GREEN EIGHT CAFE: Hope Found in Japanese Black Tea — How Green Eight and its New Brand “Nigakunai Koucha” are Shaping the Future of Shizuoka Tea【Ryogouchi Tea, Shizuoka Prefecture】

Our feature this time takes us to GREEN EIGHT CAFE, a tea café and direct sales outlet in Ryogouchi that passionately shares the beauty of Japanese tea. Just a 40-minute drive from JR Shizuoka Station, the café bustles with visitors, especially during the sightseeing season.

In 2021, the brand launched Nigakunai Koucha, a specialty Japanese black tea (Wakoucha) shop inside Shizuoka Station’s Parche building. In 2024, they expanded further with Nigakunai Koucha Nihondaira on Mount Nihondaira, continuing to promote the allure of Japanese tea both across Japan and abroad.

In this article, we introduce the café’s signature menu items from GREEN EIGHT CAFE and Nigakunai Koucha, along with an interview with Managing Director Mr. Hojo, who shares his vision for creating new value and a brighter future for Japanese tea.

Bringing Tea Closer, Infusing It With Creativity: The Story of GREEN EIGHT CAFÉ, Created by Eight Young Tea Farmers

Opened in 2015 in Wadashima, Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City, GREEN EIGHT CAFÉ is both a tea café and a direct sales shop. Using premium tea leaves from the Ryōgouchi region of Shizuoka, the café handles everything in-house — from cultivation and processing to sales and café management.

Behind the café rises a striking 45-metre-tall, sake-flask-shaped structure called Aisengura, a water purification facility that has become a beloved local landmark thanks to its distinctive form.

The café is run by GREEN EIGHT Co., Ltd., founded by eight tea-growing families from Ryōgouchi, one of Shizuoka’s renowned tea-producing areas. Today, a new generation of young farmers leads the venture, taking on the challenge of creating innovative teas.

▲The name GREEN ∞ reflects their belief that the potential of tea is infinite (∞).

At the entrance, a striking black-painted door adorned with spray-paint silhouettes of tea leaves catches visitors’ eyes. Many guests commemorate their visit by snapping a photo in front of this signature door.

The café interior — once a tea factory office — was remodelled over three months. Warm wooden textures fill the space, creating a calm and inviting atmosphere. There’s a counter for about five people and a single table seating four. Shelves near the entrance and at the back display their GREEN EIGHT branded teas.

Stylishly packaged in sleek black, the range includes japanese black tea (wakoucha), lightly steamed sencha (asamushicha), deep-steamed sencha (fukamushicha), and even rare white-leaf tea (hakuyoucha. Assorted gift sets are also available, making them perfect for souvenirs or thoughtful presents.

Find Your Favourite Japanese Black Tea – The Amber Series | A World of Distinctive Japanese Teas from Ryogouchi

At Green Eight, alongside our premium green teas nurtured by the unique terrain and climate of Ryogouchi, we are especially devoted to crafting exceptional Japanese black teas (Wakoucha). Our popular Amber(KOHAKU) series offers a diverse range of teas, each expressing its own character through differences in cultivar, processing method, and aging period. From mild and gentle to bitter and smoky, there’s a flavour for every palate.

The best-selling Amber Sweet is made from the tea cultivar Tsuyuhikari and features a soft, natural sweetness — perfect for those who usually need sugar in their tea.

Amber Mild, crafted from the Shizu 7132 tea cultivar, delivers a rich body and floral aroma, making it delightful even as a milk tea.

Other varieties include the fruity Amber Royal, the Chinese-style Amber Clear, the light and refreshing Amber Fresh, and the bold Amber Wild with its smoky aroma and pleasantly bitter edge. Together, they showcase the full spectrum of Japanese black tea.

Enjoy them straight, as a flavoured tea, or even as a tea highball mixed with shochu — the possibilities are endless.

From tea you drink to tea you experience — the Tea Terraceat GREEN EIGHT CAFE

At GREEN EIGHT CAFE, tea is not only enjoyed as a beverage but also appreciated as an expression of its place of origin. Guided by this philosophy, the cafécreated the GREEN EIGHT TEA TERRACE — where visitors can experience theessence of tea through its terroir.

The process couldn’t be simpler. Start by checking in at the counter. Pack your purchased café menu items into a cooler bag, then head to the TEA TERRACE, located about a ten-minute walk from the café. Enjoy the stroll and take in the scenery—it’s a short walk to your own private picnic spot.

Savour the teas atGREEN EIGHT CAFE, set amidst the very fields that they were grown in. It’s an experience unique to a farmer-run café—enjoying tea surrounded by the land that cultivated it.

(Please note that availability is limited. If you wish to ensure your visit, advance reservations are recommended.)

