Houston only has a few Japanese-owned restaurants in its employ. Nippon, the most famous, closed last week

When the Houston Business Journal previewed Domo Cafe in October, the news of the Japanese cafe's arrival in the Heights happened during a rather odd time in the city's culinary history. For one, Berg Hospitality Benny Chow's had closed a few weeks prior, closing the book on the Washington Avenue restaurant some accused of cultural appropriation. And a week after Domo Cafe was revealed, Houston's oldest Japanese-owned Japanese restaurant Nippon announced it was closing.

Needless to say, the timeliness of the three events rang a few alarm bells. But Domo Cafe co-founder Andy Sommer wanted to make one thing clear: "In no way are we trying to open a Japanese anything." He told Chron the coffee shop was inspired by the city of Kyoto and his family's trips to the area.

"We're just so inspired by the culture there and the attention to detail," he said.

According to Sommer, Kyoto operates at a more leisurely pace than Tokyo, Japan's capital. Akin to Parisian cafes, restaurants in the west-central Japanese city are more relaxed and slow-moving. Likewise, Sommer said, Kyoto is also home to several matcha cafes. "[Domo Cafe] will be a heavy matcha concept, with a lot of ceremonial matcha," he said.

Domo Cafe is expected to open in 2025 at 1420 N. Durham Dr. The name "Domo" is an informal, abbreviated form of "domo arigato gozaimasu," which means "thank you very much". The phrase, Sommer said, is normally used among family and close friends, invoking a feeling of casualness and familiarity for the upcoming cafe. "This is the place where you want to bring your friends and family," he said.

When it opens, Domo Cafe will join the growing list of Japanese-inspired businesses in Houston. But those growing ranks of restaurants stand at odds with the fact that Houston's Japanese population is relatively small. Representatives at the Asia Society told Chron in March that it estimated Houston's Japanese community clocks in at around 3,500 people -- around 1.3 percent of the city's Asian population.

Comparatively, the number of Japanese-owned Japanese restaurants is rare and has been dwindling. Montrose sushi bar Nippon was perhaps one of Houston's most popular Japanese-owned restaurants. The longtime staple announced that it would be closing in November. Given the lack of Japanese-owned businesses in the city, where does a place like Domo Cafe stand as a representative of that culture?

Halfway across Houston, award-winning barista Nicolas Tanaka has somewhat of an answer. Tanaka owns and operates Kohiko Coffee House, a Japanese-style coffee house in Sugar Land that specializes in coffee and matcha. Kohiko opened in July 2024, bringing highlights like Okinawan brown sugar lattes and matcha Americanos to southwest Houston.

Like the Sommers, Kohiko came because of Tanaka's personal experiences and travels to Japan. As a Japanese-American, Tanaka's trips to Japan were more than a vacation; instead, the trips became an avenue to connect more with family members and his own culture. His trips to Okinawa and across Japan were integral to understanding his Japanese-American background, which was difficult to do among Houston's small Japanese community.

Pointing to Japanese cultural imports like anime, ramen, and sushi, Tanaka explained that Japanese culture has become more mainstream in recent years. Nowadays, access to the Internet and local events like the Japanese Festival work to educate people about Japanese culture, despite Houston's small population. Though few Japanese restaurants in Houston are actually Japanese-owned, Tanaka doesn't necessarily see it as a problem.

"As long as you respect the culture the best way you can, I would fully support it," Tanaka said, noting that other non-Japanese-owned businesses paved the way for his own business. "Truly, without having all these other Japanese shops in Houston, I don't think people would appreciate our Japanese shop."

Isabel Protomartir, co-founder of AAPI organization Have A Nice Day, pointed to the need to acknowledge and credit other cultures with their inspirations. When Protomartir saw that the Sommers had attributed their business to their Japan trips and Japanese culture, she felt at ease. "They want to ask the questions to make sure they're doing right by the culture they're being inspired by. That alone speaks volumes," Protomartir said.

It's a predicament that's not lost on Sommer. "It's a fine line," he said. "I think I didn't realize it whenever we started."