Tokyo, GINZA SIX – Enjoy Cha Soba and Matcha Parfaits at “Nakamura Tokichi Honten,” a Long-Standing Tea Shop!

Last update : 11 Jun 2018

Written by Kenji Nishiyama - Ginza de Lunch

Nakamura Tokichi Honten is a Japanese tea specialty shop that was founded in 1819. With stores in Kyoto Station, Uji City, and Hong Kong, it is an extremely popular shop that is both a tea store and a café, and it isn’t unusual to have to wait over an hour even on weekdays!
Another location opened in “GINZA SIX,” a commercial building in Ginza, in April of 2017, and the lines there every day are a testament to its popularity!

Inside there are seats at both the counter and at tables, and the roomy interior has a calm atmosphere about it.
After you are seated, they bring you some tea. (For free!)
Their “Nakamura Tea” is a blend of 7 types of tea, including sencha and gyokuro. It is pleasantly mild, with a refreshing flavor.
They will also refill it for you if you run out of hot water.

Food Menu

They offer soba and udon made with tea.

This time, I’ll introduce their cha soba set and their parfait made with matcha!

Cha Soba Set

Cha Soba Set, 1,500 yen (tax incl.) (Comes with chirimen gohan, pickles, and mini tea jelly)
You can choose between hot and cold versions of the dish.
This time, I ordered cold soba.

The condiments for the soba dipping sauce were wasabi, kabosu (a type of citrus), and ujicha tea leaves!

The green soba, with matcha kneaded into it, was refreshing, and it went down easy.
The ujicha’s fragrance is also wonderful, so this is a pinnacle dish for tea-lovers!

Dessert was their most popular item, matcha jelly. It comes with rice flour dumplings and matcha bean paste. It was delicious, with a jiggly texture!
The cha soba set came with a variety of tea-related items. I recommend it for people trying Nakamura Tokichi for the first time!

Ginza-Store Limited Menu – Special Malt Parfait

Their regular parfaits are 1400 yen. This is an even higher-quality product, made with plenty of top-quality matcha.

Special Malt Parfait – 2200 yen (tax incl.)

On top of the parfait is the store’s logo, made with matcha on top of matcha-infused cream. It’s so beautiful that it’s a shame to eat it!

The parfait is made up of layers of their signature tea jelly, matcha-infused cream, matcha ice cream, matcha chiffon cake, matcha sauce, and more! It’s a treasure trove of matcha! It is also peppered with chestnut skins, raspberries, and red beans for flavor accents!

I tried the parfait while looking at the image explaining its layout.
It was not too sweet, and I could taste the pure flavors and umami of the matcha.
Enjoying the various textures was also fun, and it was a delicious delight to the last bite!

The sales corner of the shop was selling products like Japanese tea and their tea jelly!
They seem like they would make great gifts too.

Basic information on Nakamura Tokichi Honten – Ginza Store

Address: 6-10-1 GINZA SIX 4F, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access: A 2-minute walk from the A3 exit of Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Marunouchi Line, and Hibiya Line’s “Ginza Station”
A 3-minute walk from the A1 exit of Tokyo Metro Asakusa Line and Hibiya Line’s Higashi-Ginza Station
Tel: 03-6264-5168
Business Hours: 10:30-20:30(L.O.19:45)
Closed: Open 365 days
URL(Japanese): http://www.tokichi.jp