ACCJ Japan Journal,
October 2007 |
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Tea for Two
Tea lovers rejoice. A store, gallery and salon dedicated to the leaf have been launched in Daikanyama. Former advertising executive
and journalist David Kilburn and his wife Jade opened Tokyo’s
first Tea Museum in a quiet backstreet of the trendy shopping district
on June 21.
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| “I had a choice: sit back and watch the trend happen, or take the opportunity
and turn an abstract idea into a business.” The British-born
entrepreneur took action and opened the first of three Tea Museums
in Seoul in 2001, with South Korean-born Jade. Japanese customers
visiting Seoul consistently asked the Kilburns when Japan could
expect to have their own branch.
“South Korea was a good place to start the business. The early days involved a lot of experimentation,” says Kilburn. It sells 100 varieties of tea and herbal blends; of this, 50 are on sale in Japan. |
“By
creating our own [teas], under our own brand name, we establish
a point of difference from other offerings,” says Kilburn.
Teas are sourced mainly from small, family farms; and these include
brews such as Sapphire Oolong, made from the leaves of tea plants
growing in soil naturally rich in minute sapphires. The Kilburns
envisage opening 12 Tea Museums in Japan. |
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