RESOBOX is collaborating with Japan Tea Export Council and World Green Tea Association to bring to you a new Japanese tea experience! Japanese tea specialists by Japan Tea Export Council will hold an informative seminar as well as prepare a cup of authentic Japanese tea (Sencha) for visitors. We promise that the taste of Japanese tea prepared in the most careful and intricate way will blow you away. You’ll experience a whole different taste of green tea that you’ve never tried before. Don’t miss this amazing chance to discover a new kind of green tea!

About Japan Tea Export Council / World Green Tea Association

Japan Tea Export Council was founded with the main objective of encouraging the export of Japanese tea and to support the tea industry. In order to do so, there is a need to promote suitable exporting regions and to grasp the conditions and requirements of the destination countries as well as any counter measures that might be needed. It is also necessary to arrange seminars and to use PR to create a good base for the spread of Japanese tea.

In order to create a favorable environment for exports as an organization, we aim to further develop the structure behind the production of tea for export, and to continue the work for many years to come.

About The Seminar

How to Make The Most of Japanese Tea

In this part of the seminar, we will focus on the enjoyment involved in drinking and preparing Japanese green tea. Although we have seen an increase in the consumption of green tea in the West in the last couple of years, most consumers still consider it mainly a health promoting beverage. Perhaps as a consequence of this, the more enjoyable aspects of Japanese tea are often overlooked or forgotten. This is unfortunate because Japanese leaf tea is a unique taste experience which offers a wide variation depending on factors such as the cultivar of the tea plant, the manufacturing method and the terroir.

For beginners, brewing Japanese tea can of course appear to be slightly difficult. Over steeping or using excessively hot water tend to make the tea bitter and less palatable than it should be. However, once you grasp the basic points it is fairly easy to adjust the taste and flavor to your own preference, or to the preference of your guest if you are brewing tea for someone else. To make everyone able to enjoy Japanese tea like this to its fullest, we will not only explain the logic behind brewing Japanese tea, but you will also get a chance to try unique and rare tea that are hard to find outside Japan.

Kentaro Ishibe, a notable tea specialist and tea critic that stands out as a pioneer in the field of single origin Japanese tea, and Oscar Brekell, one of few non-Japanese Nihoncha (Japanese tea) Instructors will provide you not only with useful knowledge but also give you a glimpse of the latest trends in Japanese leaf tea. Make sure not to miss this rare opportunity to improve your brewing skills and to gain knowledge of everything from Japanese tea cultivars to production methods and tea cultivation.

Experience Japanese Tea Ceremony – Exploring Matcha

Discover “The Simplest Way of Tea” and the basics of preparing a Japanese tea ceremony done at home. Guests will experience the spirit of tea culture and the art of Japanese tea ceremony with tea ceremony instructor Ako Yoshino. Only the finest Matcha will be prepared, with matching wagashi (Japanese sweets). Yoshino will explain a few essential teachings and stories from her books, “The Book of Zen Tea” and “The Simplest Way of Tea Ceremony”.

In addition, knowing the history of Matcha also leads to knowing Japanese culture. Yoshino will introduce about the history, cultivation, manufacturing, and culture on the characteristics of Japanese “Matcha” which was discovered and made by integrating Japanese climate and the national character of Japan.

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About the Instructors

Oscar Brekell

Nihoncha (Japanese Tea) Instructor

Certified Japanese Tea Instructor who left hearth and home in Sweden and relocated to Japan just for the love of tea. Based in Tokyo but operating globally, he is promoting Japanese tea by offering lectures, seminars and by organizing tea events in Japan as well as in other countries.

His aim is to work as a bridge between Japan and international tea lovers by providing information and education in the field to a worldwide audience. As a part of this, he will publish a book in English on Japanese Tea in spring 2018.

Kentaro Ishibe

Japanese Tea Specialist

Kentaro Ishibe is the owner of Japanese tea shop “Nishiki-EN Ishibe shoten” which was launched in 1998. He mainly deals with rarity value and high priced Sencha from Shizuoka area. People say he is one of the first pioneers who started to sell single origin or various cultivars’ Japanese tea.

Ishibe made many appearances in media through tea consulting after the launch of his Japanese tea specialty cafe. He also spread the knowledge of original Japanese tea utensil making etc., (In the name of Chadokoro: Marishi, etc.) as his tea related activities are diverse.

Since 2005, he has been introducing to media, newly-picked tea from Shizuoka which is one of the earliest teas in Honshu (the main island of Japan).

Ako Yoshino

Tea Ceremony Instructor of Tea Ceremony Academy

Ako Yoshino is a Tea Ceremony Instructor of Tea Ceremony Academy and a Japanese tea culture researcher (Part-time lecturer, Faculty of Informatics at Shizuoka Sangyo University).

After the training at Zen temple and the head family of tea ceremony, she launched the “Tea Ceremony Academy.” Since then, she focuses on teaching the culture of tea ceremony in a liberal way and has been involved in various activities for promoting tea culture such as writing and lectures, both domestically and overseas.

As a researcher of tea culture history, she specializes in modern tea industry history and tea culture history. Her main works include “The book of Zen Tea” and “The simplest Way of Tea Ceremony.”