30 Japanese Tea Innovators - Global Japanese Tea Association

Possibilities of Japanese tea from a creative perspective [REDD inc. / Jutaro Mochizuki]

Bringing the world of tea to cities and nature all around the globe with a portable tearoom. Kian – a tearoom that returns to the origin. [Masayuki Inaida and the abbot Seizan Toda]

Modern-day Baisao, who has equipped his yacht and campervan with a tearoom, and traveled more than 30,000 kilometers across the country to serve Japanese tea. Next, he sets sail into the world where 10,000 people are waiting. [Runahoan / Sosui (Hideki) Hasegawa]

Who is the tea ceremony for? Office workers are modern-day samurai, the office kitchenette is the tearoom. [Office Kitchenette Style Tea Ceremony / the leader – (tentative) iemoto Hankyu Tanida]

The charm of tea conveyed from the tea-producing region. The production region support group grows through tea seminars that do not end with a single session [Yamecha Sommelier School / Shoko Takenaka]

Do consumers exist just to drink tea? Continuing to lower the threshold for consumers [Japanese Tea Ambassador Association / Yoko Mitsuki]

Japan Tea Guide – Nihoncha Seikatsu guides you through a variety of moving experiences. Make your life with tea more enjoyable. [Japanese Tea Guide / Kazutaka Miura]

Smart breeding turns 10 years into 2! Using DNA information, we can create unique new tea cultivars full of individuality. [Shizuoka University / Takahashi Ikka]

Enjoy the aroma of fresh tea all year round! Freshly steamed leaves are frozen and processed into tea at the shop. Frozen tea leaves open up new possibilities. [Baisa Nakamura / Eiji Nakamura]

Raising the value and potential of tea by pairing it with meals and desserts. [LogiConnecTea / Tomoki Kawano]

Turning ochawari into the national drink! With 100 types of ochawari and the Japan Ochawari Association, what follows highball will be ochawari! [Japan Ochawari Association / Tomotaka Tajimi]

The tea space on a tea farm is visited by 6000 people a year. Protecting the tea landscape and tae until quitting the job at a major company. [AOBEAT / Sekita Tsuji]

Expanding the business by elevating the familiar tea to a theme. Broadening tea possibilities from the perspective of hotels. [Ryumeikan / Hiroaki Hamada]

“I want to go to the tea farm!” There is less than one bus an hour and the nearest train station is 10 kilometers away. The secret behind the rush of foreign visitors to this tea production area on an isolated strip of land. [Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms / Hirokazu Matsumoto]

Let’s go beyond the limits! The Northern Limit Tea Project aims to plant 7,000 tea plants for tea production in Hokkaido. [Ryokuheki Chaen / Youichi Kourogi]

Organic and certified. A new world of pesticide-free, shelf-grown, hand-picked, stone-ground matcha opens up. [Akahori Seichajo / Masamitsu Akahori]

From tea plantations to tearooms, the ambition and action to take on everything from industry to culture. The culture planner’s efforts to restart the tea industry and tea culture. [TeaRoom CEO Ryo Iwamoto]

Will tea-producing regions disappear due to the decline of the tea industry? 70% Zairai, zero driven harvesting machines, all pesticide-free. [Mandokorocha Ennokai, Cha Enmusubi / Ren Yamagata]

How will tea production sites evolve with agricultural mechanization and robotics? The cutting edge of smart agriculture [Horiguchi Seicha / Daisuke Horiguchi]

3 times for 300 yen! Morning Bottle that can only be purchased in the morning, utilizing a filter-in bottle [mirume Shinryoku Sabou / Soma Matsumoto]

Limited to 12 people per day. A dessert shop with over-the-counter tea desserts that turn into an emotional experience for all five senses. [VERT / Toshihiro Tanaka]

Matcha Latte Art is a live and entertaining approach to tea culture. Making tea more accessible to everyone [Chushutsu-sha / Kazuhiro Koyama]

Three types of tea can be experienced for 500 yen per month, and the boundaries of tea are expanding every month. [TOKYO TEA JOURNAL / Mikito Tanimoto]

