“hotel koe tokyo” isn’t your everyday normal hotel. Developed and produced by “koe,” the hotel brings together fashion, music, cuisine, and a luxury accommodation experience. In line with DESIGNART TOKYO 2019, the hotel has announced it will hold a reservation-only event entitled “DESIGNART TOKYO 2019: Tea ceremony by artless＋asahiyaki” at its third-floor private lounge on October 19 and 20.

Asahi ware is a type of Japanese pottery originating in Uji, Kyoto almost 400 years ago. Hosai Matsubayashi is the 16th generation master of this long-running workshop, known as Asahiyaki, and he’s set to collaborate with Shun Kawakami, an artist and art director of global branding agency artless Inc. The collaboration is being held to promote Japanese culture not only to the people of Japan but those overseas too, and “hotel koe tokyo” is the perfect place to do it due to the huge number of foreign visitors that stay at the hotel.

The two of them have taken the traditional Japanese tearoom and have put a modern spin on it. Normally, this private lounge of the hotel is only usable by guests staying there, but this reservation-only event will grant exclusive access to all. It brings together Japanese tea and art in the form of a special tea-making course. Attendees will follow Hosai Matsubayashi’s instructions and prepare their own tea. During the session, both Matsubayashi and Kawakami will give talks on their work while you enjoy your tea.

Take advantage of this special occasion to learn about the beauty of Japanese tea.

Neworld has teamed up with Asakura, Fukuoka-based tea manufacturing company Seichajo Yamashina to offer an all-new tea-tasting course. Reservations opened on September 25 and can be made via telephone call.

Yamashina Tea Stall first opened its doors to the public back in 1947 in the city of Asakura, Fukuoka. This long-standing tea shop oversees every aspect of their original blends, from the tea leaf selection to the roasting.

The shop’s representative, Koya Yamashina, is a tea professional, having worked as an instructor on Japanese tea as well as an established Japanese tea critic. He has travelled up and down Kyushu―one of the five main islands of Japan where Fukuoka sits―which has enabled him to select only the best tea for the shop, considering the taste, smell, season, place of production, and growers themselves.

Yamashina Tea Stall promises a fun and authentic experience when it comes to Japanese tea, for the very fact that it has had its hands on so many different types. That’s where their new program comes in to play, where they will pair different Japanese teas into different wine glasses―provided by Tokyo glass makers Kimura Glass―for tasters to get the best out of the tea, including the flavours and fragrance.

Let’s take a look at the course.

Piccolo 6oz Flute & Yama no Asatsume

This brand of tea is called Chiran Yama no Asatsume and it comes from Kagoshima Prefecture. It’s grown in Ushirodake, an area in Kagoshima with a high altitude, the only place it can be grown. It has a distinct fresh and sweet fragrance. The tea is served in a 6oz Piccolo glass which is a popular glass for champagne. Its delicate rim and form makes it the perfect shape to enjoy the full taste of the tea.

Garson 3oz Grappa & Yame Gyokuro

Yame Gyokuro is known as one of the most luxury teas in Japan. Served in a Garson glass, it has a thin, long shape, making it ideal for smelling the gentle aromas of the gyokuro tea and for enjoying its smooth, sweet taste.

Pivo Orthodox 63224-210 & Sun Rouge

Sun Rouge is an extremely rare variety of tea grown on the distant island of Tokunoshima which is south of Kagoshima. It is served in a classic champagne glass, much different from the flute-type champagne glasses. The liquid is allowed to spread over a wider surface, letting you take in the distinct beautiful purple colour of the tea while enabling the fragrance to dance around the elegant glass.

This is just a snapshot of the many drinks this course has to offer. If you’re looking to experience Japanese tea in style, then why not try out this course? They even sell sets of glasses and tea so you can take them home with you!

In line with the annual autumn event Ginchakai―which is held in Ginza and brings together multiple schools of tea in Japan for an open-air tea ceremony―Tokyu Plaza Ginza is hosting an event themed on the heart of the Japanese tea ceremony.

This special event will serve Japanese omotenashi, or “hospitality,” thorough various exhibits including a co-project with Tokyo University of the Arts, an exhibition by one of Japan’s leading confectionery companies Toraya Confectionery, and more.

The co-project with Tokyo University of the Arts will feature installations produced by the university that is centred on calligraphy drawn by Japanese calligrapher Shoko Kanazawa, who performs both in Japan and overseas, and the tea ceremony. There will also be several tokonoma alcoves around the event which will be like miniature gardens where one can enjoy the beauties of nature. There will even be covers of famous songs about autumn on October 27 at the KIRIKO TERRANCE on the roof.

