SABOE is an organization that is constantly searching for new ways to enjoy Japanese tea, including opening the SABOE TOKYO tea shop in Azabudai Hills this spring. The organization was originally founded in 2016 by Shinichiro Ogata, who serves as the representative of SIMPLICITY, a company that promotes modern Japanese culture through food and crafts that feature traditional aesthetics and methods. Some examples of his work include the Japanese restaurant Yakumo Saryo and the Japanese sweets shop HIGASHIYA. SABOE is made up of two different parts: Association SABOE and SABOE Co., Ltd. The use of each depends on what type of business the entity is conducting. In other words, the general incorporated association handles all non-profit activities, while the company side deals with all business-related endeavors. Shinya Sakurai states that both entities “seek to contribute to the development of the Japanese tea industry as well as Japanese culture as a whole.”

“Our goals are to spread awareness of the quality of Japanese tea, help advance the development of Japanese culture, and also pass them on to future generations. To that end, we have Association SABOE. It works to raise people’s awareness of tea, such as through classes held by the Tea Studies Association that help educate them about the appeals of Japanese teas, including production areas and methods, and the differences in their flavor. That alone, however, is not enough to expand the industry. We feel it is important to use such activities to generate profits and then use those profits to give back to people, such as the tea farmers and tea utensil manufacturers that help make the industry possible. So, in pursuit of that goal, SABOE Co., Ltd. works to produce and sell tea leaves.”

Similarly, SABOE TOKYO is a business operated by SABOE Co., Ltd. In addition, it is the first brick-and-mortar shop that features the SABOE name. As part of the first half of this feature, I introduced the shop’s signature collection of blended teas known as the T., Collection. In this half, I speak with the shop while enjoying some of their teas at the in-store tasting counter.

Using Japanese tea as a gateway to Japanese culture

This shop enables visitors to sample various rare Japanese teas that have been carefully curated by SABOE. They can then pay to have the tea brewed right before their eyes. Whether they gained an interest in Japanese tea due to the placement of the T., Collection in the front of the shop, or they were already fans of Japanese tea culture, the presence of this counter enables them to gain an even greater understanding of Japanese tea. Although the overall shop itself is not particularly large, it does stretch farther back than you might expect.

I start with a cup of Koju, which is a pan-roasted tea from Ashikubo in Shizuoka Prefecture, and also Goishicha, a post-fermented tea from Otoyo in Kochi Prefecture.

The staff member carefully brews the tea using the assembled utensils. I find myself mesmerized by the beauty of these tea utensils that have been handed down and developed across generations, with the deliberate and delicate manner in which they are used further adding to the experience. Indeed, the time spent watching the tea being brewed gives you a chance to notice and appreciate this aesthetic part of Japanese culture that has been refined over countless years.

As you enjoy your time at the tasting counter, you may find yourself not only taking an interest in Japanese tea but other aspects of traditional Japanese culture as well.

It is Sakurai’s belief that sharing the appeal of Japanese tea will help revitalize Japanese culture as a whole.

“I truly believe that Japanese tea is like an amalgam of Japanese culture itself. In addition to the tea, there are also Japanese tea utensils, sweets, calligraphy, flowers, fragrances… Therefore, if you learn more about Japanese tea, you will naturally encounter these other cultural aspects too. So, in a way, even though we promote Japanese tea, we are actually promoting Japanese culture as well. When you look at it that way, I feel like sharing the joy of Japanese tea will also help revitalize interest in other aspects of Japanese culture.”

Providing that which was currently lacking

Like with its T., Collection, SABOE TOKYO focuses on ways to spread the word about Japanese tea culture to the world. I asked Sakurai about his thoughts on the matter, in light of the many ways he has devised to enjoy Japanese tea over the years.

“Essentially, I wasn’t trying to attempt anything new per se. It has always been my stance to respect the traditional culture of Japanese tea while also taking note of the trends in other items, such as coffee and wine. Still, I feel like there are some elements of Japanese tea culture that are unable to survive on their own. As such, if I feel like there is something lacking, I try to find ways to provide whatever it needs by myself.”

Now that he mentions it, the flavors of the T., Collection are both fresh and surprising, but the act of mixing different tea leaves to create standardized blends is something that tea shops have been doing for ages.