Target – olive oil. Abandoned tea fields across the country are heaps of treasures – tea seeds. The popularization of tea seed oil will revive abandoned tea fields.[ Japan Tea Seed Oil Association / Kumiko Jito]

Blending the best of Hawaii and Japan. The challenge of preserving Japanese tea with blended teas that meet the global demand. [Yunomi.life / Ian Chun]

Planting and weeding tea plants with tea drinkers under the Tea Field Owner System. The joy of tea business supported by its fans. [Ashikubo Tea Works]

Aiming to attract one million visitors a year. Can a commercial facility that allows visitors to experience tea become a hub that brings the ideal and reality of tea producers and consumers closer together? [KADODE OOIGAWA]

It looks like a cigarette, but inside of it is tea. How chabacco is expanding the reach of tea by making fun of the world [Showtime / Shota Morikawa]

From Kamakura. Nitrogen gas fizzes tea! The possibilities of tea are expanding with a beer-like pop appearance that attracts people [CHABAKKA TEA PARKS / Ken Miura]

The first smoked tea in Japan. The surprising aroma is gaining recognition overseas as well. A new category of Japanese tea developed by a pioneer. [Kaneroku Matsumotoen / Hiroki Matsumoto]

Introduction

30 Japanese Tea Innovators is a project to highlight innovators, who are creating the future of Japanese tea.

With great support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Japanese Tea industry Structure Reinforcement Promotion Council (Secretariat: Japan Tea Central PIIA), as well as the cooperation of related parties, we were finally able to launch in February 2024, gathering innovators active across the country.

In the world of Japanese tea, which is faced with numerous issues such as an aging population and declining consumption, increasing demand is a pressing issue. In this context, we are introducing 30 innovative initiatives to expand the possibilities of Japanese tea.

【List】30 Japanese Tea Innovators

Creating the future of Japanese tea

<Tea & Creativity> Possibilities of Japanese tea from a creative perspective [REDD inc. / Jutaro Mochizuki]

<Tea & Space> Bringing the world of tea to cities and nature all around the globe with a portable tearoom. Kian – a tearoom that returns to the origin. [Masayuki Inaida and the abbot Seizan Toda]

<Tea & Culture> Modern-day Baisao, who has equipped his yacht and campervan with a tearoom, and traveled more than 30,000 kilometers across the country to serve Japanese tea. Next, he sets sail into the world where 10,000 people are waiting. [Runahoan / Sosui (Hideki) Hasegawa]

<Tea & Office Workers> Who is the tea ceremony for? Office workers are modern-day samurai, the office kitchenette is the tearoom. [Office Kitchenette Style Tea Ceremony / the leader – (tentative) iemoto Hankyu Tanida]

<Tea & Education> The charm of tea conveyed from the tea-producing region. The production region support group grows through tea seminars that do not end with a single session [Yamecha Sommelier School / Shoko Takenaka]

<Tea & Consumers> Do consumers exist just to drink tea? Continuing to lower the threshold for consumers [Japanese Tea Ambassador Association / Yoko Mitsuki]

<Tea & Media> Japan Tea Guide – Nihoncha Seikatsu guides you through a variety of moving experiences. Make your life with tea more enjoyable. [Japanese Tea Guide / Kazutaka Miura]

<Tea & DNA> Smart breeding turns 10 years into 2! Using DNA information, we can create unique new tea cultivars full of individuality. [Shizuoka University / Takahashi Ikka]

<Tea & Freezing> Enjoy the aroma of fresh tea all year round! Freshly steamed leaves are frozen and made into tea in stores. Frozen tea leaves open up new possibilities. [Baisa Nakamura / Mr. Eishi Nakamura]

<Tea & Pairings> Raising the value and potential of tea by pairing it with meals and desserts. [LogiConnecTea / Tomoki Kawano]

<Tea & Alcohol> Turning ochawari into the national drink! With 100 types of ochawari and the Japan Ochawari Association, what follows highball will be ochawari! [Japan Ochawari Association / Tomotaka Tajimi]

<Tea & Landscape> The tea space on a tea farm is visited by 6000 people a year. Protecting the tea landscape and tae until quitting the job at a major company. [AOBEAT / Sekita Tsuji]

