I'm going to Tokyo to visit my son in a few weeks. Does anyone have any
recommendations for both tea houses (to drink tea) and tea shops (to buy
tea)?

Thanks,
Dean

On Jul 6, 10:16 am, "DPM" > wrote:
> I'm going to Tokyo to visit my son in a few weeks. Does anyone have any
> recommendations for both tea houses (to drink tea) and tea shops (to buy
> tea)?


Depends on where you want to go. No recommendations (never been to
Tokyo yet), but try this:
go to Google Maps:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

Click on "Find Businesses" tab.

In "What" text box, use this:
$BCc(B
or:
tea

In "Where" text box, use this:
$BEl5~(B
or:
$BEl5~ET(B
or:
Japan, $BEl5~ET(B
or:
Tokyo

Some may not be what you're looking for, but you just have to filter
through the results to see. I don't speak Japanese - so that's the
best I can do.

And that trick works for pretty much anywhere else in the world too.

On Jul 5, 10:16*pm, "DPM" > wrote:
> I'm going to Tokyo to visit my son in a few weeks. *Does anyone have any
> recommendations for both tea houses (to drink tea) and tea shops (to buy
> tea)?
>
> Thanks,
> Dean

Dean,
I lived in Tokyo for 5 years and believe it or not the only teahouse
(a place where one can drink tea, not just purchase it) I ran across
sold only Chinese teas - which are very in now. If you want high
quality Japanese tea you can buy it in a high end Japanese department
store. The basement level of these department stores sell all kinds of
food and are well worth a visit just to see and sample some food. I
would always take visitors there and they loved it. Usually there are
one or two tea vendors there and they may have samples. Be warned that
they will only speak Japanese and most likely everything will be
written in Japanese so if you have the interest it would be good to
learn the characters for sencha, gyokuro, shincha, etc. Also sometimes
prices are posted using the Japanese (originally from Chinese) number
system - also worth learning. I did recently acquire a book in
Japanese (which I can't easily read) which has a list of teashops in
it. I will see if I can make sense of it for you.

Also there is a branch of a Hong Kong tea shop (Ying Kee) in Roppong
Hills.
http://www.roppongihills.com/jp/shop...?id=e105550126

There used to be a good Chinese teashop near the subway station in
Hiroo.

Any main shopping area is likely to have a teashop or two. You can ask
the concierge at a large hotel - like the Okura, or Grand Hyatt at
Roppongi Hills.

What area does your son live in?

TokyoB

Hi--

I tried sending you a private message yesterday about this, but I
guess it didn't get through.

Does your son speak Japanese? Does he have Japanese friends who will
be helping out?

TokyoB suggested department stores. In particular, I would suggest
Takashimaya *in* *Shinjuku*. During daytime hours, they have multi-
lingual interns at the service desk who can help out. Easiest way to
find one of those people? Probably just go up to ANY clerk and speak
English-- they'll probably smile, make motions for you to wait (or
choke out the phrase "please wait")-- and call the service desk for
reinforcements This store *doesn't* have a particularly large
selection of Japanese teas, but it has some very nice teas just the
same, and the language help could facilitate things.

If you have more specific things you are interested in, please drop me
a private note (holland AT hws.edu)

james-henry holland

On Jul 5, 10:16*pm, "DPM" > wrote:
> I'm going to Tokyo to visit my son in a few weeks. *Does anyone have any
> recommendations for both tea houses (to drink tea) and tea shops (to buy
> tea)?
>
> Thanks,
> Dean

Thitherflit wrote:
> TokyoB suggested department stores. In particular, I would suggest
> Takashimaya *in* *Shinjuku*. During daytime hours, they have multi-
> lingual interns at the service desk who can help out.

I haven't bought tea in the big department stores, since it's so much
fun to browse the tea-only shops. Never found one where they spoke
English, but their unfailing courtesy still made it productive. In the
ones I explored, teas seemed to be arranged around the shop by price,
which helped a bit.

I did buy a fair number of kyusu and other pots at Takashimaya and some
other big stores. Very reasonable quality and prices. If you have time,
though, dedicated teapot shops are stunning in quality and variety.
Stopping into one by happenstance near Ueno, I picked up a large, finely
finished nut and bolt that were sitting on the counter. They were almost
weightless. With my 300 or so words of Japanese (mostly for food) and
the proprietor's complete lack of English, it took a while for him to
explain that they had been made from the same fine-grain clay as the
pots - possibly a production engineer having a little fun, or a promo
gift for dealers? I immediately tried to buy them; not for sale at any
price. I did select and purchase two fine kyusu (still my favorites),
after which he kindly presented the nut and bolt to me gratis. Japanese
courtesy is unexcelled in my experience.

