Today I went to Matsumoto’s Matcha Cafe.
It opened in December 2023, so it’s a new place!

I have been meaning to go for a long time, but I always walk by in the afternoon, and because matcha has a lot of caffeine I decided to visit on a day I could come in the morning.

In the picture you can see the owner of the shop who will make your tea and explain to you the story of the place.
It used to be a different shop owned by his family but due to some circumstances he took it over. He considered opening a regular cafe but he then decided to try doing something different.

He had learned tea ceremony in Tokyo, and because there are no other specialty cafes focused on Matcha in Matsumoto or Nagano he started one.

Most of what you see in the cafe is made or arranged by him.
Every day he picks a seasonal flower and a seasonal sweet, in respect of tea ceremony traditions.

This place focuses on the traditions of tea, so he doesn’t offer take out or iced tea. However, he offers a tea ceremony experience (reservations might be necessary depending on the day) where you can learn to make matcha correctly.

I got the set with strong tea (the caffeine was really strong), and the seasonal sweet was warabi mochi.

I could choose a bowl! All the bowls are handmade by the owner.

After drinking half, he refilled with hot water so I could enjoy the tea twice.

This cafe was different from what I was expecting, because the owner tries to respect the traditions of tea by paying attention to all the seasonal details, so this is a place worth visiting if you are interested in tea ceremony and traditions, and the experience is truly valuable!

If you go

Trad Matcha Cafe
4 Chome-8-32 Central, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-0811
11 AM – 7 PM