Hi, everyone. I’m Shiota, the director of the MOSHI MOSHI BOX Harajuku Tourist Information Center.

I recently visited the Japanese matcha stand and cafe Hachiya which opened in Sendagaya, an area within Shibuya that is lined with many different cafes, each with their own unique touch.

The entrance to Hachiya is stylish and breathes a nostalgic Japanese atmosphere. Outside the cafe is a bench made from bamboo and gravel spread across the ground.

The logo for the name of the shop is coupled with a family crest symbol, a style very popular right now in Japan. It's a very polished design.

The interior decor is simple with just a counter. The impressive walls are decorated with waves reminiscent of ukiyo-e.

The shelved tableware display is lined with pieces collected from different countries by the cafe's designer.

Bonsai trees are experiencing a global boom right now. This bonsai in Hachiya sits subtly and sophisticated.

At Hachiya they don't just use tea leaves - they also incorporate each and every tool of the highest quality including teapots. I was spoiled for choice with Hachiya's menu, but I managed to pick 3 items to show today.

"Inokura Kiu" (¥450)

This cup of tea was made with tea leaves harvested from "Tea Farm Inokura" in Tsukigase, Nara.

The tea at Hachiya is single and double brewed. It has amazing flavour right up to the very last drop.

Japanese tea making is a delicate processes where the temperature of the hot water, steam time and pouring speed can change the flavour entirely.

As the orders come in, the staff at Hachiya prepare each cup one by one with utmost precision. Watching their beautiful finger work while waiting for your tea is a relaxing moment of real bliss.

"Houjicha Smoothie" (Small ￥500 / Large ￥600)

They have 3 types of smoothie on the smoothie menu: green tea, houjicha and matcha. I chose the houjicha smoothie this time which is special for its aromatic fragrance.

It uses white bean paste instead of sugar meaning you can enjoy an elegant sweetness together with a faint touch of anko.

The lattes and smoothies on the Hachiya menu are both moderately sweet. You can customize the sweetness to your liking with the honey and refined sugar available at the counter.

"Kajitsu Tansan Reicha" (¥700)

This drink is a unique combination of tea, carbonated water and fruits.

Various fruits bob around inside including 2 grapes, lemon and pomegranate. The fruits used in the drink are changed depending on the season.

Any bitterness is removed by the fresh lemon, giving it a refreshing taste that you wouldn't think is tea. At the bottom of the cup is jelly tea. As expected of a tea shop!

Besides drinks at Hachiya, other sweet delicacies they sell include anmitsu, soft cream, daifuku and karinto.

The 3 goodies I've shown you today are available at both the Sendagaya branch of Hachiya that I visited and the Daikanyama branch.

If you're in Harajuku and need to kick back a little bit, then why not visit the Japanese tea stand and cafe Hachiya in Sendagaya to try one of their original teas?

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Translator: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga

A pop-up store for the tea brand VAISA will open inside popular apparel brand shop HARE centred around Baisao, a Japanese Buddhist monk who travelled around Kyoto selling tea.

It will open at the flagship store HARE.JP along Cat Street. VAISA tea products as well as collaborative items between HARE and VAISA will be available from April 27.

HARE's flagship store HARE.JP opened on Harajuku Cat Street in 2016 with interior decor influenced by traditional Japan. The inside of the shop looks like a Japanese tea house. It has elements from traditional Japanese culture such as black pine and bonsai at the entrance. Each of these elements has been put through the HARE filter and given a modern day touch. They have held numerous events in-store.

This will be HARE's second collaboration with VAISA. The first was held last year and was particular popular with tourists from abroad. The event will stock numerous local tea brands, including tea from Ukiha in Fukuoka as well as tea from Shizuoka. Collaborative items include iPhone cases, bags and more.

There will also be tea tasting sessions on May 3 & 4. Use this opportunity to get some delicious Japanese tea and some limited edition collaborative merch!

CHABAKKA TEA PARKS is a new tea shop that has invented an innovative new way to serve tea to its customers. It will open from April 2018 in Onarimachi which is just a 1-minute walk from Kamakura Station's west exit.

CHABAKKA TEA PARKS is aimed at younger people. Nowadays, the traditional custom of "pouring tea" is on the decline and its value is being reinvented to be something that can be enjoyed easily and stylishly as high quality single varietal tea from a single plantation.

This shop in Kamakura is serving "draft tea" in Japan for the very first time. That is, just like how beer is served from a beer pump, CHABAKKA TEA PARKS will do the same with tea. This tea entertainment service will also offer monthly flat-rate all-you-can-drink.

Because the shop is contracted directly to the original tea farmers, they stock a huge range of tea varieties that can only be purchased from their original production areas.

They are also selling key chains which each have a unique serial number inscribed on them.

Experience the new way to pour tea at Japan's first draft tea shop CHABAKKA TEA PARKS.