Experience the charm of Japanese tea in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter! Discover the allure of Japanese tea by making stone-ground matcha at "Cha Terrace".

In the Higashimachi area of ​​Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, there's a particularly charming tea experience spot. It's "Cha Terrace," a Japanese tea specialty shop renovated from a traditional house over 70 Okayama Prefecture old. They offer a variety of programs that allow you to experience the depth of Japanese tea firsthand, such as making authentic matcha by grinding tea leaves with a stone mill, making fragrant hojicha by roasting tea leaves, and creating your own original blend of tea by combining your favorite tea leaves. There's also a cafe where you can enjoy tea soba lunches and sweets, making it a recommended spot for sightseeing in Kurashiki.

• Table of Contents
• What is "Cha Terrace "? A renovated traditional Japanese house cafe where you can experience the charm of Japanese tea.
• ① Experience grinding Matcha (Japanese Green Tea Ceremony Style) with a stone mill – a freshly ground cup created by your own hands.
• ② Hojicha Tea Making Experience – Discover another side of Japanese tea, with the aroma of freshly roasted tea filling the air.
• ③ Original Blend Tea Making Experience – Create your own unique tea, one of a kind in the world.
• You can also enjoy a green tea soba lunch at the cafe – a dish infused with tea, to be savored in Kurashiki.
• To conclude your sightseeing in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, be sure to visit "Cha Terrace."

What is "Cha Terrace "? A renovated traditional Japanese house cafe where you can experience the charm of Japanese tea.

Owner Ishii , who moved from Tokyo to Kurashiki , noticed that the warm climate of Okayama Prefecture, known as the "Land of Sunshine," is suitable for cultivating high-quality tea. After obtaining a Japanese tea qualification, and while running a real estate business, he opened a weekend-only tea experience cafe in 2022.

While there are many varieties of Japanese tea, they are all actually made from the leaves of the same "tea plant" (Camellia sinensis). The difference lies in the processing method, which separates them into green tea, roasted green tea, matcha, and more. At "Cha Terrace," you can learn about the tea-making process in a fun way through hands-on experiences, while also enjoying the delicious taste of freshly brewed tea. Tea leaves are also available for purchase.

The shop is a renovated old house that is over 70 years old, and it blends naturally into the townscape of the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, with its white walls and tiled roofs. Up a steep staircase (a common feature of old Japanese buildings), on the second floor, there is a floor that combines an experience space and a cafe space. The activities taking place can be seen from the cafe, and customers enjoying tea were watching with interest.

① Experience grinding Matcha (Japanese Green Tea Ceremony Style) with a stone mill – a freshly ground cup created by your own hands.

In this experience, you will grind the tea leaves used to make matcha, called "tencha," using a stone mill to create authentic matcha. Tencha is made from tea leaves grown using a method called "shade cultivation," where the leaves are grown without exposure to sunlight for a certain period before harvest, and then dried without being rolled. This cultivation method increases chlorophyll, resulting in soft tea leaves with a vibrant green color. In addition, it is rich in the umami component "theanine," so it is characterized by less bitterness and a prominent sweetness and umami flavor.

The millstone used is a special item made from Aji Stone , which is quarried in Kagawa Prefecture Mount Tsurugi , Kagawa Prefecture. Aprons are also provided to prevent powder from scattering and staining your clothes.

The experience begins by placing 5g of tea leaves in a stone mill and grinding it counterclockwise at a rate of once per second for 3 minutes. Initially, a somewhat coarse powder will come out, but with each subsequent grind, it will become finer and smoother matcha. The coarser matcha produced in the first 3 minutes has a slightly rough texture, so it is enjoyed as "affogato" (matcha ice cream) poured over ice cream. For the second grind, all the tea leaves are placed on top and ground for another 3 minutes to complete the process.

I gradually got the hang of turning the stone mill, and on my second attempt, I was able to produce finely ground, vibrantly colored matcha. Gathering the powder with a brush was surprisingly difficult, which really showed me the fineness unique to Aji Stone. After straining the collected powder through a tea strainer, my authentic matcha was complete.

Enjoy it as a Matcha (Japanese Green Tea Ceremony Style) affogato.

The coarsely ground matcha, which was used first, was poured over ice cream to make an "affogato" (an affogato is a dessert where ice cream is topped with a liquid or powder). The slightly sweet ice cream and the bitterness of the matcha were a perfect match, making it especially delicious on a hot day.

Prepare freshly ground Matcha (Japanese Green Tea Ceremony Style).

After the affogato, you'll get to make your own freshly ground matcha for the second time. Scoop two scoops of matcha with a tea scoop, pour in about 70cc of cooled hot water, and whisk thoroughly with a bamboo whisk (chasen - a special bamboo tool for mixing matcha) until frothy. Don't worry about etiquette or manners; you can enjoy it at your own pace, so it's perfect for beginners.

