon soda, milkshakes, juices, milk teas, and coffees.
Image Source: Google Maps
Above all, this musical den is devoted to the art of listening. New records are added to the collection every month, and some of the most popular records nestling behind its glass cabinets include the ones by Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff.
“Meikyoku kissa is a place that plays classical music, where customers can listen to music, have a drink, and relax,” says Naoya Yamadera, the current manager of the Lion Café, per CNN. Naoya’s father, Yanosuke Yamadera, designed the original cafe. Naoya says that this distraction-free listening makes people feel like they’re attending “an actual orchestra.” He adds, “The customers leave with a good feeling and that is what’s good about this cafe.”
He says some of their oldest customers have been visiting the cafe for more than six decades. “One of our customers is about 70 years old now, they started coming as a third-year high school student... Some of our customers come from as far away as America and Europe. Some also come from all over Japan.” Although it forbids socializing, the welcoming cafe is a world of wonder for people who love coffee and classical music.
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President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
- YouTube www.youtube.com
The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.