Not to be missed by foodies: Kappabashi, the half-dozen blocks of
restaurant supply shops. I learned about this area years ago when I
asked a local Japanese restaurant owner where she got her sushi knives.
She told me that the really good ones couldn't be bought in the US, and
said that she traveled to Kappabashi-dori once a year to stock up. In
three trips to the zone over a couple of decades, I picked up a
multitude of culinary tools and toys, and was even recognized by some of
the shop owners. Alas, with the yen no longer at 160 to the dollar, it
might be a while before my next visit.

Enjoy!

-DM

"TokyoB" > wrote in message
...
On Jul 5, 10:16 pm, "DPM" > wrote:
> I'm going to Tokyo to visit my son in a few weeks. Does anyone have any
> recommendations for both tea houses (to drink tea) and tea shops (to buy
> tea)?
>
> Thanks,
> Dean

Dean,
I lived in Tokyo for 5 years and believe it or not the only teahouse
(a place where one can drink tea, not just purchase it) I ran across
sold only Chinese teas - which are very in now. If you want high
quality Japanese tea you can buy it in a high end Japanese department
store. The basement level of these department stores sell all kinds of
food and are well worth a visit just to see and sample some food. I
would always take visitors there and they loved it. Usually there are
one or two tea vendors there and they may have samples. Be warned that
they will only speak Japanese and most likely everything will be
written in Japanese so if you have the interest it would be good to
learn the characters for sencha, gyokuro, shincha, etc. Also sometimes
prices are posted using the Japanese (originally from Chinese) number
system - also worth learning. I did recently acquire a book in
Japanese (which I can't easily read) which has a list of teashops in
it. I will see if I can make sense of it for you.

Also there is a branch of a Hong Kong tea shop (Ying Kee) in Roppong
Hills.
http://www.roppongihills.com/jp/shop...?id=e105550126

There used to be a good Chinese teashop near the subway station in
Hiroo.

Any main shopping area is likely to have a teashop or two. You can ask
the concierge at a large hotel - like the Okura, or Grand Hyatt at
Roppongi Hills.

What area does your son live in?

TokyoB
*****************
He's currently staying in Ikebukuro, but our hotel is near Ueno.

Thanks for the advice. His Japanese is certainly better than ours, so I'll
ask him to accompany us when we go shopping.

Regards,
Dean

"DogMa" > wrote in message
...
> Thitherflit wrote:
>> TokyoB suggested department stores. In particular, I would suggest
>> Takashimaya *in* *Shinjuku*. During daytime hours, they have multi-
>> lingual interns at the service desk who can help out.
>
> I haven't bought tea in the big department stores, since it's so much fun
> to browse the tea-only shops. Never found one where they spoke English,
> but their unfailing courtesy still made it productive. In the ones I
> explored, teas seemed to be arranged around the shop by price, which
> helped a bit.
>
> I did buy a fair number of kyusu and other pots at Takashimaya and some
> other big stores. Very reasonable quality and prices. If you have time,
> though, dedicated teapot shops are stunning in quality and variety.
> Stopping into one by happenstance near Ueno, I picked up a large, finely
> finished nut and bolt that were sitting on the counter. They were almost
> weightless. With my 300 or so words of Japanese (mostly for food) and the
> proprietor's complete lack of English, it took a while for him to explain
> that they had been made from the same fine-grain clay as the pots -
> possibly a production engineer having a little fun, or a promo gift for
> dealers? I immediately tried to buy them; not for sale at any price. I did
> select and purchase two fine kyusu (still my favorites), after which he
> kindly presented the nut and bolt to me gratis. Japanese courtesy is
> unexcelled in my experience.
>
> Not to be missed by foodies: Kappabashi, the half-dozen blocks of
> restaurant supply shops. I learned about this area years ago when I asked
> a local Japanese restaurant owner where she got her sushi knives. She told
> me that the really good ones couldn't be bought in the US, and said that
> she traveled to Kappabashi-dori once a year to stock up. In three trips to
> the zone over a couple of decades, I picked up a multitude of culinary
> tools and toys, and was even recognized by some of the shop owners. Alas,
> with the yen no longer at 160 to the dollar, it might be a while before my
> next visit.
>
> Enjoy!
>
> -DM

Thanks for the advice. I'll go shopping with my son, who's Japanese is
certainly better than mine.

Regards,
Dean

I highly recommend the Lupicia shop in Roppongi (4-2-35 Roppongi,
Minato-ku, Tokyo), with a superior selection of Japanese teas, Indian
blacks, and Taiwan wulongs. One can also sit and drink tea here.
There are other branches in other parts of town.

Also recommended is the combination cafe/shop in Takashimaya just
south of Shinjuku station. The fifth floor I think.

There is also specialty Chinese Tea Shop near Chinese embassy in
Roppongi and another good one along Omotesando in Harajuku. Go south
down the hill from Omotesando station, and it is on the left side of
the road about 150m before the main intersection (the one with the
Gap).