On the last day of my trip to Kyoto, I stopped by a small cafe in front of Kyoto station for a quick breakfast. It was a gloomy rainy day, and smooth jazz was playing in the background. Feeling cozy, I asked for hot coffee and pancakes, or hottokeki (hot cake). The clerk seemed to be in a panic for a few seconds, then he wrote down “after 15 times” in a small memo. I knew Japanese people also like to eat pancakes with afternoon tea, so I figured he meant that pancakes start from 3pm. I was a…