GREEN EIGHT Presents the Japanese Black Tea Stand, Nigakunai Koucha

In February 2021, Nigakunai Koucha, a specialty Japanese black tea stand, opened on the first floor of Shizuoka Station’s Parche Food Court. This rare type of tea stand was created in response to customers wishing to try the teas from GREEN EIGHT CAFÉ in Ryogouchi but found it difficult to visit due to the distance.

Here, customers can enjoy various take-away tea styles such as straight tea, fruit tea, and sparkling tea. Packaged teas are also available for purchase, beautifully lined up with colourful labels showcasing a wide selection of Japanese black teas.

Photo of the Parche Food Court branch at Shizuoka Station. On the back wall is a mural depicting the village of  Ryogouchi, home to the GREEN EIGHT headquarters, café, and tea factory.

In November 2024, Nigakunai Koucha NIHONDAIRA opened at Garden Marché Nihondaira within the Nihondaira Prefectural Park. Located in one of Shizuoka’s most scenic spots, often visited by international tourists, the shop shares with the world not only the charm of GREEN EIGHT’s Japanese black tea but also the allure of Shizuoka tea.

Introducing the Café Menu of GREEN EIGHT CAFE and Nigakunai Koucha

GREEN EIGHT CAFE embraces both tradition and innovation to share the beauty of Ryōgōchi’s tea and local culture with the world. While cherishing time-honoured values, the café integrates contemporary expressions to convey the timeless appeal of Japanese tea in a fresh, modern way.

Run directly by tea farmers, GREEN EIGHT CAFE offers a diverse range of high-quality drinks and sweets crafted from premium teas—sencha, Japanese black tea, fruit tea, and tea lattes—along with delightful desserts such as Japanese black tea soft-serve ice cream and parfaits.

Here, we’ll introduce a few of the most popular menu items from both GREEN EIGHT CAFE and Nigakunai Koucha, each brimming with the flavour and character of the Ryōgōchi region.

Earl Grey 【ICE】

A classic flavoured tea where the elegant aroma of bergamot harmonises beautifully with amber-coloured, sweet Japanese black tea. In pursuit of creating the finest Earl Grey worthy of a true tea artisan, it reportedly took around four years just to find domestically produced bergamot that met their exacting standards.

According to the president, Mr. Hōjō, I’ve yet to come across an Earl Grey that surpasses this one. That’s how exceptional it is.

Hojicha Latte【HOT】

A comforting blend of roasted green tea and gently sweet milk foam. The hojicha used is Green Eight’s premium first-flush stem hojicha. Directly sourced from dedicated tea farmers, it offers a rich aroma and deep, mellow flavour that lingers with every sip.

Matcha Latte【ICE】

Crafted with matcha grown on Green Eight’s own tea fields and lightly sweetened with beet sugar, this special iced latte highlights the fragrant, low-astringency character of fine matcha. The more you stir, the creamier and smoother it becomes. Its gentle sweetness makes it a delightful choice for children as well.

Butterfly Pea Herbal Tea

A mesmerisingly vivid blue tea that transforms into a charming pink when lemon syrup is added. Both visually stunning and refreshingly flavourful, it’s a herbal tea that delights all the senses.

(*In Shizuoka Prefecture, Butterfly Pea Tea is served not only at Green Eight Café but also at Chagama in Takajō, Shizuoka City.)

Japanese Black Tea Parfait

A luxurious parfait featuring Japanese black tea flavored soft serve, crafted to highlight the natural sweetness and rich aroma of Japanese black tea. The delightful soft serve’s recipe was born from countless rounds of trial and error to achieve the perfect blend.

Today, tea leaves from Green Eight are sent to a workshop in Yoichi, Hokkaido, where they are turned into soft serve made with fresh milk and no additives. It’s a creation infused with the pride and dedication of a Japanese tea farmer—one you won’t find anywhere else.

▲ The Japanese black tea soft serve is also available on its own.

The soft serve is topped with crispy frozen Tsuyuhikari tea leaves, adding both texture and a pleasant bitterness that enhances the sweetness of the tea soft serve. (According to Mr. Hojō, This topping represents our identity as a tea producer.)

The lower layers of the cup feature seasonal fruits that pair beautifully with the soft serve, along with a flavourful Japanese black tea jelly. Each spoonful reveals new layers of taste and texture, making this parfait a delight for both adults and children alike.

▲ Order it as a set with tea for a special price.

Shaved Ice with Grape and Japanese Black Tea Earl Grey (Summer Only)

This special shaved ice combines Earl Grey syrup made from Amber Royal Japanese black tea with grape cultivar Suzuka from Ōtsuka Vineyard—an excellent flavour pairing. The rich syrup, fragrant Earl Grey aroma, and bursting texture of fresh grapes create a refreshing harmony, while its vibrant purple colour adds to the visual pleasure.

