Latte Dreams, Samurai Discipline

Before he ever held a milk pitcher, Shinsaku Fukayama was chasing something else. Air, speed, and snow. A professional snowboarder in his early twenties, then a chef in a busy Chinese kitchen, he didn’t grow up dreaming about coffee. In fact, he didn’t even taste one until he was 29. But when he did, it flipped a switch. One cappuccino, a YouTube video, and a bold Google search: “Where is the best coffee in the world?” sent him packing to Melbourne with no barista experience and barely any English. What he had was drive. And a quiet, relentless kind of discipline.

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Hudes Magazine caught up with Shinsaku, known by many as Samurai Shin to talk about what happened after that first cup. How a knee injury led him to coffee, how a 1.8-tatami space in Osaka became a roastery and barista school, and why he treats coffee training like preparing for a world championship. What we found was a story not just about brewing, but about mindset, movement, and building something with soul.

SHINSAKU FUKAYAMA - 2018 Australian National Latte Art Champion

Could you tell us about where you grew up, your early education, and how your path from being a pro snowboarder and chef led you to discover your passion for coffee?

I grew up in Osaka, Japan, and I’ve always been a competitive person. Before I found coffee, my path was quite different. I spent 10 years working as a chef in a Chinese restaurant, and before that, I was a professional snowboarder. Snowboarding taught me a lot, especially about discipline. I competed internationally, had sponsors, and trained hard every day. But at 24, a knee injury ended that chapter of my life.

I didn’t actually drink coffee until I was 29. One day, my father bought a small coffee machine and made me a cappuccino. I remember asking him, “What’s a cappuccino?” He showed me a YouTube video of someone doing latte art, just the basic pattern, but I thought it looked really cool. I was instantly curious and wanted to learn more.

So I Googled, “Where can I find the best coffee in the world?” and the answer was: Melbourne. I packed my bags and flew there without any barista experience and with very limited English. I started from the bottom at ST. ALi as a kitchenhand and worked my way up to barista. That’s where I fell in love with latte art and competitions. I’ve never looked back since.

In 2013, you moved to Melbourne without barista experience or fluent English, and trained intensely — 5 hours a day — eventually working at SensoryLab and St Ali. What kept you going during those challenging early days? 

I was serious about improving my skills and becoming a strong barista, so I entered the ASCA Latte Art regional competition. I ended up competing at the nationals four times. In 2016 and 2017, I came in second: both times. It was heartbreaking. But in 2018, it was finally my turn. I won. Becoming the Australian Champion felt incredible.

But even then, I wasn’t fully satisfied. I knew I wanted more. I wanted to be number one in the world, to stand on the world stage and prove what I could do.

You earned the nickname ‘Samurai Shin’ and became Australian Latte Art Champion in 2016–17, plus World Latte Art Champion in 2018. What did this precision artistry mean to you, and how did it shape your identity?

In the lead-up to the World Latte Art Championship, I trained non-stop, almost 23 hours a day in that final month. It was intense. I failed more times than I can count, but every failure taught me something. I took notes, made adjustments, and kept going. I also added exercise and yoga into my daily routine not just for the body, but for mental clarity.

Before stepping on stage, I always had a plan, not just for the patterns, but for managing nerves. Because if you get too nervous, nothing works. You need to train your hands, yes, but also your mindset. Go to the gym, build discipline, build confidence. That’s what helped me. I never gave up, and I never stopped moving forward.

At the same time, I was developing my own identity: Samurai Shin. It became more than just a nickname; it was my personal brand. Unfortunately, during that period, there were moments when I felt that my brand was misunderstood or even pushed aside, by the company I worked for.

In 2021, I finally took a step toward something of my own. I opened Barista Map Coffee Roasters in Nihonbashi, Osaka. A tiny café and roastery built around community and connection. It was small (just 1.8 tatami mats) but it felt right. It was the beginning of a new chapter.

What was your vision for creating an intimate coffee space back home?

Even before I moved to Melbourne, one of my dreams was to open a coffee shop in Japan. After spending years in Australia, I returned to my hometown, Osaka, and started my own company. I began searching for the right location, visited so many properties, but none of them felt right. I kept looking, trusting my gut.

Then I found it. A space just 1.8 tatami in size. Tiny, but something about it clicked. It felt honest. It felt like a beginning.

