Japanese teashops are getting popular, and even though most of them are traditional or casual style, Higashiya Ginza makes it upscale with zen style. Located on the 2F of glittering POLA building just opened in October, the modern Japanese-style interior features wood, with many lights hanging from the ceiling.
From a wide variety of Japanese tea throughout Japan, I picked roasted tea of Miyazaki prefecture (850yen). Its color is light-brown, not green, 
with crispy flavor. Most of customers ordered Japanese-style sweets using sweet bean paste together with tea. Today’s sweets (from 190yen) choosing from more than 10 samples was fine, but the prices weren’t showed on the samples. My freshly steamed sweet buns (420yen) were good for cold winter. Here turns into not only a cafe but a bar from 5pm-9pm, offering a fine selection of sake.
Tea, sweets, interior are enhanced with contemporary twists while respecting traditions. Don’t forget stopping by a restroom with hyper-modern style!
SHOP DATA: POLA Ginza building 2F 1-7-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku Tokyo
Open daily 11am-9pm