Japan is one of the most famous countries for its love of and obsession with tea, after China. Particularly fabled is its beautiful but strict and heavily methodical tea ceremony, known as chanoyu (茶の湯). Even outside of the tea room doors, however, the Japanese are still enthusiastic about what is seen as the ‘wonder plant’ from China. However, tea’s history in Japan is as long as it is complicated. Tea fell in and out of favour several times, corresponding with the rise and fall of relations between the two countries. Complex political situations and upstart groups of insurgents also shaped the way the Japanese took their tea.
