A First in the Kanto Region*: Experience “Hojicha Roasting × Nerikiri Wagashi Making” All in One Go Re:Route CAFE Jiyugaoka, Launching Japanese Cultural Experience Programs Starting July 18

"Re:Route CAFE Jiyugaoka," an experiential Japanese tea café operated by TechLink Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ota Ward, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kenichi Saka), will launch a Japanese tea culture experience program on Saturday, July 18, 2026, that allows visitors to experience both "hojicha roasting" and "nerikiri wagashi making" at the same time—a first in the Kanto region*.Japanese tea culture experience program that allows participants to experience both “hojicha roasting” and “nerikiri wagashi making” in a single session.

Experience Program

Re:Route CAFE is an experiential café where visitors can enjoy Japanese tea culture with all five senses, based on the concept of “drinking, eating, and experiencing” Japanese tea.

This new program combines “nerikiri wagashi making”—a traditional Japanese craft—with the “hojicha roasting experience,” where participants roast tea leaves themselves to create a one-of-a-kind hojicha, offering a roughly 90-minute experience that allows for a deeper immersion in Japanese culture.

In recent years, against the backdrop of an increase in international visitors to Japan and growing interest in Japanese culture, demand has shifted from “sightseeing” to “experiential tourism.” At Re:Route CAFE, we will continue to offer programs that allow both Japanese and international guests to actively experience Japanese tea and wagashi culture firsthand.

■ From “Drinking” Japanese Tea to “Experiencing” It

Japanese tea has long been an integral part of Japanese daily life and has been passed down as a symbol of Japanese culture.

However, while tea is widely enjoyed today as a “beverage,” opportunities to engage with the culture, techniques, and seasonal aesthetic sensibilities behind it are still relatively rare.

At Re:Route CAFE, we’ve adopted the concept of “drinking, eating, and experiencing” Japanese tea, offering experiences that allow you to enjoy Japanese tea culture with all five senses.

This newly launched program is a fresh take on the Japanese tea experience—one that goes beyond simply “learning about” Japanese tea to actually making it with your own hands, savoring its aroma, and tasting it.

■ A First in the Kanto Region*: Experience Hojicha Roasting and Nerikiri Wagashi Making All at Once

In this program, you can enjoy two experiences representative of Japanese culture in about 90 minutes.

<Nerikiri Wagashi Making>

Nerikiri is a traditional Japanese fresh confectionery made with white bean paste.

As a cultural tradition that expresses the beauty of Japan’s four seasons and nature—such as cherry blossoms, morning glories, autumn leaves, and camellias—in these small sweets, they have long been a beloved part of tea ceremonies.

In this workshop, a certified instructor will provide detailed guidance as you create two pieces of nerikiri based on a seasonal theme.

By experimenting with colors and shapes, you’ll experience the beauty of the four seasons—cherished by the Japanese for centuries—as well as the delicacy of traditional craftsmanship.

<Hojicha Roasting Experience>

For the hojicha roasting, we use first-flush stem tea from Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Using a “horoku”—a traditional Japanese roasting tool—participants will roast the tea leaves with their own hands.

Participants decide for themselves how far to roast the tea.

Light roast.

Medium roast.

Deep roast.

Depending on the heat level and roasting time, the aroma, color, sweetness, and aftertaste will change slightly.

You can not only taste the finished hojicha right there, but also take it home as a souvenir.

Hojicha Roasting Experience

*This image is for illustrative purposes only.

■ Authentic instruction by experts in the tea ceremony and flower arrangement

This experience is not merely a workshop for making Japanese sweets and tea.

A certified instructor will provide easy-to-understand explanations, incorporating the history of nerikiri sweets, the significance of enjoying fresh sweets during a tea ceremony, and Japan’s unique sensibility for expressing the seasons.

In addition, staff with experience in the tea ceremony and flower arrangement will introduce the concepts of “omotenashi” (hospitality) and the “culture of appreciating the four seasons,” which the Japanese have long cherished.

