5 Photos that will inspire you too visit Japan’s tea country.

Enjoyment of our tea is a sacred and time-honoured tradition. The same can be said for the people of Japan – who hold up the precious product with reverence and respect. 

Made from a variety of locally grown teas, the beverage is the most popular drink in the country. But more than just refreshment, a portion of Japan’s culture is dedicated to the enjoyment of tea. And the enjoyment of a good cuppa is a practice many foreign tourists can embrace whilst on a tour of Japan.

To better understand just how much the Japanese love their tea, let’s take a deeper look at the varieties, products and traditions all dedicated to tea.

To produce this variety, Bancha is roasted over a high heat. After the process, the tea has a refreshing, toasty taste with little or no bitterness. Unlike the other types of Japanese tea, Hojicha has a distinct reddish-brown appearance in the cup. The tea is extremely popular in the evening as it has lower caffeine content.

Green tea is directly connected to Japan’s food culture. There are countless products on the shelves made with green tea – including sweets, ice cream and biscuits. People drink tea at all times of the day. Tea and its many related products are found in Japanese restaurants, street-side kiosks, High Street shops, and supermarkets. Like tap water in many Western countries, tea is often offered in restaurants for free with a meal. Other restaurants offer self-service tea for free as well. Green tea is often served with or at the end of a meal for free. At some tourist destinations – like temples and gardens – tea is provided to tourists to enjoy. And, in most Japanese tea rooms, the warm drink is often included in the price of admission. If that wasn’t enough, tea is found in hundreds of the vending machines all over the country. They can be found in hot and cold tea varieties, but that usually depends on the time of the year you are visiting the country.

Green tea is also the central element of the nation’s revered Tea Ceremony. One of Japan’s most enduring traditions, the ceremony grew out of the places and regions in the country’s most well-known places for tea growing, including Kagoshima, Shizuoka, and Uji. Japanese Tea Ceremony history goes back to when the tea was brought from China by Japanese priests and consumed only at temples for religious purposes. Beyond religion, people enjoying tea in formal and informal gatherings has long been part of their society. Since Japan’s medieval period, people in Japan have gotten together to celebrate in tea parties. Over time, a refined ceremony has been developed. Today, there are several types of tea ceremonies. The ritual for them is based on what time of day it takes place, and during what time of the year it takes place. Each involves different traditions and each uses their own refined movements. For locals, many take tea ceremony lessons to learn the movements. For tourists looking to enjoy tea ceremonies, they are often held in traditional Japanese tea rooms within cultural centres, Japanese gardens, or even in private houses.

The history of the tea ceremony is, of course, closely linked with Japan’s relationship with magical brew that is tea. It arrived in Japan from China in the 7th century and was at first drunk for medicinal purposes, then for religious ones, potentially used by monks to stay awake through long periods of mediation. By the 13th century the upper echelons of Japanese society were throwing elaborate tea parties and Samurai were drinking it as part of their preparations for battle but by the 16th it was a popular beverage amongst all levels of society. It was tea masters Murata Juko and Sen no Rikyu who added the philosophical and ritual elements to tea drinking to create the tea ceremony, and it’s been practiced precisely this way ever since.

Chado is one of the three classical arts of refinement, alongside kodo (incense appreciation) and kado (flower arrangement). It embodies the principles of Zen Buddhism and is a spiritual process, allowing guests to take time to reflect and look for inner peace. There are formal (chaji) and informal (chakai) versions of the ceremony; in both, the tea is prepared with the same reverence. The chaji tea ceremony was developed by Sen Rikyu to entertain the Shogun and feudal lords of old Japan, and so is an exclusive and sophisticated experience. It is hosted for three or four select guests only and involves kaiseki, a traditional feast, servings of thick (highest quality) and thin tea and confections and can last up to 4 hours. A chakai tea ceremony is much more inclusive; anyone is welcome to drink thin tea and sweets, and there are usually several servings.. Hosting a tea ceremony is an art, and the host will usually be a master, having learnt the choreographed movements and studied art and philosophy to help truly appreciate the role. It is also the host’s role to make the tea ceremony experience completely unique and do whatever they can to please their guests. While the tea room will be very simply decorated, the host will choose a hanging scroll or a flower arrangement to complement the season or occasion, will choose ceramics for each guest that reflects their characters, and will select their tea tools especially for the occasion. ou can enjoy a tea ceremony pretty much anywhere in Japan, but the most popular place to experience one is in the ancient capital, Kyoto, where the tea ceremony was born. On all of our Japan group tours, you will take part in a tea ceremony in Kyoto, either in a traditional tea house set in classically landscaped gardens, at a peaceful Zen Buddhist temple or a beautifully-restored wooden townhouse. During the ceremony, you’ll learn about the background of the ceremony and the importance of tea, before tasting the tea and wagashi sweets. As well as giving you the opportunity to embrace something utterly Japanese in spirit, it’s also a welcome moment of calm to reflect on your explorations of a unique and magical land.

