On our May 2026 WAZA & Friends visit to northern Japan and Hokkaido, one place was named by everyone as a highlight: the Oirase Gorge in Aomori Prefecture. It is a corridor of lush forest beside a river of fast, startlingly clear water, and its making is tied to the geology of Japan itself.

Register for WAZA & Friends visit Japan in May 2026. Only two places left.

Two carefully paced small-group journeys to Japan in May and November 2026, offering contrasting seasonal perspectives on rural and urban Japan through slow travel, regional depth and shared exploration.

WAZA & Friends is an opportunity to visit Japan with like-minded individuals. It is coordinated by WAZA and includes a structured itinerary to experience Japanese craftsmanship. The first WAZA & Friends visit to Japan will take place from 2-15 November 2025.

We explore the intricate world of Japanese matcha, tracing its journey from shaded tea fields to stone mills and into the cups of global consumers. The article explains what makes matcha distinct—both nutritionally and culturally—from other teas, outlines its meticulous five-step production process, and examines the current global demand bottleneck, particularly in the stone-milling stage. We also break down grading systems, cultivar differences, and the role of tea masters (chashi), while addressing the challenges of organic cultivation and the risks of counterfeit matcha. We hope that WAZA customers and readers can appreciate matcha not just as a trend, but as a centuries-old craft rooted in care, tradition, and terroir.