How Ancient Chinese Tea Became the Top-Selling Beverage in Japanese Convenience Stores

In Japan, tea is a ubiquitous beverage. Green tea, hojicha, genmaicha, and oolong teas take up a significant amount of space in convenience store refrigerators, and vending machines are stocked year-round with a variety of hot and cold teas. When dining at a restaurant, you will often be served a cup of tea before your order is taken. Tea is part of Japan’s landscape.

We will trace the origins of tea beverages, now a common sight in Japan, and explore their long history.

The earliest explicit records of tea consumption in Japan date to the Heian period (794-1185 CE). It is documented in the officially-commissioned history book Nihon Kōki that in 815,  the monk Eichū prepared tea for Emperor Saga at Banshaku-ji Temple on his royal tour of Ōmi. 

Eichū had studied extensively in China during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE), when China already had a sophisticated tea culture. During that period, Japanese monks and envoys frequently traveled between the two countries, introducing Buddhist scriptures, institutions, architecture, and a way of life to Japan. These exchanges also brought the custom of drinking tea.

In China, tea leaves were processed into cakes, which were crushed and boiled for drinking. Lu Yu’s Classic of Tea provides detailed descriptions for harvesting, processing, and preparation of tea leaves, as well as the utensils used in handling tea. 

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Although tea drinking arose from practical aspects, such as promoting health and enhancing focus, it gradually evolved into a distinct cultural tradition. After these practices were introduced to Japan, they spread primarily within the imperial court and Buddhist temples. Emperor Saga promoted tea cultivation in the capital city of Heian-kyō, which is modern-day Kyoto. 

However, as missions to Tang China ended and Tang influence waned, the early tea-drinking custom faded. Several centuries passed before tea regained prominence in Japan.

In the late 12th century, the Japanese monk Eisai traveled to China twice. At the time, China was under the Southern Song dynasty, and tea-drinking practices differed from those of the Tang dynasty. Whisked tea (点茶 diancha) was popular. People ground dried tea leaves into a powder and whisked it with hot water. The Japanese tea ceremony evolved from this tradition.

In 1191, Eisai returned to Japan. He brought back tea (Camellia sinensis) seeds and began cultivating tea plants at Mount Sefuri. He also sent seeds to Kōzanji Temple in Kyoto, which were planted in the nearby Uji region — now famous for its tea cultivation. 

Eisai believed tea promoted health, and promoted the Song dynasty’s tea-drinking methods. In 1214, when the shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, Minamoto no Sanetomo, was unwell, Eisai presented him with tea and a book documenting his work, A Record of Health Preservation Through Tea Consumption.

This book systematically introduced the health benefits of tea and methods for cultivating and consuming it. It holds an important place in the history of Japanese tea culture. After Eisai, tea drinking gradually took root in Zen temples.

At that time, Japanese monks frequently traveled to China, and many temples maintained close ties with the country. Drinking tea became a customary part of monastic life, as well as a way to entertain guests. Meanwhile, tea culture entered samurai society, and the customs of tea drinking evolved and spread.

After Eisai brought tea seeds to Japan, more tea plantations began to appear across the country. Today’s renowned Shizuoka tea is also linked to the Song Dynasty.

At that time, the Shizuoka region was part of Suruga Province, the central area of what is now Shizuoka Prefecture. During the Kamakura period, Shōichi Kokushi, a monk and native of Suruga, traveled to Song dynasty China to study Buddhism. When he returned, he brought back a different type of tea seed and planted it in Ashikubo, near his hometown.

A tradition of tea cultivation gradually took shape in the Ashikubo area, and Shizuoka tea’s history continued from there. Locally, the story of Shōichi planting tea has been passed down to this day, and Ashikubo is regarded as an important birthplace of Shizuoka tea.

Tea then spread throughout Japan, gradually expanding from temples and samurai circles into the everyday lives of broader segments of the population.

By the Muromachi period, tea had become more than just a beverage consumed in temples.

Samurai, court nobles, and urban dwellers began holding tea ceremonies. Tea utensils, calligraphy, and paintings from China were highly prized. Beyond drinking tea, appreciating these artifacts became an integral part of the tea ceremony. During this period, Japanese tea culture began to develop its own distinctive characteristics.

Murata Jukō promoted simple tea rooms and utensils, a style further developed by Takeno Jōō. During Sen no Rikyū’s era, the Japanese tea ceremony matured. Tea rooms became more austere, with modest or rustic utensils. Tea was prepared by the host, and every action had its corresponding etiquette. This tea culture later became known as “wabi-cha.” While it retained traces of Chinese tea culture, it had developed a distinctively Japanese character.

In the years that followed, tea continued to develop across different regions and social classes in Japan. Tea plantations in Shizuoka expanded steadily during the subsequent Edo and Meiji periods, eventually establishing the region as the renowned tea-producing area it is today.

However, the way Japanese people drink tea has changed significantly.

The tea ceremony still exists, but more often than not, people enjoy tea without ceremony. Bottles of green tea and cups of hōjicha are common, everyday beverages. Convenience stores stock a variety of tea drinks, vending machines offer both hot and cold tea, and restaurants typically serve tea.

Japanese tea culture has evolved over time, from the introduction of tea drinking during the Tang dynasty to pre-made tea in modern convenience stores, tea has traveled through the ages and across many lands — ultimately leaving its unique cultural mark on Japan.

Based on a translation of 古时中国茶 如何变成日本便利店的顶流饮料? written by Gospel. 

Pam McLennan edited and contributed to this report.