A truly distinctive creation from Green Eight, known for its exceptional range of teas, especially Japanese black tea.

Interview: Hope Found in Japanese Black Tea — The Future of Shizuoka Tea Woven by GREEN EIGHT and Its New Brand Nigakunai Koucha

We spoke with Mr. Hiroki Hojō, Managing Director of Green Eight Café.

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Innovationborn from the realisation that green tea alone won’t reach everyone — The story behind GREEN EIGHT’s Japanese black tea

— Could you tell us about Green Eight?

Originally, GREEN EIGHT was not involved in running a café. It began purely as a tea factory, receiving fresh tea leaves from individual growers and processing them into aracha.

(Aracha refers to tea leaves that have undergone the initial stages of steaming and rolling,later refined through firing and blending processes to become the finished tea we drink.)

However, as domestic tea consumption continued to decline year by year, it became clear that relying solely on aracha processing would eventually be unsustainable. When I took over the business, I decided to begin producing Japanese black tea (wakōcha) around 2012.

— What led you to make Japanese black tea?

At first, we followed the traditional approach — cooling hot water and brewing tea in a teapot (kyūsu). But we soon realised that the market for this style of tea was far too small.

From my perspective, only about two out of every hundred people could truly be described as tea lovers.

That insight made me realise something important: If we want to promote tea, green tea alone won’t reach most people. We need a stepping stone. So, we decided to start with Japanese black tea, which anyone could easily brew and enjoy — and that’s how our new direction began.

A Realisation Sparked by Japanese Black Tea: How the “GREEN EIGHT” Brand Began – Captivating with Colour, Expressing with Flavour

— Today, GREEN EIGHT Japanese black tea is well recognised by many. How did it first gain such popularity?

It all began with sales at local markets and events. From there, we expanded to department stores in our area and later to those outside the prefecture, steadily raising awareness of our brand.

▲Scenes from past exhibitions

In 2015, we opened GREEN EIGHT CAFE next to our factory, as a place to offer our tea directly to customers.

For our signature café product, we chose Japanese black tea and took inspiration from beer varieties for the names Sweet, Mild, and Bitter. We felt these were friendly and immediately conveyed the flavour profile.

We designed the packaging to be colourful and visually striking, creating an appealing presentation even on the shelf. In addition, we offered visually delightful tea-based sweets and a variety of creative tea-based drinks to give customers the opportunity to connect with tea in a fun and familiar way.

The age range of our staff was chosen to reflect that of the customers we hoped would drink our tea. The overall design of the café was kept simple so that the tea itself could take centre stage.

— It seems you have been very mindful of the consumer’s perspective.

Yes, exactly. We’ve always aspired to be a customer-centered tea maker. Through continuous trial and thoughtful design, we arrived at what we have today. The experience and expertise we accumulated along the way have now been distilled into our new in-house brand: Nigakunai Koucha (Not-Bitter Black Tea).

Sweet Without Sugar! The Secret Behind Nigakunai Koucha, Japan’s Unique Black Tea

Nigakunai Koucha is a specialist shop dedicated to Japanese black tea, producing everything entirely in-house—from farm to product. We believe in the limitless potential of tea and aim to explore it in our own unique way. With that belief at heart, the brand hopes one day to become a proud representative of Shizuoka’s tea culture.

— The shop’s name isn’t GREEN EIGHT CAFE , but Nigakunai Koucha, correct?

Strictly speaking, it’s Nigakunai Koucha, Japanese black tea specialty store produced by Green Eight. We actually spent a long time deciding on the name. Other candidates included Gentle Tea and Ryōgōchi Black Tea, but since many customers would often say, Oh, it’s not bitter tea!, we decided to adopt that very phrase as our name.

— I’ve tried your tea myself, and I’m surprised by its natural sweetness. How does GREEN EIGHT’s Japanese black tea taste so sweet even without sugar?

When tea leaves are exposed to sunlight, they produce catechins—the source of bitterness and astringency. In the mist-shrouded region of Ryōgōchi, however,fog gently filters the sunlight, suppressing catechin formation.

As a result, teas grown in Ryōgōchi develop a mellow, umami depth of flavour. By carefully fermenting these leaves, we create Japanese black tea(Wakoucha) with a naturally gentle sweetness.

— So,tea leaves nurtured in Ryōgōchi make wonderful black tea as well as green tea?

Exactly. Many people don’t realize that black and green teas come from the same plant; the distinction lies in how the leaves are processed. Moreover, the tea bushes themselves come in many different cultivars. At Green Eight, we work with a variety of cultivars—including Yabukita, Tsuyuhikari, Okumidori, and Benifūki. Each brings out a distinct character and charm, whether crafted into green tea or black tea.

