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Slowly extracted through drip, the Showa era nostalgia is embodied by "Mi's Coffee," known for its movie-themed spaces inspired by film settings. With three stores nationwide, Taipei's Shanghai sentiment draws from In the Mood for Love, Tainan is themed around Hong Kong's Days of Being Wild, while the Chiayi branch, affectionately called Jiabei, presents a 1960s Showa-style retro Taiwanese streethouse ambiance, evoking "the everyday life depicted in Yasujirō Ozu's films" in a naturally unfolding scene. Founded by a brotherly duo dedicated to artistic endeavors, younger brother Xiao Yi is particularly stylish; when making coffee in Tainan he wears floral shirts, but dons a black kimono at Jiabei. As he stands behind the bar, the movie-like atmosphere is even more immersive—every snapshot feels like a promotional still. Xiao Yi reveals that all the lighting has been meticulously designed. Jiabei operates four days a week, opening at 2 PM and closing at 10 PM, making it one of Chiayi's late-night café sanctuaries for nocturnal patrons. When night deepens and you sit at the bar, savoring Xiao Yi's hand-poured KONO drip coffee or a tea brewed by a Japanese artisan, the focused and serene ambiance seems to halt time entirely, much like the clear gaze of the tortoiseshell cat named Uru from the window. Image source: Chiayi City Government Tourism News Bureau | Photography: Margareth