<Tea & Lodging> Expanding the business by elevating the familiar tea to a theme. Broadening tea possibilities from the perspective of hotels. [Ryumeikan / Hiroaki Hamada]

<Tea & Tourism> “I want to go to the tea farm!” There is less than one bus an hour and the nearest train station is 10 kilometers away. The secret behind the rush of foreign visitors to this tea production area on an isolated strip of land. [Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms / Hirokazu Matsumoto]

<Tea & Geographical Limits> Let’s go beyond the limits! The Northern Limit Tea Project aims to plant 7,000 tea plants for tea production in Hokkaido. [Ryokuheki Chaen / Youichi Kourogi]

<Tea & Organic> Organic and certified. A new world of pesticide-free, shelf-grown, hand-picked, stone-ground matcha opens up. [Akahori Seichajo / Masamitsu Akahori]

<Tea & Newly Established Farms> From tea plantations to tearooms, the ambition and action to take on everything from industry to culture. The culture planner’s efforts to restart the tea industry and tea culture. [TeaRoom / Ryo Iwamoto]

<Tea & Producing Area> Will tea-producing regions disappear due to the decline of the tea industry? 70% Zairai, zero driven harvesting machines, all pesticide-free. [Mandokorocha Ennokai, Cha Enmusubi / Ren Yamagata]

<Tea & Robotics> How will tea production sites evolve with agricultural mechanization and robotics? The cutting edge of smart agriculture [Horiguchi Seicha / Daisuke Horiguchi]

<Tea & Bottles> 3 times for 300 yen! Morning Bottle that can only be purchased in the morning, utilizing a filter-in bottle [mirume Shinryoku Sabou / Soma Matsumoto]

<Tea & Desserts> Limited to 12 people per day. A dessert shop with over-the-counter tea desserts that turn into an emotional experience for all five senses. [VERT / Toshihiro Tanaka]

<Tea & Entertainment> Matcha Latte Art is a live and entertaining approach to tea culture. Making tea more accessible to everyone [Chushutsu-sha / Kazuhiro Koyama]

<Tea & Subscriptions> Three types of tea can be experienced for 500 yen per month, and the boundaries of tea are expanding every month. [TOKYO TEA JOURNAL / Mikito Tanimoto]

<Tea & Seed Oil> Target – olive oil. Abandoned tea fields across the country are heaps of treasures – tea seeds. The popularization of tea seed oil will revive abandoned tea fields.[ Japan Tea Seed Oil Association / Kumiko Jito]

<Tea & Export> Blending the best of Hawaii and Japan. The challenge of preserving Japanese tea with blended teas that meet the global demand. [Yunomi.life / Ian Chun]

<Tea & Customer Supported Agriculture> Planting and weeding tea plants with tea drinkers under the Tea Field Owner System. The joy of tea business supported by its fans. [Ashikubo Tea Works]

<Tea & Large Facilities> Aiming to attract one million visitors a year. Can a commercial facility that allows visitors to experience tea become a hub that brings the ideal and reality of tea producers and consumers closer together? [KADODE OOIGAWA]

<Tea & Packaging> It looks like a cigarette, but inside of it is tea. How chabacco is expanding the reach of tea by making fun of the world [Showtime / Shota Morikawa]

<Tea & Nitrogen Gas> From Kamakura. Nitrogen gas fizzes tea! The possibilities of tea are expanding with a beer-like pop appearance that attracts people [CHABAKKA TEA PARKS / Ken Miura]

<Tea & Production> The first smoked tea in Japan. The surprising aroma is gaining recognition overseas as well. A new category of Japanese tea developed by a pioneer. [Kaneroku Matsumotoen / Hiroki Matsumoto]

Summary

After reading this far, what did you think?

It takes some effort to read about all 30 initiatives.

In fact, the 30 innovators we had the pleasure of interviewing this time are all putting their lives on the line, even when they sleep. So much so that we, the interviewing team, had to work hard just to keep up with their passion.

We have tried our best to do what we can to research, write and edit the articles so that you can feel the passion of the 30 innovators as much as possible. However, there were many limitations on our abilities.

End Credits

Project Creator
Global Japanese Tea Association

Project Organizer
Japanese Tea industry Structure Reinforcement Promotion Council