Where to Find Tokyo's Contemporary Tea Rooms
28/05/2024
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Tokyo is teeming with history-steeped tea ceremonies, but what if you’re gasping for a quick cuppa? Here’s our pick of Tokyo’s contemporary tea rooms for over-the-counter brews.
There’s not a stick of tatami to be seen in Shinya Sakurai’s ultra-mod glass-and-metal cube, Sakurai, a shop n’ sip parlour of innovative seasonal teas. Perch at the sleek counter to sample top-quality, region-spanning Japanese cha, from everyday sencha and bancha to high-grade matcha, shade-grown gyokuro and speciality blends, all painstakingly roasted in-house.
Green-fingered types will go wild for flora spangled nook Aoyama Flower Market Tea House, where botanical brews – think, dandelion, apple-mint and rosemary – feature alongside healthy light bites. Post-cuppa, prepare to leave with arms heavy with foliage from the adjoining florist and plant shop.
Totter up to the second floor of old-fashioned sweet spot, Toraya, and settle into its expansive tea room for pours paired with all manner of beautiful wagashi and other diet-be-damned treats. Below, on the first floor, is a sweet shop, great for stocking up on edible gifts.
Stilettos off as you enter hushed, woody Kosoan, a quaint courtyard-wrapping salon in the heart of des-res Meguro. Once you’ve nabbed a garden-gazing window seat, be sure to order the Matcha Shiratama Zenzai – hot green tea, sweet bean paste and mochi balls, served with a side of salted kelp to cleanse the palate.
Any cha-ficionado worth their silver tip knows that The Lobby at The Peninsula Tokyo is the place to go for the city’s finest afternoon tea. Pinkies poised for organic hand-blended brews served in sterling pots and fine china, accompanied by a bird-cage cake-stand stacked with a delicious assortment of sweet and savoury delicacies. Cha-aaah!
Sakurai / 5/F / Spiral / 5-6-23 Minami-Aoyama / Minato-ku / +81 3 6451 1539 / 11am-11pm daily / sakurai-tea.jp
Aoyama Flower Market Tea House / 5-1-2 Minami-Aoyama / Minato-ku / +81 3 3400 0887 11am-8pm Mon-Sat, till 7pm Sun / afm-teahouse.com
Toraya / 7-8-6 Ginza / Chuo-ku / +81 3 3571 3679 / 10am-8pm daily / toraya-group.co.jp
Kosoan / 1-24-23 Jiyugaoka / Meguro-ku / +81 3 3718 4203 / 11am-6.30pm Thu-Tue / kosoan.co.jp
Afternoon Tea The Lobby / G/F / The Peninsula / 1-8-1 Yurakucho / Chiyoda-ku / +81 3 6270 2888 / 1-9pm daily / peninsula.com
There’s not a stick of tatami to be seen in Shinya Sakurai’s ultra-mod glass-and-metal cube, Sakurai, a shop n’ sip parlour of innovative seasonal teas. Perch at the sleek counter to sample top-quality, region-spanning Japanese cha, from everyday sencha and bancha to high-grade matcha, shade-grown gyokuro and speciality blends, all painstakingly roasted in-house.
Green-fingered types will go wild for flora spangled nook Aoyama Flower Market Tea House, where botanical brews – think, dandelion, apple-mint and rosemary – feature alongside healthy light bites. Post-cuppa, prepare to leave with arms heavy with foliage from the adjoining florist and plant shop.
Totter up to the second floor of old-fashioned sweet spot, Toraya, and settle into its expansive tea room for pours paired with all manner of beautiful wagashi and other diet-be-damned treats. Below, on the first floor, is a sweet shop, great for stocking up on edible gifts.
Stilettos off as you enter hushed, woody Kosoan, a quaint courtyard-wrapping salon in the heart of des-res Meguro. Once you’ve nabbed a garden-gazing window seat, be sure to order the Matcha Shiratama Zenzai – hot green tea, sweet bean paste and mochi balls, served with a side of salted kelp to cleanse the palate.
Any cha-ficionado worth their silver tip knows that The Lobby at The Peninsula Tokyo is the place to go for the city’s finest afternoon tea. Pinkies poised for organic hand-blended brews served in sterling pots and fine china, accompanied by a bird-cage cake-stand stacked with a delicious assortment of sweet and savoury delicacies. Cha-aaah!
Sakurai / 5/F / Spiral / 5-6-23 Minami-Aoyama / Minato-ku / +81 3 6451 1539 / 11am-11pm daily / sakurai-tea.jp
Aoyama Flower Market Tea House / 5-1-2 Minami-Aoyama / Minato-ku / +81 3 3400 0887 11am-8pm Mon-Sat, till 7pm Sun / afm-teahouse.com
Toraya / 7-8-6 Ginza / Chuo-ku / +81 3 3571 3679 / 10am-8pm daily / toraya-group.co.jp
Kosoan / 1-24-23 Jiyugaoka / Meguro-ku / +81 3 3718 4203 / 11am-6.30pm Thu-Tue / kosoan.co.jp
Afternoon Tea The Lobby / G/F / The Peninsula / 1-8-1 Yurakucho / Chiyoda-ku / +81 3 6270 2888 / 1-9pm daily / peninsula.com