Shinkouju is a Japanese tea specialty shop located in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture. It can be easily reached by taking the Seibu Ikebukuro Line from Ikebukuro Station and arriving at Kotodai-Koen Station in about 30 minutes.
The New Value of Variety Tea
Established in 2017, Shinkouju is a store that primarily focuses on various tea varieties. The owner, Mr. Fumiki Kawaguchi, is an expert in tea varieties and personally travels to tea-producing regions across the country to source and directly procure select teas for sale.
Out of the estimated 120 tea varieties available in Japan, the store offers an impressive lineup of 60 to 70 different varieties, including almost all the popular varieties found in the general market.
The store specializes in offering a diverse selection of tea varieties, mainly focusing on Sencha (steamed green tea), Japanese black tea (domestically produced black tea), and Kamairicha (pan-fired green tea). The products are also available in small-sized packages (ranging from 3 to 20 grams of tea leaves).
Customers can choose any three tea they like from the abundant selection on dedicated racks, and they are sold as a set for 1,000 yen.
To make it easier for customers who may not be familiar with different varieties of tea, the store provides clear descriptions of each variety’s characteristics and flavors on the packaging and dedicated racks.
Additionally, Mr. Kawaguchi, the store owner, is always ready to assist customers by offering recommendations based on their preferences and requests.
Recommended varieties of tea
For the year 2023, Mr. Kawaguchi recommends the following tea varieties:
Sencha:
1. Harumidori
2. Inzatsu 131
3. San Rouge
4. Seimei
5. Kurasawa
Japanese Black Tea:
1. Benifuki
2. Yumewakaba
3. Shizukaori
4. Fukumidor
5. Minami Sayaka
For Japanese black tea enthusiasts, the store also recommends a tasting set that includes three varieties: Benifuki, Minami Sayaka, and Sayama Midori. This set is an excellent gift option and is popular among customers.
In recent years, Shinkouju has been focusing on developing a variety of Hojicha (roasted green tea) products. Alongside lightly roasted and deeply roasted types, they also offer unique and fragrant Hojicha, such as Japanese Black Tea Hojicha.
Tea saplings for sale
Apart from tea, Shinkouju also deals in tea seedlings. These seedlings are not only available for producers and shops but also for individual customers. Various varieties of tea seedlings, including Koushun, Soufu, and Benihikari, are displayed in front of the store.
Growing tea at home is as enjoyable and straightforward as cultivating a vegetable garden or tending to a small garden. For those interested, please visit the store and find your favorite tea seedlings, then delight in the experience of cultivating tea at home. Moreover, the tea seedlings are available for purchase on the store’s e-commerce site.
Besides tea, the store offers a variety of other products, including valuable books on tea varieties supervised by Mr. Kawaguchi and Sayama Tea Yokan (a traditional Japanese sweet made from Sayama tea).
Shinkouju provides an enjoyable opportunity for everyone to explore and discover the world of tea varieties.
Store Information
Address: 4-1-18 Kotesashi-machi, Tokorozawa-shi, Saitama
Phone: 04-2001-6465
Opening hours: 11am-6pm
Closed on Wednesday and Third Sunday of the month, National Holiday
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