“Question the word ‘everyone’ — Hojo’s philosophy overturning the norms of the tea world”

— It feels as though the way you promote tea differs entirely from that of traditional Japanese tea houses. Even the direction you’re aiming for seems distinctly different.

In general, I try not to take words like “the world” or “everyone” at face value. Such expressions often strike me as convenient labels—terms that serve someone’s agenda rather than universal truths.

I don’t move based on hearsay alone. I believe it’s essential to see things with my own eyes before forming an opinion.

For example, when people around me say, The overseas market is the future of tea, I turn my gaze back to Japan. When trends point to  matcha as the next big thing, I deliberately shine a light on traditional sencha or black tea.

My thinking is always guided by one belief: The path forward lies in capitalizing on our strengths. So, what are our strengths? They lie in the fact that we possess all three — tea fields, a tea factory, and a retail shop.

We don’t just deliver the taste of tea; we deliver the entire story behind it. By committing to this approach, we aim to go beyond what our customers expect or even imagine.

With the pride of Ryōgouchi, the heartland of tea in Shizuoka — the path to reviving green tea opened by Japanese black tea

I can say this now: there used to be hardly any black tea drinkers who came from the world of green tea. Yet, from the world of black tea, we began to find people who rediscovered green tea. As Japanese black tea gained popularity, green tea, too, began to shine once more.

From the wider gate to the narrower one — perhaps this is the most natural course of things.

Now that people are once again reaching for green tea, I’m reminded that the true value of Green Eight’s tea lies in its roots — in the prestigious tea region of Ryōgouchi and in Shizuoka, the homeland of tea.

▲At the first tea auction of the Shizuoka Tea Market, Ryogouchi tea achieved the highest price for over 40 consecutive years, solidifying its reputation as one of Japan’s most celebrated tea-producing regions.

There is no brand more powerful than this. Feeling that deeply, I am once again filled with pride to be part of Ryōgouchi’s tea-making tradition.

The tea we nurture in our hometown sets off on a journey — from Ryōgouchi, through Shizuoka Station and Nihondaira, to tea lovers across the country. Knowing that each leaf carries the name Shizuoka Tea fills my heart with pride.

One day, through GREEN EIGHT CAFE or Nigakunai Kōucha (Not-Bitter Black Tea), I hope that visitors will be inspired to travel to the very place where our tea is born — our small mountain village of Ryōgouchi, our beloved home.

Recommended Articles : Top 5 Recommended Natural Japanese Tea Cafes! Enjoy the Perfect Tea Date for Couples【Shizuoka Prefecture】

Information Of Green Eight Cafe

Address	424-0403 Shizuoka prefecture, Shizuoka city, Shimizu ku, Wadashima 349-4
Website	https://green-8.com/72206/
Phone number	054-395-2203
E-money and credit cards: Available QR code payment	Available
Open	10:00~16:00
Closed	No scheduled holidays
Parking lot	Available(5)
Access	10 minutes by car from Shimizu IC on the Shin-Tomei Expressway.

 

Information Of Ngakunai Koucha at Shizuoka Station’s Parche Food Court

Address	Shokusai-kan, 1st Floor, Parche Shopping Complex, 49 Kurogane-chō, Aoi Ward, Shizuoka City, 420-0851 Japan
instagram	https://www.instagram.com/nigakunaikouchiya/
Phone number	080-7146-0074
E-money and credit cards: Available QR code payment	Available
Open	9:30~20:00
Closed	No scheduled holidays
Parking lot	Not Available
Access	Just a 30-second walk from the ticket gates at Shizuoka Station

 

Information Of Ngakunai Koucha at NIHONDAIRA

Address	4050-1 Muramatsu, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture 424-0926, Japan
instagram	https://www.instagram.com/nigakunaikoucha_nihondaira/
Phone number	054-395-2203
E-money and credit cards: Available QR code payment	Available
Open	10:00~16:00
Closed	No scheduled holidays
Parking lot	Available
Access	Just a ten-minute drive from Shin-Shimizu on the Shin-Tōmei Expressway.

 

Writer	Norikazu Iwamoto
Career	Ochatimes chief editer. Meeting with Vice Governor of Shizuoka prefecture. Judge of Shizuoka 100 tea’s award in 2021~25. Ocha Times link introduced at website of World O-CHA(Tea) Festival 2022, Tea Science Center, The City of Green Tea Shizuoka,  Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

 

English translator	Calfo Joshua
Career	Born and raised in England, living in Japan since 2016. Studying arboriculture in Shizuoka Prefecture whilst operating his landscape business Calfo Forestry. Appreciating the nature of Japan and the culture that places such importance in it.