Up in the KIRIKO LOUNGE on the 6th floor, Toraya will serve up a selection of traditional Japanese confections, including those that had already been created by the end of the Edo period. You can order a set of two confections and a drink. Sweets include the Kiren Kaki, which is made to look like a Japanese permission, and the Kuri Goyomi, which is made with chestnuts, sugar, and agar-agar.

Soak up the enchanting nostalgia of autumn while enjoying the Japanese tea ceremony at Tokyu Plaza Ginza.

Kyoto is the homeland of Japan’s tea. Tea shop Itohkyuemon was first established in Kyoto towards the end of the Edo period of Japan in 1832. It has since become a well-established tea shop that has gained popularity for its high quality tea and tea-based desserts. The shop will be holding a special event called Itohkyuemon X Uji Hojicha Tea Fair from September 2, 2019. This is the perfect opportunity to explore the wonderful flavours of Japan’s famous hojicha tea from the homeland of Japan’s tea. 

Hojicha tea is deeply rooted in Kyoto’s daily culture. At Itohkyuemon, the tea leaves are roasted at a high temperature, creating a wonderful and comforting aroma. The fair will see the release of a wide range of hojicha-infused desserts such as parfaits, a dessert plate, ice cream, chocolate, daifuku, cheesecake, kitkats, chocolate cake, tiramisu and much more.  This is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in a range of sweet hojicha flavours. 

The brand new Uji Hojicha Parfait consists of homemade hojicha jelly layered with refreshing hojicha ice cream. This is garnished with a hochicha senbei wafer and drizzled with hojicha syrup. This parfait allows you to taste the variety of wonders of hojicha all in one glass.

Want to tantalize your tongue with more tea? The Hojicha Tea Ceremony set comes with a hojicha daifuku and a drink to complete your parfait experience. 

The Uji Hojicha Chocolate Cake which was previously sold at the Gion-Shijo store has now returned. However, this is in limited supply. The Uji Hoji Dessert Plate includes a slice of Uji Hojicha Chocolate Cake, a Hojicha Mini Parfait, Hojicha Chocolate Ganache, a slice of Hojicha Cheesecake and a Hojicha Daifuku. This is the perfect way to explore hojicha in a variety of dessert forms. 

This is the perfect opportunity to explore the wonderful flavours of one of Japan’s most beloved teas. 

The Mino region of Gifu is famous for its traditional pottery called Mino Ware, its Gifu lanterns, and much more. Recently, an empty building located in front of Minokamo station in Gifu prefecture was renovated by a company called IDENTITY, who transformed it into a community building called MINGLE. MINGLE is now home to the Japanese tea shop Minokamo Chapo. This tea shop proudly represents the culture of tea and pottery that still remains in the Mino region. In order to share this wonderful culture, they are now offering a new accommodation plan to provide guests with the chance to experience the world of Japanese tea and the rich culture of Mino.

You can also experience tasting and comparing different Japanese teas that are offered by Minokamo Chapo. During your stay, you will also encounter lots of Mino Ware, and be surrounded by a traditional Mino interior decorated with Mino washi paper.

1st floor: Café and Bar

You can order the Japanese tea tasting selection at the counter. This space is used as the Minokamo Chapo tea shop from 11 am to 4 pm on weekends and national holidays.

2nd floor: Rooms

The rooms are approximately 22m². On top of this space, there is also a shower room and toilet in their own separate rooms.

3rd floor: Lounge

This is an area of free space for the guests. There are future plans to decorate this space with paintings and pottery according to the season.

The interior of the guest rooms are also packed with the wonders of the Mino region, so we are going to introduce you to a few of its special features. 

Upon entering your room, you will be greeted by the warm light of an Akari lantern. This is a kind of lantern which is recognized as a traditional craft of Gifu prefecture. This lantern design was created by famous artist Isasmu Noguchi, who named it Akari which means “light”.

In the bathroom, you will spot a few stylish mugs which belong to the brand “3rd-ceramics”.  

 The rooms are affixed with paper sliding doors (shoji) and bear beautiful Mino washi paper that is a traditional turquoise-blue colour. 

This is the perfect place to enjoy a traditional experience like no other. 

