PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences

ISSN 2454-5899

Ueda & Akashi, 2024

Volume 10 Issue 2, pp. 150-162
Received: 8th November 2023
Revised: 20th November 2023, 22nd November 2023
Accepted: 11th November 2023
Date of Publication: 15th June 2024
DOI- https://doi.org/10.20319/pijss.2024.102.150162
This paper can be cited as: Ueda, M., Akashi, T. (2024). The Utility of Cafés in Town Focusing on the two
functions of ‘the Third Place’. PEOPLE: International Journal of Social Sciences, 10(2), 150-162.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to
Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.

THE UTILITY OF CAFÉS IN TOWN FOCUSING ON THE TWO

FUNCTIONS OF ‘THE THIRD PLACE’

Mayumi Ueda
Doctoral Course student, Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Tokyo,
Japan
[email protected]
Tatsuo Akashi
Professor, Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Tokyo, Japan,
[email protected]

Abstract
This study reconsidered the function of town cafés as ‘the Third Place’ from the two perspectives of
"a place for exchange" and "a place for emotional support" for city dwellers and clarified the
following three points based on user’s consciousness and state of mind. In Japan, it was found that
many people use cafés as a place to work alone or recover as "my place" type, and that "my place"
type tends to use Chain cafés. Those who use cafés as a place for socializing in the traditional
‘Oldenburg type’ chose privately owned cafés and were found to be highly dependent on them. People
who use cafés tend to have higher well-being-related indicators, especially those who use privately
owned cafés, than those who use Chain ones.
Keywords
The Third Place, Café, Well-Being, Emotional support, City Dwellers

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1. Introduction
The concept of "the Third Place" proposed by Oldenburg, 1989 has recently come into
common use that is not “the First place" (home) or “the Second place" (work or school). According
to Oldenburg himself, "the Third place" is "the core environment of informal public life,"
characterized by
(1) Neutrality (5) Regulars
(2) Egalitarianism (6) Modesty
(3) Conversation as the main activity (7) Playfulness
(4) Accessibility and convenience (8) Another home.
The "social place" is where the focus is on interaction. He also mentions that "cafés" run
by individuals (Independent cafés) in particular function as "the Third place".
In Japan, cafés are used as a place for people to socialize and rest, and according to
Industry Trends of Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, 2021 in 2008 there were about 290,000
such establishments. However, the number has begun to decline, plummeting to approximately
200,000 in 2017 and the number of Independent cafés, not the company, has decreased by 60% in
the 20 years since 1996. It is not difficult to imagine that many privately owned cafés were hit and
decreased by the COVID-19 disaster, although statistics do not yet show the impact of the disaster
at this time. The loss of "the Third Place” in the city could hurt the vitality and ties of the
community, as well as on the mental health of urban residents.
According to this background, this study aims to clarify the following:
 Function as a "place for interaction among city dwellers"
 Function as a " a place for emotional support "
To reconsider the two aspects of cafés, especially the Chain cafés and Independent cafés that are
frequently used by the Japanese, to clarify the utility of these two functions in terms of user's
consciousness and state of mind, and to clarify how the decrease in the number of cafés affects
urban life.

2. Literature Review & Conceptual Framework

In recent Japanese studies related to "the Third Place", it has been expanded beyond
Oldenburg's original definition. For example, Motoyanagi, (2018) found that the usage patterns of
the third places in cafés can be divided into three types in addition to "(1) Interaction with café’s

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staff and other customers" assumed by Oldenburg: "(2) Spending time with friends" and "(3)
Relaxing alone", indicating that the third places are not only for interaction with people but also
for "spending time alone ("my place" type)". Niwa & Sato, (2011) and Hatakeyama et al. (2015)
also pointed out that Japanese cafés are used for study and work purposes.
Furthermore, Ueda & Akashi, (2022) focused on Independent cafés and found that there
are two functions (ways of use) of "the Third Place" as "Oldenburg" type and "my place" type,
suggested through quantitative surveys of Independent cafés’ owners.
Thus, in Japanese academic research, the function of a place for interaction among city
dwellers with others is not essential, and places to spend time alone are increasingly included in
the concept of "the Third Place". Considering this trend, this paper also includes the concept of
"the Third Place" not only "Oldenburg" type” but also "my place" type.

