SATEN JAPANESE TEA (Update: 10/14)

A Modern Matcha Experience
[updated October 2025]

If you love matcha green tea, this is the place for you in Tokyo! Saten is a modern Japanese teahouse where you can taste stylish and authentic Japanese tea. Despite being close to the station (only a 3-minute walk from JR Nishi-Ogikubo Station), the mood here is relaxed and calm due to the modern interior design and atmosphere. When you enter the shop, you will quickly notice a wonderful tea aroma.

Saten’s special is their matcha latte, complete with beautiful and artistic latte art. The shop uses matcha (green tea powder) from Kyoto and pasteurized milk that matches well with the matcha. The latte is easy to drink as it is not too sweet, spreading the bitterness and aroma of the matcha.

Their matcha pudding is also very popular. Since it is made at the store, availability is limited and it is often sold out around noon. There are also snacks that go well with green tea and matcha, such as an anko red bean-butter toast and chocolate.

Aside from many kinds of ryokucha (green teas) and their respective sweets, Saten is open through the evening and serves alcoholic drinks as well as tea and coffee. The cafe provides unique alcoholic drinks that use tea, Hoji-cha (roasted green tea), and rum coke.

In addition to sweets and drinks, Saten also has a variety of items available for purchase, such as “Origami” brand tea cups, Saten’s matcha latte base, Saten loose leaf tea, and even their own original Genovese sauce made with matcha!

Being familiar with the area, the owner chose Nishi-Ogikubo as their location. Nishi-Ogikubo is a tight-knit artistic community, and the owner remarked that residents here tend to be strict about shops and restaurants that don’t have originality and quality. Saten surely has originality as a modern tea café and is also particular about their quality, as they purchase ingredients directly from the manufacturer, purchasing tea of single origin. Sweets that are not made directly at Saten are purchased from trusted and quality confectioners.

When it comes to matcha, usually people might think of tea ceremony, which has strict rules and is very formal. While an experience at such teahouses can be great, they are hard to enter, while Saten is a relaxed atmosphere where you can still enjoy great matcha flavor of fine teas prepared in front of you by diligent staff.

ACCESS

Writers: Miho, Greg
Photographer: Kasamine