XFLAG STORE + HANEDA is a small branch of XFLAG STORE and is located in Terminal 1 of Haneda Airport. On August 13th, they released three energising bubble tea flavours served in a bottle that you can take on board with you when travelling along domestic air routes. The three bubble tea flavours are; MILK TEA, HOJICHA (a type of green tea) and MATCHA. 

These bubble tea flavours are limited to XFLAG STORE + HANEDA and were created with the intention of providing a splash of energizing fun to tiresome travels. 

As long as you screw the lid on properly, you can store your delicious drink in your bag and even carry it onto your flight so you can enjoy it whilst soaring through the clouds. This is the first time a shop at Haneda airport has ever sold a bubble tea drink with the intention of flight passengers taking it on board with them.

*Drinks and liquids are usually permitted on domestic flights in Japan. Please check the specific rules of your flight by referring to the official website of your airline. 

To commemorate the release of the new bubble teas, XFLAG STORE + HANEDA has launched an Instagram campaign with the chance to win an Amazon gift card worth ￥10,000 (approx. 80GBP/95USD). 

To take part in the Instagram campaign for the chance to win a ￥10,000 Amazon gift card, be sure to take a photo with your XFLAG STORE + HANEDA bubble tea drink and then post the picture on Instagram with the following three hashtags:

#旅タピ #タピオカ #空の上で飲めるタピオカドリンク

Four winners will be selected.

Get your summer holidays off to a soaring start with a beautiful bottle of bubble tea. 

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy Japanese peaches, which are particularly juicy and sweet around this time. Peaches go well with red bean paste, cream and a variety of other flavours, which is why you will be seeing a lot of peachy desserts this summer. You just have to try them!

Today, Instagrammer meme, who is a big fan of cute and stylish cafés, will be introducing you to peach parfaits that you absolutely must try in Aichi prefecture.

BLUE STAR CAFE（ブルースターカフェ）／Nagakute

BLUE STAR CAFE has started selling a peach parfait. The peaches are so sweet and juicy that I was moved to tears. The parfait is made up of fresh cream, vanilla ice cream, peach sherbet and frozen peach. It is simple, delicious and very satisfying. 

▼BLUE STAR CAFE

Address: 504 Tsukada, Nagakute, Aichi

TEL：0561 42 6878

Official Website: https://bluestar-cafe.com/

Halleloo Garden（ハレルゥ ガーデン）

I was just waiting and waiting for Halleloo Garden to release their peach parfait and I was far from disappointed. Just looking at the pretty pink peaches is enough to get your mouth watering. When you cut into the peach, it will explode with colourful popping boba. What a fun parfait.♡

The parfait is made up of a variety of fruits including melon, blueberries, grapefruit and apple. It also contains vanilla ice cream, custard, fresh cream, and dried fruit too. Be aware that the contents of this parfait will change according to the season. 

This peach parfait also comes with peach-flavoured black tea with boba. Add this to your parfait and notice the change in flavour as your parfait becomes a milk bubble tea! This was my first experience of popping boba. It was such a fun experience to bite into the boba and feel them explode, flooding my tastebuds with a delicious juicy flavour. Whether Halleloo Garden can serve this parfait seems to be dependent on whether they can receive peaches from their supplier, so I recommend phoning up the café before you turn up to if you want to try this. 

▼Halleloo Garden

Address: Kami-222-1 Miyoshicho, Miyoshi, Aichi

TEL: 0561 56 1080

Official Website: http://www.halleloo.jp/

merry café（メリーカフェ）／Toyoake

merry café serves a beautiful peach parfait that looks just like a bouquet of flowers.

The simple peach compote allows you to enjoy the natural deliciousness of the peaches. During this season, finding peaches that are highly sweet can be a bit of a hit or miss, however there is no doubt that they will be sweet when made into a compote. It was a delicious peach parfait. ♡

▼merry café

Address: 7-18 Komochimatsu Shindencho, Toyoake,

TEL：0562-91-3230

Opening Hours: 11:00 ー 15:00, 17:30 ー 22:00

Official Facebook Page: https://ja-jp.facebook.com/merrycafe1218/

All these pink peach treats look so beautiful. This peachy season is the perfect time to wrap yourself in the wonderful fragrance of sweet peach. Please check out meme‘s Instagram which is full of information on cute cafés you can visit for delicious desserts. 

