Nishio Matcha
licensed photographEvelyn-rose / CC0

Aichi · NishioNo.1267★★Open in map →

Nishio Matcha

— A matcha town in Aichi, and a tea room from Kyoto

foodOff the trail — and worth it

Matcha from Nishio in Aichi, a leading tencha district and the first place in Japan to win a regional trademark for matcha alone. In the town's castle park, a noble's house moved from Kyoto serves it by the bowl.

  1. FromMeitetsu Nagoya Station
  2. ~1 hr + 15-min walkMeitetsu train, then a walk
  3. Get off atNishio Station (Meitetsu Nishio Line)
  4. On foot
  5. Nishio Matcha
Directions ↗

The sweet spot

The name is no secret: 'Nishio matcha' is printed on the packets of sweets and drinks. What is easier to miss is a place to drink it slowly. That place is inside the castle park, a walk from the station, in a noble's house moved from Kyoto, and the park itself is free to enter.

Where it is

27 more notes in Aichi · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

Former Konoe ResidenceEvelyn-rose / CC0
  1. Former Konoe Residencethe shoin study where matcha is served, facing a dry garden of white gravel
  2. The tea rooma six-mat room with a raised alcove behind the host's seat, a rare layout called teishu-doko
  3. Honmaru Ushitora Turreta corner turret rebuilt in 1996, visible over the trees from the residence
  4. Nishio City Museuma museum on the south side of the park, displaying records from the castle era

How to actually get there

  1. Meitetsu Nagoya → Nishio Station (Nagoya Main Line and Nishio Line, about an hour; change at Shin-Anjo unless the train runs through).
  2. Nishio Station → Nishio Historical Park (walk west about 15 minutes).
  3. Former Konoe Residence → a bowl of matcha in the shoin, then walk south to the turret and the museum.
Meitetsu from Meitetsu Nagoya
From Meitetsu Nagoya, ride the Nagoya Main Line and the Nishio Line to Nishio Station. Some express trains run through; otherwise change at Shin-Anjo. The ride takes about an hour. From Nishio Station, walk west about 15 minutes to the Nishio Historical Park.
Return from Nishio Station
Walk back east to Nishio Station and take the Meitetsu Nishio Line toward Shin-Anjo and Meitetsu Nagoya. If the train terminates at Shin-Anjo, change there to the Nagoya Main Line. The park closes in the early evening, so check its closing time before you plan your train.
Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Nishio, a city in Aichi's Nishi-Mikawa area, is one of Japan's main sources of tencha, the leaf that becomes matcha. Its tea fields cover low hills on the left bank of the Yahagi River, and the Inariyama tea garden alone spans about 100 hectares. Before picking, the bushes are shaded under black netting, which tempers bitterness and draws out sweetness. The dried leaf is then ground on granite millstones. Nishio produces about a fifth of the country's tencha. In the castle park, the Former Konoe Residence serves this matcha in a study that faces a dry garden.

How to enjoy it

The tea service at the residence runs from 10:00 to 16:00, a shorter window than the park's own hours, so plan to arrive within it. From the shoin, the rebuilt turret shows above the trees beyond the garden. In May, the first flush is being picked in the tea fields around the city.

Background & history

Tea in Nishio is traced to 1271, when Shoichi Kokushi, founder of Jissoji temple, sowed seeds in its grounds. In 1872, Adachi Jundo, head priest of Kojuin temple, brought seeds and tea-making methods from Uji, and by the late Taisho era tencha had become the main crop. In 2009, 'Nishio no Matcha' became Japan's first regional trademark limited to matcha. The Former Konoe Residence was built in the late Edo period by the Shimazu family, after Shimazu Nariakira's daughter married Konoe Tadafusa, and was later moved here from Kyoto.

Before you go

Cash
Entry to the Nishio Historical Park is free. The matcha at the Former Konoe Residence is a paid service that comes with a seasonal sweet; check the price on site.
Before you go
The park is open 9:00-18:00 (until 17:00 from October to March). It closes on Mondays (open if a public holiday) and from 29 December to 3 January. The tea service keeps shorter hours than the park.
Another way
From Toyohashi or Higashi-Okazaki, take the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line to Shin-Anjo and change there to the Nishio Line.
After you get off
From Nishio Station, walk west through the town for about 15 minutes to the park. The Former Konoe Residence stands in its northern part.