We’ll provide careful, step-by-step guidance—starting with how to use the tools—so even first-time participants can join with confidence.

■ Experience Japanese Culture with All Five Senses

In this experience, you’ll enjoy Japanese tea culture using all five senses.

Watch the moment the color of the tea leaves changes.

Smell the aroma of the roasting process.

Listen to the sound of the tea leaves rolling in the roasting pan.

Feel the heat radiating from the roasting pan.

Taste the nerikiri you made yourself and the freshly roasted hojicha.

The time spent savoring the finished nerikiri and the hojicha you roasted yourself is a special moment reserved just for participants.

■ Japanese Cultural Experiences Tailored for International Visitors

While matcha and tea ceremony experiences are widely known overseas, there are still few facilities where visitors can experience “hojicha roasting.”

Furthermore, Re:Route CAFE is the first* in the Kanto region to offer a program that combines this experience with nerikiri wagashi making.

At Re:Route CAFE, we provide guidance and support in English so that international guests can fully enjoy Japanese tea culture.

Both Japanese guests and international visitors can enjoy this as a uniquely Japanese cultural experience.

■ 90 Minutes to Center Your Mind

Re:Route CAFE’s space and experiential design are based on the theme of “taking a moment to pause and reflect on oneself,” under the supervision of a psychological counselor.

In today’s information-saturated world, taking time to focus on scents, engage in hands-on activities, and feel the seasons can serve as an opportunity to reflect on oneself.

We offer a new and valuable experience that blends Japanese tea culture with psychology.

■ Connecting Japanese Culture to the Future

The Way of Tea.

Flower arrangement.

Wagashi.

Japanese tea.

Each of these has been passed down as a distinct cultural tradition.

At Re:Route CAFE, we bring these elements together into a single experience to convey the charm of Japanese culture to the next generation and to the world.

Based on the concept of “drink, eat, and experience,” we aim to be a place that connects people and culture through Japanese tea and creates new value.

■ Message from the CEO

TechLink Co., Ltd.

Kenichi Saka, Representative Director

“We don’t just want to sell tea. We want to preserve Japanese tea culture for the future.

We want to convey the Japanese sensibility—which values the tea ceremony, traditional Japanese sweets, and the changing seasons—through hands-on experiences. It was with this vision in mind that we planned this program.

We aim to create a place where not only Japanese guests but also visitors from overseas can experience the depth of Japanese culture.”

■ Experience Overview

Experience Name: Hojicha Roasting & Nerikiri Wagashi Making Experience

Start Date: Saturday, July 18, 2026

Dates: Business days (advance reservation required)

Time: Session 1: 11:00 a.m. –

　　　　　 Session 2: 1:30 PM–

Duration: Approx. 90 minutes

Capacity: 8 people per session

Fee: 8,800 yen (tax included)

Activities: ・Making nerikiri Japanese sweets (2 pieces)

　　　　　 ・Hojicha roasting experience

　　　　　 ・Tasting

　　　　　 ・Includes a souvenir bag of roasted hojicha

Website: Experience Page https://reroute-cafe.com/experience

　　　　　 Facility Page: https://reroute-cafe.com/

■ Store Overview

Store Name: Re:Route CAFE Jiyugaoka

Address: COMS Jiyugaoka B1, 1-5-10 Jiyugaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-0035

Concept: “Drink, Eat, and Experience” Japanese Tea

Hours: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Last Order: 4:00 PM)

Closed: Sundays

Operating Company: Techlink Co., Ltd.

Representative Director: Kenichi Saka

■ Company Overview

Company Name: TechLink Co., Ltd.

Representative: Kenichi Saka, Representative Director

Address: 5F, 1-13-2 Shin-Kamata, Ota-ku, Tokyo 144-0054

Established: October 2003

URL: https://www.teclink.co.jp/

*As of July 2026, according to our research. As a facility in the Kanto region that regularly offers the “Hojicha Roasting Experience” and the “Nerikiri Wagashi Making Experience” as a single program to the general public.