First, we were served black bean sweets (black beans are a popular and auspicious food in Japan, and are typically eaten boiled in sweet sauce), followed by a sip of freshly ground matcha. It was fragrant, with a mellow sweetness and umami that spread in our mouths, making it a flavor we wanted to drink again and again. The remaining Matcha (Japanese Green Tea Ceremony Style) was given to us in a bag to take home, and we were also given tea leaves as a souvenir, so we could continue to enjoy the experience even after returning home.

[Experience grinding Matcha (Japanese Green Tea Ceremony Style) with a stone mill]

Capacity: 4 people (minimum 1 person required) / Duration: Approximately 50 minutes / Venue: Cha Terrace 2nd floor / Price: 3,300 yen (tax included)

② Hojicha Tea Making Experience – Discover another side of Japanese tea, with the aroma of freshly roasted tea filling the air.

Hojicha is a type of green tea made by roasting (roasting) green tea leaves at high temperatures. The heating process creates a unique, fragrant aroma, and reduces bitterness and astringency, resulting in a refreshing taste. At the beginning of the experience, you will sample tea brewed with unroasted tea leaves and compare it to the tea after roasting. It's a simple yet profound transformation that you'll enjoy.

Green tea leaves are placed in a ceramic roasting pan called a "horoku" and carefully roasted over low heat, taking care not to burn them. This horoku is shaped like a teapot made of Tokoname ware (traditional pottery made in Aichi Prefecture ), and is a functional tool that can be pulled out and removed when roasting is finished. The tea leaves used that day were of the "Mae Akari" variety from Mimasaka , Okayama Prefecture . A wonderful aroma filled the air as the tea was roasting, naturally lifting one's spirits.

Freshly roasted hojicha is brewed with water at around 80 degrees Celsius (the temperature is important because boiling water tends to make it bitter). You'll be surprised by the difference in color and taste when you compare it to the unroasted tea you tasted first. Freshly roasted hojicha is exceptionally delicious, and you can take the rest home in a bag.

[Roasted Green Tea Making Experience]

Capacity: 4 people (minimum 1 person) / Duration: Approximately 40 minutes / Venue: Cha Terrace 2nd floor / Price: 2,860 yen (tax included)

③ Original Blend Tea Making Experience – Create your own unique tea, one of a kind in the world.

This experience allows you to create your own original blended tea by combining your favorite varieties from a selection of tea leaves, mainly from Okayama Prefecture. You choose three types of tea leaves and their respective proportions, then brew and taste the tea to confirm the flavor (you can change the proportions only once). You will also be carefully taught how to brew the tea according to the type of tea leaves used. You can take home any leftover tea, which is a nice touch as you can take home a taste of your trip as a memento.

[Original Blend Tea Making Experience]

Capacity: 4 people (minimum 1 person) / Duration: Approximately 40 minutes / Venue: Cha Terrace 2nd floor / Price: 3,850 yen (tax included)

Cha Terrace Experience Reservation Site

You can also enjoy a green tea soba lunch at the cafe – a dish infused with tea, to be savored in Kurashiki.

Besides the experience itself, lunch at the cafe is also not to be missed. The menu includes a tea soba lunch where you can choose between hojicha soba and matcha soba, and this time I had the "Fluffy and creamy yuba soba with a thick sauce, with a drink (1,380 yen including tax)." Yuba is the thin film that forms on the surface when soy milk is heated. It is a traditional Japanese ingredient famous as a specialty of Kyoto and Nikko, and is characterized by its fluffy and creamy texture. The yuba and soba noodles were coated in a thick sauce, resulting in an elegant and gentle flavor. For the drink, I chose cold tea of ​​the "Okuyutaka" variety, which is characterized by its elegant aroma and mellow sweetness. It made me realize once again how well food and tea go together.

They also have a great selection of sweets!

They also have a wide variety of sweets that go well with tea. I took home the "Neko Monaka (2 pieces, 350 yen including tax)" that caught my eye on the sign in front of the store. Monaka is a traditional Japanese sweet consisting of sweet bean paste sandwiched between fragrant glutinous rice wafers. Since they are made to order, the wafers retain their crisp texture, and the balance with the sweetness of the bean paste was exquisite.

To conclude your sightseeing in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, be sure to visit "Cha Terrace."

Located in a historic townhouse in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter,"Cha Terrace" offers an authentic Japanese tea ceremony experience. It's a popular spot for tourists, international visitors, and locals alike. Beyond simply drinking tea, the experience of making it yourself allows you to feel closer to the depth of Japanese tea culture. Be sure to stop by when you visit the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter.

[Cha Terrace ]

Location: 1-26 Higashimachi , Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture Prefecture

TEL: 050-3091-3561

Business days: Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays (irregular closures)

Opening hours: 10:00 - 17:00

Parking: None

Cha Terrace| Official Instagram