3. Data
Customers with cafés in Tokyo that they frequented before COVID-19 as a "comfortable
place to be" were sampled by Internet research from March 14 to 16, 2023, and responses were
received from 553 samples. Online Survey Overview is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Online Survey Overview

Item Contents
Method of investigation Distribution and collection via the Internet

Terms and conditions Residents of Tokyo and 4 prefectures who used cafés as a
"comfortable place to stay" in Tokyo.

Effective Date March 14-16, 2023

Respondent Men and women from 20s to 80s

Number of samples 553 samples
(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)

4. Methodology
In conducting this study, it was necessary to understand the state of mind of users,
especially in a "comfortable place to be", so it reviewed relevant research in existing studies and
found the following two indicators as follows:

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1. Measurement indicators (13 items) related to the sense of "Place where one belongs ".
(Table 2)
2. Measurement indicators (15 items) to measure the state of "Well-being". (Table 3)
Questions (1) were edited using the results of Kawamura et al.'s "Research on the Influence of
Town Places on Quality of Life and Attitudes toward Community", in which psychological
measures regarding town places were extracted from an analysis of a large sample.
Question (2) was prepared based on the "PERMA -Profiler", which is based on
Seligman's theory, one of the measures of "Well-being".
The scale for (1) was a 5-point scale: "very applicable," "somewhat applicable," "neither
applicable nor not applicable," "not very applicable," and "not applicable at all," For (2), the scale
was 10, ranging from "1 (to a lesser extent or frequency)" to "10 (to a greater extent or frequency)".
In addition to gender, age, place of residence, marital status, presence or absence of
children, and occupation, the respondents were asked about their basic information requirements.
Table 2. Measurement indicators of "Place where one belongs".
Measuring indicators
I have someone who listens to me Diversity
Environment
I can have time to myself
for thinking
Calmness Feel like an indispensable place
Affectionate I can be who I am
Feeling liberated I feel like I'm part of a group
Feeling ties to the community Work, study, etc.
Feeling that I have a role
(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)
Table 3. Measurement indicators of "Well-being".
Category Measuring indicators
How often do you feel happy (enjoyment)
Positive emotion How often do you feel positive (positivity)
How satisfied you usually feel (satisfaction)
How often do you feel absorbed in what you do (absorbed)
How excited or interested you feel about different things (excited)
Engagement
How often do you lose track of time when you are doing something you enjoy
(concentration)

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How often do you receive help and support from others when you need it
(Acceptance of support)
Relationship
To what extent do you feel that you are loved (sense of being loved)
How satisfied you are with your relationships (Relationships)
The extent to which you live a life of purpose and meaning (meaningful life)
The extent to which you feel that what you do is important and worthwhile (value
Meaning
of actions)
To what extent do you feel that you have direction in your life (life direction)
How much time do you feel you are on track to achieve your goals (time to
achieve)
Accomplishment How often you can achieve the important goals you set for yourself (frequency of
achievement)
How often can you fulfill your responsibilities (responsibility)
(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)

5. Result
5.1 Questionnaire’s Basic Information
Tokyo was the most common place of residence (52.6%), followed by Saitama (18.8%)
and Kanagawa (17.8%). In terms of marital status, 43.9% of the respondents were never married,
while 56.1% were married. 53.2% had children, while 46.8% had no children. The most common
occupation was company employee, accounting for 52.0% of the total, including office workers
(26.9%), technical workers (14.0%), and others (11.1%); the second most common occupation was
a part-time worker (12.6%) and the third was a full-time housewife (househusband) (12.1%).
(Table 4)
Table 4. Questionnaire’s Basic Information (n=494)
Number of Number of
Category Category
cases (%) cases (%)
Gender Male 238(48.1) Civil servants 14(2.8)
Female 256(51.9) Management/officer 12(2.4)
Company employee
20s 88(17.8) 133(26.9)
Occupation (clerical)
Age
Company employee
30s 95(19.2) 69(14.0)
(technical)
Company employee
40s 100(20.2) 55(11.1)
(other)

