Chachanoma (茶茶の間) is a tea room in Tokyo which specializes in Japanese tea and has a very good reputation.
The name is a play on words. “Cha” means tea and “chanoma” means living room.
I visited Chachanoma with my friend Shizuka Maitani.
She makes the Green Tea Newbies videos on YouTube, which I highly recommend.
Omotesando is an avenue with impressive, modern architecture and luxury shopping. The tea room is nearby on a small street.
The founder is Yoshi Watada (和多田喜).
He’s a Japanese tea instructor from the Nihoncha Instructor Association for more than ten years, and has also written a book about Japanese tea.
Mr. Watada prepares and serves the tea himself.
My experience at Chachanoma
It was past lunch time. It gets too crowded for lunch, so Shizuka suggested to come at this time in order to better enjoy the tea.
The tea room is small, but the atmosphere was very pleasant.
We greeted Mr. Watada, and I had a chance to take some pictures before he had to go back to work.
The tea menu has a little more than 30 Japanese teas.
Each one is described in detail: cultivar, picking method, origin, and processing.
In addition, each tea has a rating for the following: sweetness, umami, astringency, and aroma.
It doesn’t get any better than this 🙂
Mr. Watada has a strong sense of attention to detail. Everything looks beautiful, and he makes sure that the tea experience is unforgettable.
Not only are the teas of high quality, they are prepared with multiple infusions.
He expertly chooses the best way to prepare each infusion depending on the tea, resulting in different taste and aroma.
For example, one of the infusions from the tea I had was in a wine glass to focus on the aroma, and another one was brewed with ice.
Definitely a great level of service.
It goes without saying that the teas were delicious.
Chachanoma also has a small section where one can buy tea to prepare at home, and tea ware.
Shizuka gave me a very special gift: a natsume (tea cannister for matcha) that she hand painted herself.
I use it every day. It’s an item that I treasure.
After we had enjoyed our tea, Mr. Watada was still busy, so I didn’t get a chance to speak with him.
More customers came in and it was difficult for me to take more pictures.
If you come to Tokyo and want a wonderful tea experience, Chachanoma is the place to go.
I will share with you Shizuka’s video about Chachanoma:
May 12, 2017
Definitely the place to go if you are in Tokyo. I always go there and meet Watada san and have tea. Also helps that he likes tea from Jun Chiyabari! Watada san is really good with his tea.
May 12, 2017
Hi Lochan
Thanks for your comment. I wish that I lived closer to Japan so that I could visit more often.