Learn the Art of Japanese Tea and Savor Traditional Brews and Seasonal Tea Cocktails with a Tea Master for an Evening

Where Creative Dialogue Meets Contemporary Japanese Culture

EnCounter in Nihonbashi offers creators and guests a place to meet face-to-face, learn, have conversations, and work with their hands. Its name reflects the space’s goals of facilitating interactions across a counter and helping people form meaningful connections.

The counter-style layout is particularly well suited to culinary workshops because it allows for easy interactions between artists and participants. The physical proximity encourages dialogue, making it easier to exchange ideas, explore individual perspectives, and engage deeply with the creative process.

Tea Rooted in Tradition, Reimagined for the Modern Age

Born into a family that has cultivated tea for more than 150 years, Hideya Mizushima grew up surrounded by the tea culture of Shizuoka, one of Japan’s premier tea-producing regions. Through HATOHA and his work as a certified Japanese tea instructor, he blends generational expertise with a fresh perspective on how traditional tea culture can be adapted to modern life.

Rather than limiting tea to rigid ceremonies, Mizushima introduces guests to the drink’s remarkable versatility through conversations and hands-on learning. His workshops explore brewing techniques, flavor, and new ways to appreciate Japanese tea, including seasonal tea cocktails and mocktails. His approach reflects HATOHA’s philosophy of creating contemporary “rich moments through tea” that remain rooted in tradition.

Discover How Every Cup Reveals the Character of Japanese Tea

Your evening opens with a welcoming cup of rich sencha green tea prepared by Hideya Mizushima alongside seasonal sweets. As the aroma unfolds all around you, he introduces the essential principles behind Japanese tea, covering different tea varieties, their key components, brewing recipes, teapot handling, and the influence of water temperature on flavor.

Guests then prepare their own cup of sencha with Mizushima’s help, discovering firsthand how subtle adjustments create remarkably different flavors. Those who do not enjoy sencha may instead brew hojicha roasted green tea or Japanese black tea, embracing the idea of having fun with Japanese traditions while acquiring practical skills that can be used in your everyday life long after the experience ends.

Relax with Seasonal Tea Drinks in a Private Tokyo Setting

As the tea-making part of the experience comes to an end, the atmosphere shifts into a relaxed social gathering centered on seasonal tea cocktails paired with carefully selected snacks. This final chapter highlights another side of Japanese tea culture, demonstrating how traditional ingredients can inspire contemporary, casual enjoyment without losing their cultural identity.

The experience welcomes every guest regardless of whether they drink. Those who prefer an alcohol-free option receive blended tea or a mocktail, allowing everyone to enjoy the same private, evening atmosphere of Tokyo. The exact cocktails and pairings change with the seasons, offering something new with each visit.

A Private Evening That Deepens Your Appreciation of Tea

From the first cup of sencha to the final seasonal pairing, this evening experience reveals how Japanese tea changes through technique and temperature. Additionally, practical instructions, thoughtful conversations, and hands-on brewing create a pleasant introduction to the world of Japanese tea while offering new perspectives for guests already familiar with the tradition.

Hosted in the intimate setting of EnCounter, the HATOHA program presents Japanese tea as a living cultural tradition that continues to evolve and adapt. Whether enjoying a seasonal tea cocktail, selecting a mocktail, or brewing hojicha instead of sencha, guests leave with practical knowledge that will serve them for years to come.