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July 09, 2026
 

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TEA

The U.K. is expected to have one of its biggest electricity demand surges at half-time during England and Croatia's World Cup opening game on June 17, as hundreds of thousands of viewers leave their couches and switch on their kettles all at once.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 8, 2026
England’s World Cup opener is set to cause power spike
One of the biggest surges is expected at half-time, as hundreds of thousands of viewers leave their couches and switch on their kettles all at once.
Ohbuchi Sasaba, a popular scenic spot in Shizuoka Prefecture known for its breathtaking view of Mount Fuji and tea fields, in May 2022
BUSINESS
May 1, 2026
Japan’s green tea exports surged in fiscal 2025 amid matcha boom
By value, exports rose more than twofold to ¥84.7 billion due to soaring prices amid growing global demand.
Agriculture minister Norikazu Suzuki (far right) exchanges views on overseas expansion while holding a matcha latte, on Thursday in Tokyo's Taito Ward.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2026
Agriculture minister visits Tokyo matcha cafe as Iran war affects tea production
Tea producers are increasingly concerned about procuring the fuel needed in April-June for work such as drying harvested tea leaves amid Middle East tensions.
A tea field in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture. A significant portion of tea fields in the prefecture is on sloped terrain in hilly and mountainous regions.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 26, 2026
Shizuoka aims to reclaim top tea status with focus on matcha
Long supported by the strength of its brand, Shizuoka now faces a number of challenges as it moves to rebuild its position in the tea market.
At Nakayama Coffee Farm, Tatsumi Kishimoto (far right) and his team run a cafe and conduct tours of the grounds for visitors. Kishimoto says Okinawan coffee farmers cannot rely on coffee-farming alone as their sole source of income.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 20, 2026
Bean by bean, coffee cultivation in Okinawa defies the odds
From setting up greenhouses to padding up soil beds with grass, coffee producers on the island are finding ways to work around climate challenges to promote their sweet brew.
Farm minister Norikazu Suzuki (left) visits a rice ball shop in Paris on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 19, 2026
Japan’s farm minister raises concerns over EU packaging rules
The Japanese government has requested the EU exempt some of its export products, such as tea leaves and mayonnaise, from the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
Ito En’s bottled tea products are displayed in a vending machine in Tokyo’s Shibuya district.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 14, 2026
Ito En seeks expansion in Europe after establishing base in Germany
The green tea maker’s managing director said the country is the largest market for Ito En in Europe, which has seen matcha rise in popularity thanks to health-conscious consumers.
A spice-infused matcha cake conjures up the flavors of Christmas with a Japanese twist.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Dec 16, 2025
Christmas brings the smell of cinnamon, cloves and matcha
Work the flavors of an “o-toso,” a spice-infused sake, into your green tea cake to create a delicious Japanese-inspired alternative to your traditional yuletide dessert.
The milk-based "horchata" beverage is usually drunk cold, but you can choose to enjoy it warm this season.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Oct 8, 2025
Roasted green tea gets a milky makeover
The fragrant brew works well in a “horchata,” a lightly spiced, milk-based drink that offers a comforting sip this season.
Atsuko Mori, founder and director of Kyoto-based tea salon Camellia Tea Ceremony, prepares matcha during a tea ceremony in Kyoto.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 2, 2025
Tea ceremony experts see matcha boom as a big opportunity
Matcha’s sudden spike in popularity overseas has prompted debate in Japan about whether the global craze risks diluting tea’s cultural meaning.
As of August 2024, the number of confirmed chagusaba farmers had fallen to 302, just over half the 582 reported in 2015, according to the Shizuoka Chagusaba Farming Method Promotion Council.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Sep 7, 2025
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that’s steeped in tradition
The chagusaba method is sustainable, makes tea taste better and helps with biodiversity. But it’s also labor-intensive and the number of practitioners is dwindling.
The fuss-free, no-cook mulberry matcha oats are a great alternative to cereal.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Sep 7, 2025
Overnight mulberry matcha oats are the perfect answer to a busy morning
An alternative to cereal, the everyday oatmeal gets a healthy boost with the addition of tea powder and the fermented “amazake” rice drink.
Matcha is added to beverages on offer at Kettl Tea in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on May 20.
BUSINESS
Jul 6, 2025
Global matcha ‘obsession’ drinks Japan’s tea farms dry
The boom is having to contend with a declining number of tea plantations in Japan and the threat of tariffs from the United States.
Drawn to tea ceremony while volunteering at a Japanese garden in Phoenix, Arizona, Michele Laudig (right) came to learn a “common language of movement and ritual” that brought her into new communities in New York City and Tokyo.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 26, 2025
A moving meditation: Finding serenity in tea ceremony across space and time
After an American writer ventured into the world of tea ceremony, its lessons transformed her relationship to Japan and brought her into communities bonded by movement and ritual.
The café space at the Osaka Expo's British pavilion
JAPAN
May 2, 2025
Britain responds after Expo 2025 afternoon tea brews outrage
Earlier this week, a post deploring the overall quality of the pavilion’s tea set — including “a tea bag stuck in a paper cup” — went viral on X.
Rows of coffee and tea plants at the Tianyuzhuang coffee plantation in Pu'er, in China's southwest Yunnan province, on April 1.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 28, 2025
Chinese tea hub branches into coffee as tastes change
For centuries, Pu’er in Yunnan province has given its name to a type of richly fermented tea, but growers are increasingly branching out into a historic rival.
Bottles of Hakkaisan-brand sake for export
BUSINESS
Apr 17, 2025
U.S. tariffs overshadow Japan’s agriculture and food exports
Japanese goods need to be sold by “emphasizing that there are no alternatives” to them, said Kazuhito Yamashita, senior researcher at the Canon Institute for Global Strategies.
Fried rice is a traditional dish, but even the classics can use updating from time to time.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Apr 13, 2025
As rice prices rise, a bit of tea adds needed luxury
Add depth and your personal flair to fried rice with your favorite brand of tea.
A tea ceremony was held in Washington on Wednesday, hosted by Yuyusai Sosa Sen (far right), the 15th grandmaster of the Omotesenke tea school.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2025
Tea ceremony held in Washington to mark 15th year of Omotesenke in eastern U.S.
The tea school’s branch in the eastern U.S. region now has about 150 members in places including Washington and New York.
Once a boon to tea farmers' bottom lines, the global matcha craze is now pushing producers and distributors to their limits with few options to adequately meet demand.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 23, 2025
Japan struggles to fend off a world without enough matcha
Production methods and economic risks keep the domestic tea industry from ramping up supply.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Long-stalled maglev line finally gets green light from Shizuoka Prefecture
Environmental concerns relating to the construction of Central Japan Railway’s high-speed maglev line had contributed to years of delays for the project.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

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