From 27th May to 1st June, 2026, the 7th Hanshin Nihoncha Fes was held at Hanshin Department Store in Osaka’s Umeda district. This popular event, organized under the direction of Matsuzawa-san, the third-generation owner of Matsuzawaen in Saitama Prefecture, has become a familiar seasonal gathering for tea enthusiasts. It is typically held once a year, during the shincha season in early summer.
This year’s theme was “Enjoying Your Own Time with Tea.” Visitors were invited to explore not only freshly harvested shincha, but also a wide range of teas that have been attracting attention in recent years, including bancha, Japanese black tea (wakocha), and oolong-style teas produced in Japan. Tea-focused sweets, carefully selected by exhibitors, and a wide variety of teaware completed the experience, offering inspiration for creating enjoyable tea moments at home.
Tea vendors from across Japan, particularly from the Kansai region, gathered for the event. Workshops added another layer of interest, with sessions covering topics such as pairings for withered sencha, comparative tastings of Japanese black tea, and even hands-on hojicha roasting experiences.
We look forward to this event every year. Knowing that weekends tend to be crowded, we chose to visit on a weekday in order to browse at a more relaxed pace. It was nearly impossible to approach a booth without being offered tea to sample.
Because the festival coincides with the shincha season, visitors could taste freshly harvested teas from many regions of Japan. At the same time, there were opportunities to discover lesser-known local specialties, such as Mimasaka Bancha from Okayama and withered sencha from Saitama.
One memorable stop was the booth of Kobayashi Houkouen from Okayama. In addition to their bancha, they offered teas from the Shikoku region, which are rarely encountered in Kansai. After several tastings, we decided to purchase a tea from Kochi Prefecture. The booth also displayed Bizenyaki teaware, another specialty closely associated with Okayama’s culture and craftsmanship.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of this year’s festival was a collaboration between a sweet potato dessert café and the participating tea vendors. Several desserts on the menu were accompanied by recommendations for specific teas available elsewhere in the venue. Visitors could taste a pairing, discover a favorite tea, and then purchase it directly from the producer. Even the teaware used to serve the drinks came from a Mino ware vendor exhibiting at the festival, allowing visitors to experience not only the tea itself but also the vessels in actual use.
We chose a coffee-flavored butter sandwich paired with a deep-steamed tea from Shizuoka. The dessert resembled a tiramisu in flavor. Between the cookies was cream and dried sweet potato coated with coffee. At first glance, coffee and deep-steamed green tea might seem like an unusual combination. In practice, however, there was no clash at all. The sweetness of the cream and sweet potato blended beautifully with the mellow character of the tea, creating a pairing that felt surprisingly natural.
At Baisa Nakamura’s booth, there was a particularly distinctive matcha with an intense nutty aroma. A tasting immediately revealed the influence of roasting, yet the powder retained an attractive green color rather than the brown tones often associated with roasted products. According to them, it pairs especially well with milk and works beautifully in lattes.
Teaware also had a strong presence at this year’s festival. One notable exhibitor was Isobe, a company well known for offering handcrafted teaware by independent artists. Rather than simply displaying products, staff encouraged visitors to pour water and test the teapots themselves. Being able to evaluate comfort, balance, and pouring performance firsthand was an invaluable experience for anyone considering a purchase.
What makes the Hanshin Nihoncha Fes special is not only the tea itself, but also the opportunity to speak directly with experts while tasting tea, enjoying sweets, and discovering new producers. It is the kind of event where visitors often arrive intending to browse and somehow leave carrying far more tea and teaware than originally planned.
Fortunately, opportunities like this come around every year. For tea lovers planning a future trip to Osaka during the shincha season, the Hanshin Nihoncha Fes is well worth keeping on the itinerary. Following the event’s social media accounts is the best way to stay informed about future dates and exhibitors. Please check them out: @chajin.matsuzawa / @hanshin_1ffoodevent
