Our Story — Beyond Matcha, Sharing Japan’s Everyday Green Tea, Ryokucha, with the World
1. The Misunderstood Face of Japanese Tea(日本茶)
I love tourists.
I love people who fall in love with Japan — its streets, its food, its small daily wonders.
A few years ago, I was walking down a narrow street in Kyoto, lined with tea shops.
One sign after another promised “authentic matcha(抹茶).”
Behind the counter of one shop stood a kind, smiling vendor — not Japanese, but from another Asian country — whisking bright green matcha for passing visitors.
Her Japanese was hesitant, and conversations with customers didn’t quite flow.
Neither side was wrong. But somehow, the real heart of Japanese tea — and of Japan itself — wasn’t making it across.
Matcha, with its strong caffeine and bold flavor, is easy to sell as a luxury item.
I can hardly remember seeing matcha that wasn’t labeled “premium.”
Sometimes I wonder if the global matcha boom was started by people outside Japan.
2. The Tea(お茶) We Actually Drink
Not long after, an American friend told me:
“Matcha is the healthiest thing ever, right? I drink it all day, every day!”
She truly believed it.
But matcha is high in caffeine. It’s perfect for a morning lift, but not for 24-hour hydration.
Her misunderstanding mirrored the image of “Japanese tea” that had spread across the world.
Here’s the truth.
In Japan, our daily tea is not matcha at all.
It’s ryokucha(緑茶) — sencha(煎茶), bancha(番茶), hōjicha(ほうじ茶).
Lower in caffeine, rich in nutrients, and drinkable from morning until night.
In fact, Japanese people drink either water or ryokucha around the clock — and some drink more ryokucha than water.
There’s the tin of tea leaves in my grandmother’s kitchen, the pot brewed in an office for everyone to share, the cup poured without ceremony, like water.
That’s the real, everyday tea of Japan.
3. A Mission for Everyday Life
Every culture has its quiet rituals:
England has afternoon tea.
Morocco has sweet mint tea.
Turkey has tulip-shaped glasses of çay.
Japan has everyday ryokucha.
Somehow, the world mistook our ritual for a rare performance.
So I started this brand — not to sell a postcard version of Japan, but to share a living habit.
When you drink our ryokucha, you step into the rhythm of Mainichi — Every Day.
One day, I hope to offer many varieties of tea that can be enjoyed around the clock.
When the brand grows strong enough to sell without heavy advertising, I’ll lower the price — so that people everywhere can make Japanese tea part of their daily lives.
That is my goal. That is my promise.