Kirin Beverage announced that it will relaunch its green tea drink Kirin Nama-cha on March 10, featuring an enhanced manufacturing process to better highlight the aroma of fresh tea leaves and a partially redesigned, gradient-style package. The price will remain 200 yen (excluding tax) for a 525 ml bottle, despite increasing competition and price pressure in the bottled tea market. Kirin aims to strengthen the product’s appeal by emphasizing a sense of “refreshing comfort.”
Tea companies in Kagoshima Prefecture are introducing freeze-dried tea cubes that dissolve easily in water better than powder, offering an authentic tea experience without the need for a teapot. Developed using technology from a local research institute, these products are selling well, especially among women in their 40s and 50s. As Japan faces a declining loose-leaf-tea consumption, producers hope these convenient teas will help boost demand, including among younger consumers.
Japan’s annual “Earliest Tea Picking” was held on January 5th at the Fukujuen Gakkenkan CHA Yugaku Park in Kizugawa City, Kyoto. The event took place at a greenhouse tea research and observation facility within Keihanna Science City, where Masaoki Fukui, president of Kyoto-based tea company Fukujuen, carefully harvested the first new tea buds of the year. Held each New Year to pray for health and safety, the ceremony featured tea grown in a 100-square-meter greenhouse dedicated exclusively to Hoshun, an original tea cultivar developed by Kyoto Prefecture.
Elsewhere, efforts to preserve traditional production techniques were also highlighted early in the year. Last 11th of January, the annual Mino Shirakawa Tea New Year’s First Hand-rolling Ceremony was held at the town facility Cha Cha Cha in Shirakawa Town. Organised by the Shirakawa Tea Hand-Rolling Preservation Society, the event aims to pass on traditional hand-rolling techniques. Fourteen members worked with around 10 kilograms of frozen tea leaves, to produce about 2 kilograms of hand-rolled tea. While interest in hand-rolled tea has grown since its designation as a national intangible cultural property, last year’s global matcha boom disrupted the supply and demand balance, resulting in a shortage of raw materials and a continued rise in prices. Despite these challenges, the association hopes to further promote hand-rolled tea and increase consumption of Mino Shirakawa tea. The finished tea will be sold at local roadside stations and promotional events.
January also saw the continuation of long-established ceremonial traditions within the tea world. During January, tea ceremony schools across Kyoto held their annual Hatsugama, the first tea ceremonies of the year. Traditionally, Hatsugama gatherings welcome not only disciples but also guests from the political and business worlds, marking a formal and auspicious start to the tea calendar. On January 7th, the Hayami and Yabunai schools of chadō, the Ogawa School of senchadō, all held their first ceremonies. The Omotesenke school followed on January 10th, hosting its Hatsugama at Fushin’an. On January 11th, the Nijō School of sencha tea ceremony held its event at a hotel in Kyoto’s Nakagyō Ward, attended by approximately 200 invited guests and disciples, who savoured the mellow flavour of gyokuro. On January 12th, the Mushakōji Senke school held its Hatsugama at Kankyūan in Kamigyō Ward.
The Otoyo Goishi Tea Manufacturing Technique from Otoyo Town, Kochi Prefecture, has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, recognising its significance in understanding both the transmission of fermented teas and the evolution of tea-making techniques. Koji Ogasawara, chairman of the Otoyo Town Goishi Tea Cooperative, commented: “Our efforts to preserve this tradition have been recognised. Our next challenge is to ensure this culture is passed on to future generations.”
Japanese tea culture also found international attention through film and storytelling. A short film highlighting the making of Mimasaka bancha and life in a tea-farming family has gained international recognition. Mimasaka Monogatari won Best Short Film at the Japan Film Festival Los Angeles 2025 in Hollywood. Set in Mimasaka City, Okayama Prefecture, the film portrays local nature, human relationships, and traditional bancha production, with key scenes documenting the bancha-making process through the eyes of a young photographer. Praised for capturing the “smells, breezes, and human interactions of Japan,” the film positions Mimasaka bancha not only as a regional specialty, but as a living cultural heritage to be passed on to future generations.
Together, these developments reflect the breadth of Japan’s contemporary tea world, where innovation, tradition, and cultural transmission continue to evolve side by side. From new product formats and market trends to ceremonial practices and international recognition, January offered a snapshot of a tea culture that remains both deeply rooted and forward-looking.
*The article is based on Japanese media articles:
Kirin Beverage to revamp “Ichibancha” in March, price unchanged , Nikkei Shimbun 2026.01.21
Freeze-dried Kagoshima tea aims at young people, no need for a teapot , Nikkei Shimbun 2026.01.15
Japan’s earliest tea bud and leaf harvest: Picking tea leaves at Kizugawa Research and Observation Facility in Kyoto , Mainishi Shimbun 2026.01.06
New Year’s “First Roll” Shirakawa Tea Promotion, Yomiuri Shimbum 2026.01.12
Kochi’s Goishi tea making technique designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, Asahi Shimbun 2026.01.24
“Mimasaka Monogatari” resonates in Hollywood, wins Best Short Film award at film festival, Asahi Shimbun 2026.01.11