Hello, this is Tanimoto from Senchado Tokyo. We're proud to call ourselves a "single-origin sencha specialty store."
Senchado Tokyo: A Small "Platform of Japan"
Our mission is to curate single-origin teas (from single farms and single cultivars) from across Japan. By doing so, we aim to introduce the concept of terroir to the world of Japanese tea and ultimately update the very style of tea itself.
At Senchado Tokyo, we use traditional Japanese items like trays, hourglasses, ceramics, and paper products to serve our tea. Each of these items is handcrafted by artisans from various regions of Japan. When arranged together in our minimalist aesthetic, they create a small representation of Japan.
You might wonder why we've taken this approach. It actually stems from a personal feeling of unease about Japanese culture and design.
I believe Japan's greatest asset is its "aesthetics of subtraction" - a unique style that evokes rich imagery through simplicity. However, in our daily lives and economic activities, I felt we were moving in the opposite direction, accelerating towards an information-overloaded, decorative society.
To put it bluntly, I often found myself thinking, "Why is everything so tacky?" I'm sure others have felt the same way. As we grow older, we start to see Japan's charm more clearly when compared to other cultures. Yet, when we look at contemporary Japan, there's often a sense that "this isn't right." With more foreigners visiting Japan, I worried about the image we were presenting.
Tea is inextricably linked to Japanese aesthetics. It has shaped various art forms like architecture, pottery, and flower arrangement, developing alongside Japanese spirituality. The disappearance of tea would mean the loss of this "cradle of aesthetics."
My co-founder Aoyagi and I both love reading about Japanese cultural history and notable historical figures. Inspired by their spirit and determination to make a mark on their era, we wanted to contribute to the continuation of tea culture and create an updated aesthetic for modern times.
Typically, the "contents" of commercially available tea are blended in a way that neither producers nor customers can identify. While blending is a wonderful technique that we're not criticizing, we believe there's a clear issue with the lack of traceability and transparency. Customers can't understand why a tea is delicious (or not), so they don't develop the knowledge to choose products. This leads to a negative cycle where good producers aren't rewarded, there's no incentive to deliver quality, and good tea becomes scarce in the market.
We believe it's crucial to carefully convey knowledge that benefits customers. Our staff's approach is to introduce tea holistically, without bias towards specific regions or ideologies, aiming to "connect producers and customers in the most optimal way."
I have an understanding of my preferences when it comes to coffee and sake, which has naturally guided my choices. For instance, I tend to favor beans from Costa Rica or El Salvador, based on my preference for a moderate roast level. This understanding allows me to select roasting houses and brewing methods, while occasionally venturing out to expand my interests.
I believe it is essential to communicate valuable knowledge to customers in a thoughtful manner. Following the simple principle of "connecting producers and customers in the most optimal way," our staff aims to present tea in a balanced manner, avoiding biases related to specific regions or ideologies.
Remote Tea Farm Reveals Heartwarming Bond
In the village of Dosembo, located at the peak of a mountain in southern Kyoto, there is no running water; residents rely on spring water from wells for their daily needs. In May 2019, I visited a producer named Yuuki from Kanayamidori. Despite the high altitude, it was a hot, sunny day, coinciding with the first tea harvest. At that moment, Yuuki was fully engaged in processing the tea.
I asked, "Can I go see the fields?"
He replied, "I just harvested yesterday; feel free to take a look.
The Kanayamidori tea fields are a short walk from the factory, so I made my way there. Upon arrival, I was surprised to see the new buds were lush and green, almost as if they hadn’t been harvested at all. However, this was undoubtedly the state of the field after harvesting.
Such a sight is unusual, as there were still new buds left that could be harvested again. I was momentarily puzzled by the condition of the fields.
It turned out that Yuuki had raised the cutting height significantly, only harvesting the softest, uppermost parts of the new buds to create our tea. I wondered just how exquisite this tea would be. Just witnessing this scene brought a surge of emotion.
Afterward, I returned to the factory to ask Yuuki about it, and he said, "I wanted to make delicious tea for you." We came here hoping to create a positive cycle with single-origin sencha, and it was beginning to bear fruit right before my eyes. This was an indescribably joyful moment. It was a heartwarming scene that emerged from our efforts to spotlight producers and deliver their products with care. This experience holds immense significance for me.
The tea subscription service we offer, TOKYO TEA JOURNAL (which we refer to as "TTJ"), was launched on this year's Hachijuhachiya, coinciding with a traditional tea festival. We started with a limited membership of 100, exclusively for our newsletter subscribers, and within a day, the slots were filled—a promising start. Since then, our user base has steadily grown each month, expanding to thousands of members.
I apologize for the lengthy message, and I truly appreciate your patience in reading it. There’s so much more I haven't covered, including how we utilize technology to enhance the in-store experience. I hope to share more details with you gradually as we continue our journey together.
