I spent the past month in Japan, deepening my understanding of something that has quietly become a part of who I am.
Matcha has been at the centre of my universe since I took my first sip in 2014, ultimately leading me to found Ceremony in 2022. Between the late nights and the long hours, this vibrant powder has been my steady source of energy and focus. Somewhere along the way, matcha became more than a daily ritual. It became a lens through which I experienced the world around me. If you ask the people closest to me, they’ll probably tell you it's my most frequently used word. On this journey, I picked up the hero nickname, ‘The Matcha Girl’, one I’m proud to have.
I arrived in Japan chasing inspiration.
While the journey involved sourcing and strengthening Ceremony’s supply chain, my deeper intention was to understand the culture, craftsmanship, and the people behind the verdant green powder that has shaped so much of my life and career. I wanted to explore new pathways on how we can continue to pay homage to Japan and matcha.
Tokyo was our first stop.
The city felt both futuristic and nostalgic, as though I was walking through my own Studio Ghibli film. Quaint, yet enormous. Even in the midst of one of the world’s busiest cities, there was an ease to life here. The streets moved with rhythm rather than urgency. People walked with intention. There were no overflowing bins or discarded coffee cups. The details shone through, a lot of it echoing a childlike style of animation that felt healing for my inner child. For a city of over 14 million people, Tokyo felt surprisingly gentle.
In a relatively full-speed-ahead itinerary, I moved through Harajuku, Shibuya, Omotesando, Ginza, Yoyogi Park, Kappabashi culinary district and Roppongi Hills, pausing for matcha wherever I could find it. Contemporary cafes, design-forward matcha ateliers, and unassuming tea counters. Late nights led to the best sushi, izakaya ramen, and the viral sensation udon carbonara from Menchirashi in Harajuku. It felt grounded and unpretentious. The real magic was found in simply walking the streets with no fixed plan or expectation.
Perhaps what struck me most was how safe and calm I felt. Even during this fast-paced week, it almost felt as if my nervous system was given space to soften. There was a sense that even in this enormous city, there is space to be calm.
Then came Kyoto.
We boarded the Shinkansen, the world’s first bullet train and an impressive symbol of Japanese technological advancement, and watched the city slowly dissolve into countryside. Concrete gave way to tea fields, easily identifiable by the uniform rows of hedges, which appeared almost hypnotic when travelling at 320 km per hour. Having worked with matcha from thousands of miles away from where it was grown, I found seeing its source especially memorable. With heavy clouds covering much of the horizon, I had to wait until our return journey to see Mount Fuji peaking out across the landscape. Hot tip: sit on the right side of the train from Tokyo to Kyoto to catch a glimpse of the iconic volcano.
We checked into the beautifully curated Maana Homes, a contemporary take on the traditional Kyoto machiya, heavily influenced by the city’s streetscapes and landscapes. I celebrated my birthday in this architectural treasure, which felt a world away from the standard hotel room template.
Scattered with wooden machiya homes, Buddhist temples, and Shinto shrines, Japan’s cultural capital felt slower, older and more rooted in tradition. Building heights are heavily restricted here, a welcome contrast to the 50-story buildings of Tokyo. I spent my days wandering along the river, browsing ceramic studios, and, as expected, drinking exceptional matcha. Gokago in Kiyamizu lived up to its viral expectation as a standout matcha experience.
Even working up thousands of steps each day, I never felt tired here. It was as though I were suspended in a constant state of wonder.
It all came together in Uji.
Widely considered the birthplace of premium Japanese matcha, Uji has supported many of the country’s top matcha farms since the 13th century. Here, I met with our existing supplier and explored opportunities with new ones. I visited tea farms, walked through fields, and witnessed firsthand the extraordinary care and attention to detail that goes into every plant. The relationships between the farmers and the crop felt more like a stewardship responsibility than a production one.
Uji offered a quiet reminder of the matcha ritual. That the quality of the bowl is shaped long before it is whisked for preparation. It’s built on the health of the soil, the timing of the harvest, and the careful work of shading the leaves. Personally, this experience gently reminded me what an honour it is to be in this industry, and to stay so passionate and curious about this leaf.
On a side note, one of the most refreshing things about seeing matcha go viral is how genuinely curious people seem to be about the product. They want to know where their matcha comes from, understand the cultivation process, quality, and blends. If I think about it deeply, matcha is doing the hard work to connect us to the stories behind what we consume, something that seems like a long-lost art of appreciation. In its own way, matcha invites us to slow down, to honour its history, and to find stillness in the repetition of ritual.
On my return to Tokyo for the final stretch of the trip, I was gifted the time to reflect. I stayed in the sustainability-forward 1 Hotel Tokyo, which provided the perfect setting for a moment of pause. After weeks of meetings, sourcing, tasting, and gathering inspiration and information, I found myself looking at Ceremony with a new appreciation. This final week gave me the space to look at the business through a macro lens. To see what is working, what requires a pivot, and which areas we need to hone in on.
I’m returning to Cape Town with a clearer mind, a calmer nervous system, a suitcase filled with treasures, and more inspiration than I ever expected to find. I feel blessed to be able to build this business sustainably and intentionally, and for Ceremony to be part of an industry that is carrying the story of matcha forward.
