Hatena Coffee Shop (はてな珈琲店), the mystery-solving cafe that has built a following on social media, opens in Fukuoka's Tenjin district on Friday, September 11, 2026 — the brand's first location in Kyushu. It's the second of three store openings across three consecutive weeks in September, following Kobe on September 2 and ahead of Sendai on September 15, bringing the chain to nine locations nationwide. Operator Experiful Inc. says it aims to expand to major cities across Japan by the end of 2026.
What Is Hatena Coffee Shop
Hatena Coffee Shop is an experience-based cafe built around a simple idea: guests can't leave until they solve the mystery. Order a drink, and a puzzle arrives along with it. There's no time limit, so visitors can take their time working through it over a cup of coffee — an approachable format that welcomes first-time puzzle solvers as well as dates, groups of friends, and solo visitors alike.
Since its first location opened in April 2025, more than 30,000 people have taken on its puzzles each year, and the cafe has been featured on television programs including Fuji TV's めざましテレビ and TBS's アッコにおまかせ!.
Opening Tomorrow in Tenjin — Kyushu's First Location
The Fukuoka Tenjin location is a 6-minute walk from Tenjin Station, bringing the format that has found an audience in the greater Tokyo and Kansai areas — stopping into a cafe and finding a mystery waiting — to Kyushu for the first time. Hatena Coffee Shop has previously opened locations in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Kobe; Fukuoka marks its first in Kyushu. Reservations are open, and walk-ins are also welcome.
The Fukuoka Tenjin store is the largest Hatena Coffee Shop location nationwide, with a bright interior lit by soft natural light. Alcohol is served at every location, so the cafe can also work as a second or third stop after drinks, not just a spot for tea.
Reservations: Hatena Coffee Shop Fukuoka Tenjin
Three Consecutive Weekly Openings in September
Starting with Kobe Sannomiya, Hatena Coffee Shop is opening three new locations across three consecutive weeks in September: Fukuoka Tenjin (Kyushu's first) on September 11, and Sendai Ichibancho (Tohoku's first) on September 15.
Kobe Sannomiya — Opened September 2
Hatena Coffee Shop's first location in Hyogo Prefecture, and its third in the Kansai region, opened a 3-minute walk from Sannomiya Station on September 2. The interior leans on dark brown tones for a chic, grown-up atmosphere, pairing bittersweet coffee with the cafe's mysteries — also well suited to dates.
Reservations: Hatena Coffee Shop Kobe Sannomiya
Sendai Ichibancho — Opens September 15
Hatena Coffee Shop's first location in the Tohoku region opens a 1-minute walk from Aoba-dori Ichibancho Station on September 15. Located on the fifth floor of a building with an elevator, the cafe looks out over Aoba-dori and Sun Mall Ichibancho through large windows. It's also about a 9-minute walk from Sendai Station, making it an easy stop before or after sightseeing or lunch.
Reservations: Hatena Coffee Shop Sendai Ichibancho
Representative Comment
Leo Nagayasu, President and CEO of Experiful, shared the following comment ahead of the Fukuoka opening:
"The richness of a life is measured by the sum of its memories — that's what we believe. Even without any special preparation, just stepping into a cafe can create a fun memory. Tomorrow, we finally get to bring that experience to everyone in Kyushu. I hope to see you at a cafe that's just a little harder to leave than your usual coffee shop."
Fukuoka Tenjin Store Overview
- Name: Hatena Coffee Shop Fukuoka Tenjin
- Address: Best Kitatenjin Building 2F, 5-7-5 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka 810-0001
- Access: 6-minute walk from Tenjin Station
- Hours: 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM (no new entries or additional orders from 5:15 PM to 6:30 PM, when the cafe operates without staff on site; guests already seated may continue their visit)
- Closed: Second Thursday of the month (open if it falls on a public holiday)
- Price: ¥1,500 (¥1,650 tax included) per mystery, plus ¥500 (¥550 tax included) per drink; each guest is asked to order at least one mystery and one drink
- Reservations: Book via the official website
