This fall, we returned to Nishio, Aichi to visit some of our long-time tea farm partners—and every time we go back, I’m reminded just how quietly powerful this region is.
Many people don’t realize that over 20% of Japan’s matcha is produced in Nishio, yet it remains one of the most underrated and low-profile matcha-producing regions in the country. For a long time, Nishio stayed behind the scenes. Historically, many tea farmers here sold their tencha to Uji for processing—some even under direct contract with Uji tea companies—rather than selling under the name “Nishio Matcha.” As a result, farmers followed strict traditional shading and grinding standards based on their buyers’ specifications, not their own branding.
Everything began to change in 1888, when Sugishita Shoten—now known as Aiya Co.—was established. Since then, Nishio’s tea industry has grown rapidly, especially in the world of high-quality confectionery matcha. In fact, many of the matcha treats we all grew up loving—like matcha KitKat and matcha Pocky—are made using Nishio matcha. Today, Aiya alone has a production capacity of around 4,000 kilograms per day, which still blows my mind.
Most tea farmers in Nishio now hold contracts with Aiya and/or Aoi Seicha, the two main matcha factories in the region. Some farmers also operate their own private factories, like Kondo-san’s tea farm. We first met their family back in 2021, when we were wildly ambitious and trying to visit nearly every tea farm we could find on Google Maps. Even in the middle of the pandemic, they welcomed us with such warmth that we knew we had to return one day.
This year, we finally did.
Despite the ongoing matcha shortage—when many tea farms have understandably closed their doors to visitors—Kondo-san and his family invited us in and offered us a full tasting of all their matcha varieties. I was genuinely touched by their generosity. That hospitality, especially in such a challenging year, meant everything to us. Naturally, they became the very first stop on our trip.
The journey to get there was… a full adventure of its own.
We landed at Narita Airport around noon, dropped off our empty luggage at a nearby airport hotel we’d be returning to later, and hopped on a domestic flight to Chubu Airport in Aichi. It was our first time flying domestically in Japan, and I won’t lie—we were oddly nervous. Yes, you still go through another full security check. That’s also when we discovered our tripod was too long for carry-on, so off it went into checked baggage.
We finally arrived at Chubu around 8 p.m., took the train to Rinku Tokoname, and collapsed into our hotel. The next morning, we picked up our rental car and drove to Nishio, where the tea fields stretch quietly beyond the city. The drive to central Nishio is about 50 minutes—and somehow, every time we make it, the scenery feels like a deep exhale.
And just like that, our annual matcha pilgrimage had begun again.
Kondo san's family and I back in 2021
We made a quick stop at Aiya Seicha while we still had some extra time—its main store is called Saijoen. Since it’s such a popular brand, we were curious to see whether there would be any purchase limits… and sure enough, it was one tin of matcha per person. That meant we were able to bring home two tins in total. We also noticed that the chasen sold in-store are now all made in China. On our last visit, we were still able to purchase Takayama-made chasen, so that was a small but noticeable change.
From there, we headed to Kondo-san’s tea farm, Shikouen (芝香園). It’s only a short drive from Saijoen—though we did take a wrong turn and added an unplanned five minutes to the journey. When we arrived, Kondo-san was already expecting us. All of her matcha varieties were beautifully lined up on the table. We spent some time chatting about life in general, and I found myself talking a lot about the global matcha shortage from the perspective of a foreign importer. She was genuinely intrigued—even recording a little clip of me sharing about the situation.
Then it was finally time to taste.
We worked our way through all five matcha varieties, each made from different cultivars. Kondo-san shared that during COVID, they had stopped handpicking to protect their senior workers, but they’re planning to resume handpicking again next spring.
The 5 varieties we tried were:
Yaeyama 八重山
Inari 稲荷
Gokumukashi 極昔
Nishimidori 西緑
Chiyoka 千代香
Kondo san & I 2025
During the tasting, the grandma came by to say hello. I had been a little worried about her health, but was relieved to learn that she’s doing very well. Then grandpa joined in, continuing to prepare matcha for us and even recommending some of his favorites—one of which is Inari. It was such a heartwarming and memorable experience. I feel deeply grateful for the connection we made four years ago and cherished the opportunity to strengthen it this time around.
Kondo san's dad and I, 2025
After visiting Kondo san, we headed to AOI Seicha, where we had the chance to tour their facility last time. It was immediately noticeable that prices have risen quite a bit this year—a Koicha-grade matcha that used to be around $1/g is now selling for about $5/g! We still purchased a few tins, some top-grade and some for lattes.
We also stopped by another tea farm, Akahori Seicha, which had been closed for harvesting during our last visit. Their matcha flight was a fascinating experience, though we weren’t fans of the matcha latte—the matcha was a bit clumpy and the soymilk too hot. We did appreciate that they offered a non-dairy option.
We left Nishio with a trunk full of matcha and a grateful heart. Until next time, Nishio!