Between one train and the next, a steaming cup comes to hand. On another day, a walk through the park stops for a breath in its garden.

What follows visits five shops for hojicha, matched to how the day is spent. Opening days, hours and menus are on each shop's official pages.

A cup and a meal inside the gates

Past the ticket gates, a small tea counter sits in the flow of people. Even inside a station, hojicha can come as a drink or as a meal.

Kaga Bōcha Maruhachi Seichajo's ecute Shinagawa branch is inside Shinagawa Station. “Maruhachi Tea Salo!” is a casual tea stand that keeps several Japanese teas on hand, Kaga bōcha among them. Eat-in service is listed too.

Ochazuke Onigiri Yamamotoyama in Shinjuku serves ochazuke in a hojicha broth and onigiri fragrant with nori. It sits inside the gates of Shinjuku Station, a choice for a day when hojicha should be part of a meal. That is as far as the listings go; next come the makers in the old town.

Makers' hojicha in the old town

A single bench stands outside a shop front in the old town. Here are shops that hand over hojicha roasted on their own premises.

At Morinoen's Ningyocho shop, a hojicha specialist that roasts in-house, soft serve and hojicha are takeaway only. Its official FAQ says visitors can sit and eat on the bench outside.

In Minami-Senju, Arakawa, the owner of Hojicha to Coffee Kobayashi Shoten describes a small specialist in hand-roasted hojicha. It is presented as traditional Japanese tea handwork, and the owner explains how it differs from machine roasting. That is as far as the listings go; last comes a park garden.

A pause inside the garden

A park path leads to the entrance of a Japanese garden. Inside the Japanese garden of Sumida Park is a cafe with a Japanese feel.

The park's facility guide introduces it as Hotoka HOJICHA FACTORY. That is as far as the guide goes, and it can be planned in as a garden rest on a day out walking. Fuller shop details are gathered just below.

The numbers in detail

Shinagawa
The ecute Shinagawa branch is inside JR East's Shinagawa Station. “Maruhachi Tea Salo!” keeps four kinds of Japanese tea always on hand, including Kaga bōcha.
Shinjuku
Ochazuke Onigiri Yamamotoyama in Shinjuku is the company's first specialist ochazuke and onigiri shop. It is on the B1 level of JR Shinjuku Station, inside the ticket gates.
On the menu
Yamamotoyama describes ochazuke based on a hojicha broth, and onigiri fragrant with high-quality nori.
Ningyocho
At Morinoen's Ningyocho shop, soft serve and hojicha are takeaway only. The official FAQ notes the bench outside where visitors can sit and eat.
Minami-Senju
Kobayashi Shoten's account is the owner's own Creema listing. It presents hand roasting as traditional Japanese tea handwork and explains the difference from machine roasting.
Garden cafe
Hotoka HOJICHA FACTORY appears in the Sumida Park park centre's guide to cafes in the park.