Tea Break at Cha Ginza
Cha Ginza is one of my favourite places in Tokyo - a modern day tea room serving fine Japanese green tea and traditional tea snacks housed in a beautiful and serene space in the middle of Ginza. Everything - from the decor down to the woven steel coasters for the tea cup - is well thought of.
Photo from Uogashi Cha Ginza
You start off downstairs and choose tea (or a tea-based dessert) from the menu. There are two different seating rooms, one on the second floor and another one on the third floor, and the menu is normally paired off with either of these two rooms.
The second floor has stylish bauhaus interiors, with stone and wood combination, and mood lighting.
Photo from Uogashi Cha Ginza
The third floor is a rooftop with a skylight where you sit side by side on a long wooden bench against two perpendicular sides of the rectangular room.
There are certain weekends when they serve a special set course where you're taken on a tea journey, normally starting out on the second floor and ending on the rooftop. The menu varies but typically starts off with a liquor (something like an aperitif) and ends with a macha or tea-based dessert such as shaved ice with red bean and green tea ice cream in the summer. These special menu weekends normally coincide with public holidays and you can keep tabs on their website.
On your way out, you can buy some tea to take home with you - they also make great souvenirs because of the special packaging featuring special collaboration art. Some of the staff also speak English and would be able to advise you on what type of green tea to get or how to make the perfect cup.
You can avail of the special set course (it's like being in tea wonderland, seriously) next from 7th to 14th February, they will be open from 11am to 6pm. It will start off with a little "tea snack," Valentine's day special blend green tea, some sweets, and end with a cup of Japanese black tea.
How to get there
Google Maps Link
Get off the Tokyo Metro Ginza station and look for exit A1. This area with exits A1 to A10 is the main intersection in the Ginza shopping district. Walk straight up the road (you should spot Dior, Gap, Armani, Hermes). Turn left after Dior. You'll see Cha Ginza soon on the right side, wedged in between two bigger buildings. There's a green banner and a sign at the entrance saying Cha Ginza.