Tetsuya Matsunaga checks tencha, the tea leaves from which matcha is made, he is growing in Aoi Ward, Shizuoka.
Ayaka Higuchi
Powered by growing matcha demand overseas, exports of green tea - including matcha - climbed to a record-high value of 72.1 billion yen in 2025. But with supply unable to keep up with overall tea demand, the price of sencha green tea, commonly sipped at Japanese dining tables, is soaring.
Matcha has become popular worldwide as a healthy drink containing nutrients such as catechins and vitamin E. Its vibrant green is tailor-made for eye-catching photos on social media, and the deluge of posts showcasing matcha has been a major factor behind its growing popularity.
Foreign tourists account for about 70% of customers at The Matcha Tokyo, a matcha specialty store that opened in Omotesando, Tokyo, in 2018. On the back of the matcha boom, the operator now runs six stores in Japan and 54 overseas, including in Southeast Asia and Canada.
