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Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi caught wide attention during his visit to Ankara for the NATO summit after sharing a video of his Turkish coffee experience, lightheartedly joking that he would look to the coffee grounds for clues about global politics.
Motegi, who was in Ankara with the Japanese delegation, highlighted traditional Turkish coffee in a video shared on his social media account. The post emerged as members of Japan's delegation drew significant online engagement by sharing creative personal insights alongside their official diplomatic meetings at the summit.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi also posted moments that caught his eye during the visit, while Motegi focused his content on celebrating Türkiye's renowned coffee culture.
In the video, Motegi said that coffee is one of the first things that comes to mind when people think of Turkish culture. He explained that Turkish coffee is prepared without a filter, as finely ground coffee is boiled directly with water.
He also pointed out that the coffee should not be drunk immediately after being poured into the cup, because the grounds need time to settle at the bottom. Once they settle, only the coffee above the grounds is usually consumed.
Motegi then turned to the tradition of fortune-telling through coffee grounds, a practice in which the cup is turned upside down after the coffee is finished and the remaining grounds are interpreted on the basis of their shape.
Motegi noted that the enjoyment of Turkish coffee doesn't end with the last sip, referencing the custom of reading the grounds left behind. "I'll be looking to the fortune-telling for hints on how international developments might unfold from here," he said.
The video paired a distinctly Turkish tradition with the backdrop of the NATO summit, as the Japanese minister leaned on a familiar local custom to add a personal touch to his visit to Ankara.
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