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Food & Beverage

Hold the coffee: Tea shop craze brews in Japan

Colorful, Instagrammable drinks a big hit with women

Starbucks Coffee Japan recently opened its first cafe in the country to specialize in tea. (Photo by Rina Horisawa)

TOKYO -- Tea shops, tea houses, tea bars or tea cafes. Whatever name they go by, spaces specializing in tea are popping up all over Japan and drawing a heavily female clientele, offering beverages with fruity aromas and Instagram-worthy colors.

Starbuck's tea-focused shop that opened July 1 at Tokyo's trendy Roppongi Hills shopping center serves drinks like a yuzu, citrus lavender and sage herbal tea that sells for 590 yen ($5.60). While Starbucks Coffee Japan has offered Teavana-branded teas since 2016, this marks the company's first cafe in Japan to specialize in tea. The company will consider adding more Teavana locations as it aims to develop tea into a strong income earner like coffee and Frappuccinos.

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