Author/ Photographer: meme

Using only the finest tea leaves, CHAVATY makes high quality tea lattes. Using Saemidori tea leaves that can only be enjoyed during one season of the year, they created two new drinks: BOTTLE GREENTEA STRAIGHT and SHINING CITRUS WIND, which has refreshing citrus flavour. Both these new drink flavours will be released on June 13, 2019.

BOTTLE GREENTEA STRAIGHT　￥580 (before tax)

The first tea pick of the season is said to give the most fresh and delicious flavour. The first Saemidori tea leaves grow fastest in Tanegashima, however Yakushima follows in second place. This is where CHAVATY picks their tea leaves for the BOTTLE GREENTEA STRAIGHT. The young, fresh Saemidori tea leaves are cold brewed in order to extract the full flavour of the tea. The Saemidori is blended with Yabukita, which makes up more than 70 percent of the country’s tea, and Asatsuyu, which is known as a naturally high quality tea.

Saemidori tea has a beautiful colour and a rich flavour. Its delicious sweetness spreads gently through your entire mouth. The tea leaf sprouts are full of the nutrition which was stored up over the winter. It is even said that drinking tea made with young and fresh Saemidori tea leaves picked at the start of the season will keep you healthy for the entire year.

SHINING CITRUS WIND　￥680 (before tax)

Like the way the radiant sun sparkles, the SHINING CITRUS WIND consists of aromatic yellow German chamomile which is infused with plenty of rejuvenating ingredients such as orange, citrus peels, and refreshing lemongrass. Along with the rich aroma and of dried fruit, this luxurious tea is bound to get your mouth watering for tea time.

These elegant, delicious and fresh teas are perfect to get your mouth watering for the start of spring.

If you’re in Harajuku this spring then you’ll want to head on over to CHAVATY, a shop that sells tea lattes made using high quality tea leaves. The shop just released its two new “SNOW SHAKE” and “&TEA LATTE” beverages on April 26.

SNOW SHAKE: ¥780 (Before Tax) – Uva, Houjicha, Matcha

First up on the menu is the SNOW SHAKE which comes with three tea options: uva, houjicha and matcha. Once you have picked your tea of choice it is made into a delicious shake, nice and cool for the spring weather. It’s finished with a sprinkling of white chocolate for that refreshing finish. The drink maintains the original flavour of the tea leaves with added sweetness when shaken.

&TEA LATTE: ¥780 (Before Tax) – Uva, Houjicha, Matcha

The &TEA LATTE also comes in one of the three teas. This beverage is half tea ice cream (accompanied with a rice flour dumpling) and half tea latte. This means you get to enjoy CHAVATY’s two most popular menu items at the same time. The tea and ice cream also come as a flavour set, so if you pick uva tea your ice cream will be uva flavoured too.

Cool yourself off this spring with one of CHAVATY’s heavenly new drinks.

Tokyo tea restaurant Restaurant 1899 Ochanomizu is set to open its Matcha Beer Garden this summer from June 1 to September 30.

For the five time ever in its 5-year run, Matcha Beer Garden will sell a “Matcha Highball.” This drink is a mix of bitter Uji matcha and full-bodied whisky. It has a unique deep green colour and is surprisingly refreshing and easy to drink. Your mouth is gently filled with the taste of matcha with one sip of this special Japanese-style highball.

The restaurant recommends having the beverage with the “Chiken Karaage & Matcha Mayonnaise.” There is no other place you can enjoy such a combination: a matcha highball and chicken karaage in one.

The beer garden’s most popular item is the “Matcha Beer.” By adding matcha to the beer, the restaurant has created a healthy beer cocktail that has a distinct smooth texture and bitter flavour. The deep green colour also makes it photo-worthy!

There are six “Tea Beers” you can enjoy with the all-you-can-drink service, and the Matcha Beer counts as one of them. The “Houjicha Black Beer” is for the real grown-ups, a black beer with a full-bodied flavour and smell. The “Wakoucha Beer” is made with domestic black tea and as such maintains its natural sweetness and gorgeous fragrance. Others include the “Black Matcha Beer,” “Black Wakoucha Beer” and the “Non-Alcoholic Matcha Beer.” Each and every one of these tea beers is poured with care and consideration by the restaurant’s tea experts.

Together with the tea beers there are a total of 11 beers to kick back and enjoy with the all-you-can-drink service which includes the restaurant’s standard beer, black beer, half & half, non-alcoholic beer, and bottled beer. There is also “Matcha Wine,” an original blend of white wine and matcha. It’s an easier drink to pick for most meals with its perfect match of crisp white wine and slightly bitter matcha.

