I am a huge fan of matcha, a HUGE fan of matcha. I am a picky person when it comes with matcha and if I ever taste matcha that is not “authentic” or “up to my standards” then I usually just throw it away or give it to my husband (back then, boyfriend) to eat. Kyoto is my favorite city to visit in Japan, partly because Uji (the land of matcha) is located there. Whenever I travel to Japan, I’ve picked Kyoto, always Kyoto. However, after my third visit, I thought to myself, that’s enough. You’ve got to step out into other part of Japan, not just Kyoto. Who knows you’ll probably find a matcha store you like in Tyoko. So in January 2018, I decided to book a flight to Tokyo after my resignation at a Taiwanese company and before my move to Macau. (Updated July 23, 2019: I will continue to update this matcha guide every visit I make back to Tokyo!)
THE #1 RICHEST AND MOST AUTHENTIC
MATCHA STORE IN TOKYO
Suzukien Asakusa
Are you ready for seven types of different flavored matcha? If you are a die-hard crazy matcha fan, then you’ve come to the right place. Based in Tokyo only, Suzukien Asakusa offers 7 LEVELS OF MATCHA, with level 7 as the richest award winning matcha gelato in the WORLD. The taste is absolutely perfect, the matcha in the ice cream is not that sweet at all, and the tea flavor is very strong. Besides matcha, you can also try out other flavors such as as hojicha (roasted tea), genmaicha (tea with wheat grains), black sesame, and dainagon azuki (a type of sweet red beans).
The matcha gelato has 7 degrees of richness. No. 7 is said to have the richest matcha flavor in the world. In the gelato industry, No. 5 is believed to be the richest that can be produced. I would recommend everyone to choose one scoop that is matcha flavor and the other to be hojicha or genmaicha. This way you get to go back and forth between flavors to cleanse your palate. I got hojicha as it was just as good as the matcha flavor!
Address: 3 Chome-4-3 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 10AM to 10PM, daily
Price Range: cheap, around 500-700 yen for ice cream depending on what flavors and scoops
I ordered: You can choose to have a single or a double scoop in a cup or a cone. The single size goes from 340 to 550 yen, while the double one costs from 440 to 650 yen, dependent on the level you choose.
Nearest metro: Asakusa station walk for 7 minutes to get to the shop. There are two shops with the same products, if one is closed (closed on Tues. when I visited) there are people that will direct you to their second location.
Zenkashion 茶庭 然花抄院
I originally came to this shop for their matcha desserts but I found another love – warabimochi. This dessert shop’s warabimochi dessert is way out of this world. It is the best warabimochi I have ever eaten, right on par with the warabimochi shop in Kyoto. The texture is perfect and especially the softness of the texture. Many shops on the street sell warabimochi, but once you bite down, the skin is hard–signalling the warabimochi is too old. Fresh warabimochi is made daily, and it essentially melts in your mouth. The softer the skin is, the fresher it is.
The set cost around 1250 yen- 1500 yen, which comes with a drink (a variety to choose from). The matcha ice cream and castella dessert was also delicious– worthy of remembering. They also have a shop that is located B1. Buy their matcha castella cakes– I enjoyed every bit of it.
Address: 2 Chome-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya City, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 10AM to 9PM, daily
Price Range: Mid-range, expect 1500-1800 yen for a dessert set.
I ordered: warabimochi is absolutely delicious!
Nearest metro: Shibuya Station (find a department store 渋谷ヒカリエ ShinQs) and head up to the 5F floor. Check the floor guide when you arrive to make sure. It’s a small walk from Shibuya station, around 6 minutes.
Gion Tsujiri Tokyo Store 祇園辻利
Get the matcha drink with matcha ice cream on top. It’s delicious! Their main store is located in Kyoto, but they also opened a shop in Tokyo which was great. I usually purchase my matcha powder from this store. If you enjoyed your matcha drink, you can actually purchase the powder to make it yourself at home. There are two flavours, one light green, one dark green –you can tell by the box colour. The darker green has more of matcha flavour, and more bitter. Both boxes come with added sugar already so you just need to mix it with water. If you are looking for pure matcha powder, you can also purchase it here too.
Address: 1 Chome-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida City, Tokyo 131-0045, Japan
Opening Hours: 11AM to 11PM, daily
Price Range: cheap, around 380-500 yen for a drink
I ordered: ice cream float with (thick/rich) matcha flavor. There is a less rich flavored one, that is a lighter green color. I got the darker green one. The matcha soft serve on top is delicious as well.
Nearest metro: Head to Tokyo Skytree Subway Station. Find a shopping mall called Tokyo Solamachi. Head to the 4th floor or check the floor guide for more directions. .
Nana’s Green Tea in Tokyo
Nana’s Green Tea is located all around Tokyo. If you google map it, you can expect to see several locations pop up. You can attempt a visit to one of their locations, but if you’re a hard-core matcha fan like me, don’t expect too much from them. Their drinks and dessert are just fine. Warabimochi is just fine. Matcha latte is normal. Not “wow” but not bad.
Address: Located all around Tokyo
Opening Hours:
Price Range: cheaper than most (expect 700 yen for their desserts). There are public seating areas to the side.
I ordered: If you have an instant matcha craving and you don’t want to travel.
Nearest metro: Ueno, Tokyo Dome, Diver City Tokyo Plaza all have Nana’s Green Tea
There are a lot of other matcha places in Tokyo that I wanted to try, but didn’t get a chance to. If I ever visit Tokyo again, I will definitely try these places out. Here are a list of more suggestions:
- 茶寮 都路里 (very famous chain originating from Uji, Japan) at Tokyo Station
- Ippodo tea store Tokyo Marunouchi (come here to stock up on your matcha)
If you have tried a matcha shop in Tokyo worth mentioning leave a comment below! Please share any suggestions!