Favorite Places in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Hidden five stories above the well-heeled, bustling streets of Tokyo's fashionable Aoyama district, Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience offers tea lovers - and the tea-curious - a quiet space to partake in a sensory experience of Japan's most beloved beverage.

Outfitted with copper fixtures and warm wood accents, the light-filled tasting room feels earthy and calming. It's manned by tea master Shinya Sakurai, who spent 12 years perfecting the artful science that plays out like a slow, methodical dance for guests perched at his sleek 8-seat counter bar. Choose your preferred leaf from the extensive menu or go for the full tasting, a 6-course parade of teas such as steamed sencha, roasted hojicha and powdered matcha, each prepared before your eyes in a series of beautifully calculated movements. Sakurai imparts his extensive knowledge through the use of creative brewing methods, coaxing out the full flavor profile of each tea by taking the same leaves though a variety of infusion techniques. Bar patrons are walked though the process and invited to smell and taste each iteration of the leaf in an educational and wonderfully theatrical event. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).