There are twelve dishes to choose from, including two new ones, that best go with this line-up of tea alcohol. The centrepiece new dish is the “Oomugi Gyu Sencha Roast Beef.” The beef is topped with sencha tea leaves and roasted carefully on a low heat. The effect of the tea gives the meat an even softer quality as well as a faint tea flavour. The new “Fish Carpaccio” comes with white fish drizzled in sencha-infused oil.

Returning dishes include “Tea Sausages,” “Matcha & Houjicha French Fries,” “Matcha Potato Salad,” “Matcha Mayo Karaage” and more.

To finish off your meal, choose from one of the restaurant’s delicious tea desserts such as the “Matcha Cake” made with sake and matcha, the “Houjicha Cake” which combines brandy, wine and houjicha, or the restaurant’s homemade purin with which you can pick from 3 different sauces: matcha, koucha or houjicha.

If you’re a tea-lover then you won’t want to miss out on this beer garden!

Nana’s green tea released a new menu that is perfect for the spring/summer period. This new menu features drinks that were never seen before on the autumn/winter menu!

Order the adzuki bean strawberry cream latte to enjoy the grainy texture of the adzuki beans and the sweet acidity of the strawberries. Nana’s original Tokachi adzuki beans and milk are the perfect latte combination. This is topped with sweet and acidic strawberries and strawberry sauce. The flavour changes as you mix it, so mix it how you like! Enjoy the balance of the simple sweetness of the adzuki latte and the sweet, tangy accent of the strawberries. The drink’s appearance is also very beautiful! (Drink on the front row in the middle)

This black sesame seed shirotama latte contains lots of black sesame seed paste, creating a smooth texture as you drink it. This is mixed with milk and topped with chewy rice flour dumplings (shirotama). Take a big gulp of the black sesame seed and smooth dumpling latte and the delicious flavour will spread all over your mouth. You can enjoy this hot or iced. (Drink on the front row on the right)

The black sesame seed soft cream latte is making a comeback due to popular demand! Its delicious, rich flavour just fills your mouth. The latte is topped with soft cream. The syrupy, rich black sesame seed latte and refreshing, cool soft cream is the perfect combination.

 The Houjicha jelly latte is made from original houjicha tea that has been ground to a fine powder like matcha. Although a lot of houjicha is used, it is just the right amount so that you can’t feel the grains but can enjoy the special and delicious aroma. Handmade houjicha, whipped cream and black syrup is the topping for the latte. The rich flavour of the houjicha latte combined with the refreshing, low-sugar houjicha jelly is a treat you can only enjoy for a limited period! (Drink on the left of the back row)

The lemon syrup for the lemon soda is made from lemons sourced from Akinada Tobishima Kaido (Hiroshima) and sugar sourced from Japanese sugar beet. You can enjoy the texture of lemon rind and the fresh sour flavour of lemon. This is the perfect fizzy drink to combat the humid rainy season and extremely hot summers. (Drink on the left of the front row)

Nana’s green tea is serving up many photogenic and delicious drinks! Please come check it out!

The RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka is bringing a colourful tea themed dessert buffet to its Remone restaurant and bar annex this spring. It will run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and weekends from May 10 to June 18.

This will be the second time the hotel has held this event.​ Around 25 desserts and 15 light meals will be served all flavoured with various teas, mainly yamecha but also matcha, sencha and houjicha too.

As a welcome dessert, you can look forward to a rich yamecha flavoured tiramisu which comes with kaga-boucha cheese tea. The tiramisu sponge is soaked in yamecha syrup and thoroughly covered with yamecha powder to elevate the tea flavour even more. The cheese tea comes with black chewy tapioca. It’s made first with a mascarpone cheese cream and flavoured with kaga-boucha. Mix to combine three delicious flavours.

The buffet will look like a tea farm as you attempt to choose which to dig into next: the matcha shortcakes, houjicha roll cakes, houjicha panna cotta with ginger cider jelly―the list goes on.

The matcha parfait lets you put on whatever toppings you like. It comes with adzuki beans, skewered rice dumplings in a sweet soy glaze, warabimochi, and more.

Light meals include tea soba noodles with whitebait caught in Suruga Bay, green tea rice porridge, a tomato, chicken and veggie hot pot, a focaccia sandwich filled with finely chopped cookie vegetables, meat and egg, and so on.

If you love tea, you’ll love this tea soaked food buffet.