To produce this variety, Bancha is roasted over a high heat. After the process, the tea has a refreshing, toasty taste with little or no bitterness. Unlike the other types of Japanese tea, Hojicha has a distinct reddish-brown appearance in the cup. The tea is extremely popular in the evening as it has lower caffeine content.

Green tea is directly connected to Japan’s food culture. There are countless products on the shelves made with green tea – including sweets, ice cream and biscuits. People drink tea at all times of the day. Tea and its many related products are found in Japanese restaurants, street-side kiosks, High Street shops, and supermarkets. Like tap water in many Western countries, tea is often offered in restaurants for free with a meal. Other restaurants offer self-service tea for free as well. Green tea is often served with or at the end of a meal for free. At some tourist destinations – like temples and gardens – tea is provided to tourists to enjoy. And, in most Japanese tea rooms, the warm drink is often included in the price of admission. If that wasn’t enough, tea is found in hundreds of the vending machines all over the country. They can be found in hot and cold tea varieties, but that usually depends on the time of the year you are visiting the country.

Green tea is also the central element of the nation’s revered Tea Ceremony. One of Japan’s most enduring traditions, the ceremony grew out of the places and regions in the country’s most well-known places for tea growing, including Kagoshima, Shizuoka, and Uji. Japanese Tea Ceremony history goes back to when the tea was brought from China by Japanese priests and consumed only at temples for religious purposes. Beyond religion, people enjoying tea in formal and informal gatherings has long been part of their society. Since Japan’s medieval period, people in Japan have gotten together to celebrate in tea parties. Over time, a refined ceremony has been developed. Today, there are several types of tea ceremonies. The ritual for them is based on what time of day it takes place, and during what time of the year it takes place. Each involves different traditions and each uses their own refined movements. For locals, many take tea ceremony lessons to learn the movements. For tourists looking to enjoy tea ceremonies, they are often held in traditional Japanese tea rooms within cultural centres, Japanese gardens, or even in private houses.

The history of the tea ceremony is, of course, closely linked with Japan’s relationship with magical brew that is tea. It arrived in Japan from China in the 7th century and was at first drunk for medicinal purposes, then for religious ones, potentially used by monks to stay awake through long periods of mediation. By the 13th century the upper echelons of Japanese society were throwing elaborate tea parties and Samurai were drinking it as part of their preparations for battle but by the 16th it was a popular beverage amongst all levels of society. It was tea masters Murata Juko and Sen no Rikyu who added the philosophical and ritual elements to tea drinking to create the tea ceremony, and it’s been practiced precisely this way ever since.

Chado is one of the three classical arts of refinement, alongside kodo (incense appreciation) and kado (flower arrangement). It embodies the principles of Zen Buddhism and is a spiritual process, allowing guests to take time to reflect and look for inner peace. There are formal (chaji) and informal (chakai) versions of the ceremony; in both, the tea is prepared with the same reverence. The chaji tea ceremony was developed by Sen Rikyu to entertain the Shogun and feudal lords of old Japan, and so is an exclusive and sophisticated experience. It is hosted for three or four select guests only and involves kaiseki, a traditional feast, servings of thick (highest quality) and thin tea and confections and can last up to 4 hours. A chakai tea ceremony is much more inclusive; anyone is welcome to drink thin tea and sweets, and there are usually several servings.. Hosting a tea ceremony is an art, and the host will usually be a master, having learnt the choreographed movements and studied art and philosophy to help truly appreciate the role. It is also the host’s role to make the tea ceremony experience completely unique and do whatever they can to please their guests. While the tea room will be very simply decorated, the host will choose a hanging scroll or a flower arrangement to complement the season or occasion, will choose ceramics for each guest that reflects their characters, and will select their tea tools especially for the occasion. ou can enjoy a tea ceremony pretty much anywhere in Japan, but the most popular place to experience one is in the ancient capital, Kyoto, where the tea ceremony was born. On all of our Japan group tours, you will take part in a tea ceremony in Kyoto, either in a traditional tea house set in classically landscaped gardens, at a peaceful Zen Buddhist temple or a beautifully-restored wooden townhouse. During the ceremony, you’ll learn about the background of the ceremony and the importance of tea, before tasting the tea and wagashi sweets. As well as giving you the opportunity to embrace something utterly Japanese in spirit, it’s also a welcome moment of calm to reflect on your explorations of a unique and magical land.