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50s 108(21.9) Self-employed 19(3.8)

60s and over 103(20.9) Freelance 14(2.8)
Saitama
93(18.8) Housewife 60(12.1)
Prefecture
Residence
Chiba
53(10.7) Part-time job 62(12.6)
Prefecture
Tokyo 260(52.6) Student 15(3.0)
Kanagawa 88(17.8) Other 6(1.2)

Marriage Unmarried 217(43.9) Unemployed 35(7.0)

Married 277(56.1)

Children With children 263(53.2)

No children 231(46.8)
(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)
5.2 Purpose of using cafés
When asked which cafés in Tokyo they visited "most frequently" as "a comfortable
place to be", 439 (88.8%) were Chain cafés and 55 (11.2%) were Independent cafés, indicating
that Chain cafés were used more frequently. In terms of the purpose of use, 2/3 of the cafés were
used for "my place" type activities such as 'relaxing alone', while "Oldenburg-type" activities such
as 'spending time with friends in a close relationship' only accounted for about 20% of all cafés
used. However, the proportion of "Oldenburg-type" use was slightly higher among users of
Independent cafés. (Table 5.2) This indicates that Japanese frequently tend to used cafés for
relaxing alone.
Table 5. Purpose of Using the Most Visited Cafés as "A Comfortable Place to Be"
Purpose of using café total Chain Independent
Relaxing alone 329 66.6% 290 66.1% 39 70.9%
Used by one person for work, study or
169 34.2% 151 34.4% 18 32.7%
reading
Used by more than one person for work or
26 5.3% 24 5.5% 2 3.6%
study
Spend time with (close/intimate) friends 102 20.6% 87 19.8% 15 27.3%
Spend time with (casual/non-relationship)
98 19.8% 88 20.0% 10 18.2%
friends
Number of respondents 494 100.0% 439 88.8% 55 11.2%
(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)

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Furthermore, when the differences in use between Chain and Independent cafés were
examined using Quantification III for all cafés frequented in Tokyo, "relaxing alone" and "used
alone for work, study or reading" were closely related to Chain cafés, while "used with several
people for work or study" was closely related to Independent cafés. (Table 6)
This indicates that in Japan, the use of cafés as "the Third place" was found to be
different, divided between the "my place" type for Chain cafés and the "Oldenburg type" for
Independent cafés.
Table 6. Differences in the Using Chain and Independent Cafés (Analyses by Quantification III).

Axis 1 × Axis 2
1.5 Spend time with
Chain cafes when used alone. (casual/non-
relationship)
Use alone for 1 friends
work, study or Spend a quiet time
reading. with friends
0.5 Spend time with
Relax alone (close/intense/relatable)
Axis 2

Chain cafes
friends
0
-1.5 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2

-0.5

-1 Independent cafes for multiple use.

Independent cafes
-1.5
Multiple use for work and study.

