A brick building with a large indigo “noren” Japanese fabric display swaying in the wind. Along the bricks, NAKAMURA TEA LIFE STORE is written on the wall in large sans serif script. Underneath is the simple slogan, “leaf & tea things.” Walking through the “noren” you are greeted by the smell of infused tea leaves and wood. With its mix of rustic earth tones reminiscent of a cabin and traditional Japanese hues, the space transports you instantaneously from the Kuramae section of Asakusa to a countryside tea house. Behind the counter, Keigo Nishigata pours some loose leaf “sencha” tea from his teapot into small tea cups to serve to the guests perusing the shop.
Originally from the Japanese tea capital, Shizuoka prefecture, Nishigata grew up drinking exclusively fresh, exclusively loose leaf teas his whole life. When he moved to Tokyo, he was shocked to see how different the tea culture was here in comparison to how essential it was to the everyday life in Shizuoka. Having grown up in this culture, Nishigata, who also works as a designer, decided that he wanted to find a way to bring his culture to Tokyo and promote a style of tea closer to home.
In 2015, a mutual friend happened to come across an open space in Kuramae and contacted Nishigata. The Kuramae area in Asakusa, with its culture of artisanal crafts and abundance of tourists, seemed like the perfect place to open shop. Using teas from Nakamura Tea Farm, his childhood friend’s tea farm in Shizuoka, he focused on selling single origin teas from Shizuoka while introducing the production and culture of tea. With its exclusive teas from each season and Nishigata’s refined knowledge of tea culture, NAKAMURA TEA LIFE STORE isn’t simply a shop but an experience in and of itself.
What makes this shop different from other tea shops is a simple detail that can be seen on the containers used to store the tea. If you pick up one of these containers you will find that there are two sets of 8-10 digit numbers displayed on the can. These are the coordinates to the tea farm where each tea is grown. Unlike other tea shops where they use blends to create unique flavors, Nakamura Tea farm relies on the natural differences in flavors that can be created by growing teas in different altitudes and climates. Thanks to this process, you can enjoy each tea as it is organically grown.
Due to this unique process, Nishigata's shop has garnered more and more attention both domestically and internationally. Inquiries come from as far away as New York and Berlin, and shop guests come from all over the world to experience his tea culture. With plans to open more shops around the area and continued collaboration with local community artists, Nishigata hopes to see continued development in the east side of Tokyo.
4-20-4 Kuramae, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 111-0051, Japan
OPEN: 12:00~19:00
CLOSED: Every Monday