Buying tea in a department store is one thing. Talking to the person who grew it is another. From Wednesday, October 21 to Monday, October 26, 2026, Odakyu Department Store Shinjuku (小田急百貨店 新宿店) hosts Nihon Cha Biyori (日本茶日和), a Japanese tea fair with 14 growers and brands from across Japan. Entry is free, the makers staff their own counters, and you can taste teas before you buy.
- When: Oct 21 (Wed) to Oct 26 (Mon), 2026, 10:00–20:00 (closes at 17:00 on the final day)
- Where: 7th floor event space, Odakyu Department Store Shinjuku, by the west exit of Shinjuku Station
- Cost: Free entry. Seminars and workshops are paid
- Highlights: Teas from Kyushu, prize-winning teas, tea you can eat, and teaware
The fair at a glance
| Name | Nihon Cha Biyori: Nihon Kakuchi no Totteoki no Ocha ga, Koko ni (日本茶日和 〜日本各地のとっておきのお茶が、ここに〜) |
|---|---|
| Dates | Wednesday, October 21 to Monday, October 26, 2026 |
| Hours | 10:00–20:00 Final day closes at 17:00 |
| Venue | Odakyu Department Store Shinjuku, 7F event space |
| Address | 1-5-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Shinjuku Nishiguchi Halc (新宿西口ハルク) |
| Access | Right by the west exit of Shinjuku Station |
| Admission | Free Seminars and workshops are paid (fee not given in the announcement) |
| Organizer | Nihon Cha Seikatsu LLC (日本茶生活合同会社) |
Why it is worth a visit
Most shops in Tokyo stock a handful of familiar brands. Here, 14 growers and brands bring a much wider range in one room: sencha, hojicha (roasted green tea), wakocha (Japanese black tea), kamairi-cha (pan-fired green tea), tamaryokucha (a curly green tea from Kyushu) and matcha.
Several of the teas have won prizes at the National Tea Fair competition (全国茶品評会) and the Nihoncha Award (日本茶AWARD). That gives you a useful shortcut if you are new to Japanese tea and do not know where to start.
The best part is that the makers themselves stand at the counters throughout the fair. You can taste, compare the aroma and flavour, and ask them which tea suits how you drink at home.
Kyushu tea selection
The centrepiece is a Kyushu Tea Selection (九州の銘茶セレクション) with teas from six prefectures in Kyushu that rarely appear in shops around Tokyo. The organizer frames it as a trip around Kyushu in tea form:
- Fukuoka and Miyazaki: sencha
- Nagasaki: tamaryokucha
- Saga: kamairi-cha and oolong
- Kagoshima: wakocha (Japanese black tea)
- Kumamoto: bancha
Four teas are named in the announcement:
| Tea | Maker | Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| Premium sencha (極上煎茶 麗至) | 八女茶 茶ノ時 | Fukuoka |
| Miyazaki sencha (宮﨑煎茶きらり) | GreenTeaFields芳香園 | Miyazaki |
| Pan-fired oolong (釜炒烏龍茶) | 葉と日と火 | Saga |
| White hojicha (白ほうじ茶) | おのうえ茶園 | Nagasaki |
If a cup from Kyushu makes you want to see the tea fields yourself, our guide to discounted JAL flight and hotel packages to Kyushu and the Kagoshima hotel discount are good next reads.
Tea you can eat
Not everything here goes in a cup. The fair also has products that bring green tea into cooking and desserts:
- Green tea dressing made with the whole tea leaf (お茶まるごとドレッシング), by Greentea.Lab from Kumamoto
- Tea paste for rice and pasta (日本茶ノ生餡), by おいしい日本茶研究所 from Shizuoka
- Matcha and hojicha milk jam (抹茶・ほうじ茶のミルクジャム), by お茶と、暮らしと from Shizuoka
These are a good pick if you want a gift for someone who does not drink much tea.
Teapots, strainers and caddies
Good tea deserves good tools. Several exhibitors focus on teaware rather than tea:
| Item | Maker | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Banko-ware kyusu (teapot) | 各治 | Banko ware from Mie |
| Next-generation teapot | ティーリン | From Saitama |
| Tea strainer | スリースノー | Made in Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata |
| Decorated tins and tea caddies | 鳥居製缶 | From Shizuoka |
Seminars and workshops
Four seminar and workshop themes are planned. They are paid sessions. The announcement does not give the fee, dates or times, so check the official fair page before planning your visit around one.
| Theme (English summary) | Original title | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| How water temperature and steeping time change the taste | 温度と時間でここまで変わる日本茶の淹れ方 | 松本靖治 |
| Introduction to Japanese tea: types, regions and tasting | 知って、選んで、味わう日本茶入門 | 佐々木香織 |
| How to choose a kyusu teapot | 急須の教科書 | 山本創平 |
| Modern sencha tea ceremony at the table | テーブルで愉しむモダン煎茶道 | 市原侑依 |
All 14 exhibitors
Names are shown as listed by the organizer, so you can match them to the signs at the venue.
| Exhibitor | Prefecture |
|---|---|
| 八女茶 茶ノ時 | Fukuoka |
| GreenTeaFields芳香園 | Miyazaki |
| 葉と日と火 | Saga |
| おのうえ茶園 | Nagasaki |
| Greentea.Lab | Kumamoto |
| 有村製茶 | Kagoshima |
| お茶と、暮らしと | Shizuoka |
| 茶通亭／おいしい日本茶研究所 | Shizuoka |
| ふじのくに山のお茶100選 | Shizuoka |
| ユノミライフ | Tokyo |
| 各治 | Mie |
| ティーリン＆狭山茶セレクション | Saitama |
| スリースノー | Niigata |
| 鳥居製缶 | Shizuoka |
Tips for your visit
- Mind the last day. On Monday, October 26 the fair closes at 17:00, three hours earlier than the other days.
- Check the seminar schedule first. Dates, times and fees are not in the announcement. If you want to join one, look it up on the official page and plan your visit around it.
- Taste before you commit. With the makers on hand, try two or three teas side by side. Ask how they brew it at home.
- Start with the prize-winners if you are unsure. They are a safe way into a style you have never tried.
- Look for teas you cannot easily buy in Tokyo. The Kyushu selection is the main reason to come instead of buying online later.
Planning more outings this autumn? See our guide to the Musashino Art University festival. And if department store shopping is becoming a habit, our guide to credit cards in Japan for foreigners explains which card to get first so you earn points on every purchase.
FAQ
- Is admission free?
- Yes. Entry to the fair is free. The seminars and workshops are paid, and the announcement does not list the fee, so check the official fair page before you go.
- When and where is Nihon Cha Biyori held?
- From Wednesday, October 21 to Monday, October 26, 2026, from 10:00 to 20:00 (the final day closes at 17:00). The venue is the 7th floor event space of Odakyu Department Store Shinjuku in Shinjuku Nishiguchi Halc, right by the west exit of Shinjuku Station.
- Can I taste the tea before buying?
- Yes. The growers and makers staff the counters during the fair, and you can sample teas to compare flavour and aroma before choosing one.
- Which teas from Kyushu will be there?
- The Kyushu selection covers sencha from Fukuoka and Miyazaki, tamaryokucha from Nagasaki, pan-fired kamairi-cha and oolong from Saga, Japanese black tea from Kagoshima and bancha from Kumamoto.
- When are the seminars?
- The announcement names four seminar themes and speakers but does not give dates or times. Check the official fair page for the schedule and fees.