So I decided to start there. That small space became the first Barista Map, part barista school, part coffee roastery. We opened the café only on weekends, and ran the barista classes on weekdays. It was simple, but full of intention. And for me, it was exactly the right place to begin.  

Your café doubles as a barista school offering masterclasses and training. What philosophies and techniques do you emphasize to empower new baristas in Japan?

I’ve reached a point where I want to give back, to contribute to Japan’s coffee industry, to the community, and especially to the younger generation. That’s why I stepped away from competitions and shifted my focus to training new baristas, helping them grow and aim for their own championships.

Everyone who works at my café today started as a student at my barista school. I’m proud of that. But I always tell them: you won’t succeed right away. You have to fail first. And not just fail, you need to understand why you failed, or you won’t be able to improve.

When I was training, every time I made a mistake, I wrote it down. What went wrong, and what I could do better next time. That habit shaped the way I teach now. I remind my students: stay humble, don’t give up, and enjoy the process. Progress is slow, but it’s also everything.    

You bring Melbourne-style warmth and service to Osaka, merging it with Japan’s ‘shokunin’ spirit and kissaten tradition. How do you balance these cultural elements in the cafe experience?

We recently opened a new Barista Map Coffee Roasters store in Shinsaibashi, Osaka, our flagship location, following the relocation from the original 1.8-tsubo space we started with back in April 2021. Like the first store, it’s also home to our barista school, where we continue to train and mentor the next generation of coffee professionals.

What makes this new space even more special is the collaboration with Mr. Oritayu Takemoto, a Living National Treasure and master of Bunraku, Osaka’s traditional puppet theater. He connected deeply with the taste and philosophy behind our coffee, and now serves as our creative director.

This store isn’t just a place to enjoy coffee. It’s a meeting point where Japanese cultural heritage and specialty coffee blend naturally. A space where tradition and modern craftsmanship quietly coexist.      

Looking ahead, you’re preparing ‘Kohii‑ya by Barista Map’ aiming for Michelin-style coffee entertainment, plus consulting with brands and farms. What inspired these projects, and what impact do you hope they’ll have?

I carry what we call the shokunin spirit, an artisan’s mindset rooted in care, patience, and pride in the craft. That means I’m not easily satisfied with just following a recipe. Every day is different. Water content, weather, even the mood in the room, so we take time. Before service, my team and I sometimes spend up to two hours just dialing in the recipe. We don’t rush it. We don’t compromise.

Whether it’s recipe development, team building, or hospitality, everything we do is approached like a marathon, with endurance and intention. That’s why we’ve set our sights high: we’re aiming for Michelin-level coffee.

This vision found its home in Shinsaibashi, on the first floor of a historic building where Bunraku, Osaka’s proud traditional puppet theater was born. Mr. Oritayu Takemoto, a Living National Treasure and master of Bunraku, fell in love with our coffee and philosophy, and joined us as creative director.

Here, you can drink a cup of coffee surrounded by details and design elements that echo Japanese culture and Bunraku tradition. It’s a quiet tribute to craftsmanship. And for me, it’s also a step toward something bigger: raising the value of baristas and specialty coffee in Japan.

At Barista Map you personally select beans from origin farms and roast them in‑house. Can you describe your approach to sourcing, roasting, and highlighting unique coffee characteristics? 

It’s simple. I focus on the terroir. Where the coffee comes from, its variety, and the processing method. Once I have all the details about the green beans, moisture content, density, and so on. I decide which roasting machine and roasting style to use, whether it's conduction, convection, or radiation. Every step is intentional. That’s the essence of Japan’s shokunin spirit: a deep respect for the craft and attention to detail, from origin to roast.

From snowboarding to latte art to café entrepreneurship, your journey has been diverse. What continues to drive you, and what are your hopes for shaping Japan’s specialty coffee scene in the years ahead?  

I have so many new projects coming up! It’s been four years since I started my company, and soon I’ll be opening a store overseas. I also have another brand called KOME MAME, kome means rice and mame means coffee. It’s a unique concept that brings together onigiri and coffee in a special way. I plan to expand this brand internationally as well.

New coffee products are also on the way. And I’ve decided to return to the roasting competition! I never want to stop growing. Because I truly love coffee, and I want to keep enjoying every step of this journey.(Hudes Magazine)

All photos in this article were provided by Shinsaku Fukayama for Hudes Magazine.