中国茶専門店
芳子のお茶本舗

The tea at Yoshiko’s Tea Shop is not simply tea that quenches your thirst.

It is “tea that quenches the thirst of the heart.”

When I speak with customers in our shop, there is one story I often tell them—the story of a tea that costs ¥3,800 for 10 grams.

For 23 years, I myself was a customer of Yoshiko’s Tea Shop. I bought tea here, enjoyed drinking it, and gradually fell deeper and deeper in love with Chinese tea.

Not long after the China Square Building first opened, I was exploring the area with my father when we were stopped by someone who told us that we could learn how to brew Chinese tea for ¥500.

It sounded like fun, so we decided to give it a try.

That was when I met “Yoshiko Mama” for the very first time.

I was fascinated by the beautiful and graceful way she handled the teaware. But what really surprised me was the moment I tasted the tea she had brewed for us.

It was oolong tea—but it was completely different from the oolong tea I had known.

“Is this really oolong tea?”

It was a delicate pale green color, with an elegant, beautiful fragrance and even a natural sweetness.

The tea was Tieguanyin.

From that moment on, I was hooked. (笑)

I began visiting many different places. I tasted teas, bought tea leaves, discovered wonderful teas—and, of course, I also made plenty of mistakes along the way.

Through all those experiences, I came to realize just how wonderful it is when a tea shop allows customers to taste the tea before buying it.

Even today, I enjoy traveling around Japan and overseas in search of tea. I taste and discover new teas wherever I go.

But honestly, I still think Yoshiko’s Tea Shop is the most enjoyable place of all.

For me, as someone who considers tea a hobby, a tea that costs ¥3,600 for 10 grams is not simply an expensive tea.

It is a reward for myself—a way to cherish my own time.

I use 5 grams at a time, which means one tea session costs ¥1,800.

Rather than asking whether ¥1,800 is expensive or inexpensive, I think of it as money spent on creating a wonderful moment for myself.

With Chinese tea, 5 grams can be enjoyed slowly throughout the day.

The first infusion is said to be for enjoying the aroma.

The second infusion is for enjoying the flavor.

The third infusion is for enjoying the lingering aftertaste.

And with a truly good tea, that lingering taste can stay with you for a long time.

For ¥1,800, you can create a comfortable and enjoyable day for yourself.

Now, let me share my completely honest opinion.

When you think of tea as a hobby, you don’t even have to leave the house.

There are no transportation costs.

You don’t end up buying unnecessary things while you’re out—the outside world is full of temptations! (笑)

And when you decide to create a relaxing space for yourself, somehow the cleaning gets done, too.

You finish the little things you’ve been putting off.

And then, when everything is done, there is that wonderful feeling of freedom.

That is when you can finally enjoy your “blissful time.”

When I think of ¥1,800 as the cost of my hobby and, more importantly, as money spent purely on myself and my own time, I feel that ¥1,800 is incredibly valuable.

Of course, everyone has different values and different ways of thinking.

My explanation may have taken a rather long way around, but what I really want to say is this:

A tea that costs ¥1,800 for 5 grams is not simply a tea to quench your thirst.

We sell tea that can make the time you spend with yourself—or with someone important to you—even more special.

Our shop may be a little difficult to find, but I believe you will be happy that you came.

For 23 years, I had the privilege of enjoying tea here as a customer.

I would be truly happy if I could now share with our customers even a little of the joy and discoveries that I experienced during those 23 years.

Thank you so much for staying with me until the very end.