The Asahi Shinbun is reporting that Japanese merchants are aiming to take tea back to its roots… China. The article is written by Mayuko Tokita and as stated as a preface to this article on the site, is part of a series that focuses on the growing influence of China in Japan.

Here is a portion of that article:

His Howaen Co., a tea producer and dealer in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, set up a joint venture in October to export Chinese tea to the United States, Europe and Africa.

But like many Japanese investors before him, Okamoto has found that the biggest potential market for his products may be right under his nose. Affluent Chinese are paying as much as 6,000-7,000 yen for 100 grams for the finest-grade longjing tea, often bought as gifts, he said.

By comparison, tea purchased as gifts in Japan usually costs 1,000-3,000 yen per 100 grams.

“While we are focusing on exports, we will not be able to overlook China’s growing domestic market,” Okamoto said.

Okamoto is one of a small yet growing number of Japanese tea traders who are weighing targeting China as an export market.

For Japanese tea dealers, China is where their trade originated.

According to records, tea drinking spread in Japan during the Kamakura Period (1192-1333) after a Buddhist priest, Eisai, brought back tea seeds from China. Industry officials said, however, Japanese green tea and its Chinese cousin are different.