“Ultimately, what we do here isn’t all that different from what people have always done. Although we respect the knowledge and techniques of the past, we constantly seek to make adjustments so that the end result better suits our needs.”

Sakurai says that his methods were not born from a desire to revolutionize the tea industry, but rather the act of realizing what he wanted early in his career and then developing ways to make it happen when he found the industry lacking in that particular area.

“I first started working at HIGASHIYA in the early 2000s, and that was my first experience dealing with Japanese tea. As a result of that, I realized that I had been missing out on the wonderful world of Japanese tea culture, but at the same time, I also noticed that the Japanese tea industry was in a gradual decline. Despite that, there were always many people who would come to HIGASHIYA for the tea. I saw the contradiction in those two things, and when faced with the Japanese tea industry’s state of impending crisis, I decided to open Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience. At that time, there were no real places to properly study Japanese tea, even if you wanted to. Therefore, I decided that my only remaining option was to provide that which was currently lacking in the tea industry.”

“I feel like the tea-based liquors, such as Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience’s Sencha Gin, are a great way to introduce Japanese tea to people who either work with or enjoy alcohol. The tea industry can be rather isolated in certain ways, but as long as we introduce fresh ideas, I think we will continue to see new entrants in the space. So that is how I tend to approach my work, in the hopes that doing so will help revitalize the industry as a whole.”

SABOE is seeking to expand in the future. There are plans to open new shops in both Fukuoka and Okayama prefectures, and the T., Collection is slated to be released in Paris within the year.

“I think that Japanese tea is only going to grow more popular overseas. If people there like the T., Collection, I’m positive that it will inspire them to visit Japan and experience other tea shops, such as SABOE TOKYO, Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience, HIGASHIYA, or even the regions where the tea plants are grown. It would be an honor if the T., Collection serves as a gateway for people to experience the rich depth that can be found in Japanese tea culture. And as the number of tea lovers increases, it will become more fashionable to work with tea and enable people to make a living from it, meaning that tea farmers may be able to continue operating as family businesses. While I’m certain that is something that is going to take time to accomplish, it is my hope that SABOE TOKYO can help kickstart that movement in some way.”

With SABOE TOKYO serving as a base, SABOE is bolstering its efforts to further promote Japanese tea and tea culture throughout the world. As our interview drew to a close and the shop opened its doors for business, an overseas customer came in to buy some tea. It was a clear indication of Japanese tea’s increasing popularity across the globe.

If Japanese tea can indeed serve as a gateway for introducing Japanese culture to the world, it will also serve to help those who carry on the traditions of such culture. It is clear that SABOE TOKYO has wholeheartedly embraced its mission of protecting the future of both Japanese tea and Japanese culture alike.

SABOE TOKYO
In addition to its signature T., Collection featuring ten different blended teas, the shop features a variety of Japanese sweets from HIGASHIYA that pair well with Japanese tea, including yokan, castella cakes, and sweet bean snacks. It also carries a selection of teacups, teapots, and other utensils from the brand Sゝゝ (Es). Customers can also sample a variety of carefully curated rare teas from all over the country at the counter found in the back of the shop.
Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza C, 1F, 1-2-4 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (year-round)
https://saboe.jp

Shinya Sakurai
After working at the Japanese restaurant Yakumo Saryo and at HIGASHIYA, a wagashi (Japanese confectionary) shop, he set out on his own to open the Japanese tea specialty shop Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience in Tokyo’s Minami Aoyama neighborhood in 2014 in order to help people find new ways to enjoy the wonders of Japanese tea. Focused on roasted and blended teas, the shop sells a curated selection of Japanese teas from around the country, as well as hojicha that is roasted in-house and seasonal blended teas made with all-natural domestic ingredients. In the tearoom, you can enjoy gyokuro and freshly roasted hojicha alongside various Japanese sweets, as well as tea-based courses and tea drinks that are unique to Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience. As part of the general incorporated association known as SABOE, he engages in activities that seek to create and pass on the traditions of tea to modern society, plan tea-based menus, and educate people on how to brew tea.
instagram.com/sakurai_tea_shop

Photo by Masayuki Shimizu
Text (originally in Japanese) by Rihei Hiraki
Edit by Yoshiki Tatezaki