-2
Axis 1

(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)

5.3. Sense of "Place where one belongs.”

5.3.1 General Tendency
We asked respondents how they felt about cafés (n=494) they visited most frequently in
Tokyo as a comfortable place to be. The highest percentage was 82.6% for "calmness (sense of
relaxation)," followed by 77.1% for "having time to myself (sense of freedom). (Table 7)

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Table 7. Comparison of "Sense of "Place Where One Belongs.”(N=494)

All Chain Independent
Sense of "Place where one belongs
Number % Number % Number %

Calm down (feeling of relaxation) 408 82.6% 363 82.7% 45 81.8%

Have time to yourself (freedom) 381 77.1% 341 77.7% 40 72.7%
I can organize my mind (thinking
262 53.0% 236 53.8% 26 47.3%
environment)
There are people from all walks of life
248 50.2% 228 51.9% 20 36.4%
(diversity)
I feel liberated (liveliness) 222 44.9% 195 44.4% 27 49.1%
I can get more done at work or study
217 43.9% 198 45.1% 19 34.5%
(Workplace)
I feel attached to it (sense of attachment) 206 41.7% 176 40.1% 30 54.5%
I feel like it is an indispensable place
189 38.3% 163 37.1% 26 47.3%
(dependence)
I can be myself as I am (sense of self) 133 26.9% 118 26.9% 15 27.3%
There are people who Some people listen to
128 25.9% 109 24.8% 19 34.5%
me (a sense of acceptance)
There are my friends (sense of community) 110 22.3% 96 21.9% 14 25.5%
I feel I have a role to play (sense of self-
94 19.0% 82 18.7% 12 21.8%
usefulness)
Feeling connected to the community
91 18.4% 74 16.9% 17 30.9%
(community ties)
(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)
5.3.2 Difference between Chain and Independent Café
The items that showed particular differences between the averages of Chain and
Independent cafés were "I can get more done at work or study (place to work)" for Chain cafés,
and "There are people who listen to me," "Feeling connected to the community (ties to the
community)," " I feel attached to it," and "I feel like it is an indispensable place (sense of
dependence)" for Independent cafés. (Table 8)
These indicate that while Chain cafés are used as a place to work, Independent cafés are
valued as place with strong emotional ties, with high levels of dependence as a place to accept
oneself and feel connected to the community.
Table 8. Comparison of Mean Difference of "Sense of "Place Where One Belongs.”
All Chain Mean difference
Sense of "Place where one belongs p- Judgment
Mean Mean Difference
value

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Calm down (feeling of relaxation) 4.16 4.22 0.05 0.321

Have time to yourself (freedom) 4.07 4.00 -0.07 0.199
I can organize my mind (thinking environment) 3.51 3.44 -0.08 0.012 *
There are people from all walks of life (diversity) 2.79 2.74 -0.04 0.009 **
I feel liberated (liveliness) 3.31 3.31 0.00 0.010 *
I can get more done at work or study (workplace) 3.25 2.96 -0.28 0.012 **
I feel attached to it (sense of attachment) 3.21 3.47 0.26 0.062
I feel like it is an indispensable place (dependence) 3.19 3.44 0.24 0.004 **
I can be myself as I am (sense of self) 2.94 3.04 0.10 0.006 **
Some people listen to me (a sense of acceptance) 2.50 2.82 0.32 0.000 **
There are my friends (sense of community) 2.59 2.84 0.25 0.001 **
I feel I have a role to play (sense of self-usefulness) 2.51 2.69 0.18 0.006 **
Feeling connected to the community (community
2.48 2.76 0.29 0.000 **
ties)
(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)

5.4. Well-being
5.4.1 General Tendency
Users of cafés that they "frequented" in Tokyo as "a comfortable place to be" (371 Chain
cafés and 182 Independent cafés, for a total of 553) were asked about their "Well-being", and those
users who selected a high rating of 4 or 5 were summarized. More than one-half of the total
respondents selected 4 or 5 for all items, indicating that café users tend to have high "Well-being".
(Table 9)
Table 9. Comparison of “Well-being”
ALL Chain Independent
Well-being
Numbe Numbe Numbe
% % %
r r r
64.4 59.6 74.2
Satisfaction 356 221 135
% % %
Enjoyment 61.3 57.4 69.2
Positive emotion 339 213 126
% % %
Positivity 58.2 54.2 66.5
322 201 121
% % %
64.6 59.3 75.3
Concentration 357 220 137
% % %
Engagement
Engrossment 61.1 58.5 66.5
338 217 121
% % %

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Excitement 59.7 57.4 64.3

330 213 117
% % %
60.2 56.1 68.7
Relationships 333 208 125
% % %
Sense of being loved 58.4 53.6 68.1
Relationship 323 199 124
% % %
Acceptance of support 53.5 49.9 61.0
296 185 111
% % %
59.5 56.1 66.5
Meaningful life 329 208 121
% % %
Value of action 54.2 50.7 61.5
Meaning 300 188 112
% % %
Direction in life 53.3 48.0 64.3
295 178 117
% % %
Sense of responsibility 61.1 57.1 69.2
338 212 126
% % %
Time to Achievement
54.2 51.5 59.9
Accomplishment 300 191 109
Frequency of % % %
53.2 49.1 61.5
Achievement 294 182 112
% % %
(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)
5.4.2 Difference between Chain and Independent café
In addition, the fact that the mean values for all items tended to be higher for
Independent cafés than for Chain cafés indicates that Independent cafés users tend to have better
"Well-being". (Table 10)

Table 10. Comparison of mean difference of “Well-being”

Chain Independent Mean difference

Well-being Judgment
p-
Mean Mean Difference
value
Satisfaction 6.05 6.62 0.57 0.002 **

Positive emotion Enjoyment 5.97 6.44 0.47 0.008 **

Positivity
5.82 6.38 0.56 0.004 **

Concentration 6.13 6.77 0.64 0.000 **

Engagement Engrossment 5.97 6.33 0.36 0.039 *

Excitement
5.93 6.31 0.38 0.036 *

Relationships 5.83 6.47 0.64 0.001 **

Relationship
Sense of being loved
5.86 6.53 0.67 0.000 **

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Acceptance of support
5.60 5.97 0.37 0.037

Meaningful life 5.89 6.31 0.42 0.021 *

Meaning Value of action 5.61 6.07 0.46 0.012 *

Direction in life
5.65 6.31 0.67 0.000 **

Sense of responsibility 6.05 6.48 0.44 0.015 *

Accomplishment Time to Achievement 5.53 5.97 0.44 0.017 *

Frequency of Achievement
5.67 6.10 0.43 0.011 *

Bilateral verification *：P<0.05 **：P<0.01

(Source: Authors’ Own Illustration)
6. Conclusion
6.1. Role of Town Cafés
The purpose of this study is to reconsider the function of town cafés as "the Third place"
from two perspectives: (1) Function as a "place for interaction among city dwellers” and (2)
Function as a “a place for emotional support." The survey clarifies the utility of these two functions
in terms of the user’s consciousness and states. The method was based on the analysis of an Internet
questionnaire survey.
It was found that for many Japanese users, cafés are used for their Third place as a "my
place" type, to work or recover alone, and they tend to use Chain cafés. Those who use cafés as a
traditional "Oldenburg" type that is a "place for socializing", were found to be particularly likely
to choose Independent cafés put highly feeling on them. This indicates that the existence of
Independent cafés in the city plays a certain role for many people, both as a "place to socialize"
and as a "place to feel at home".

6.2. Benefits of Cafés for Sense of Community Attachment and Quality of Life Promotion
The survey showed that Independent café users tend to be more highly attached to the
community and satisfied with their daily lives than Chain cafés users, with particularly positive
trends regarding their outlook on life among users of Independent cafés. This suggests that the
presence of Independent cafés in the city contributes to promoting local relationships and fosters
a sense of attachment to the community.

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6.3. Benefits of Cafés for People's Mental Health

The results of the analysis showed that the indicators of well-being, which represent
people's mental health, tended to be higher for both types of café users, and higher for Independent
café users than Chain on all the indicators.
This suggests that the presence of cafés in the city, which people like to visit frequently
as "the Third place" other than home and work, contributes to the well-being of city dwellers,
especially for Individual café users.

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