A new way to multiply "tea and Christmas".

When you hear the word "Christmas," the only things that come to mind are Western things. No one thinks of tea. However, I believe that new ideas can be found in those blind spots, so to speak.

This time, "Sei-cha" is offering a new proposal: "Tea x Christmas". We want to increase the number of occasions in which tea can be enjoyed. This is the reason why the "Tea Party Xmas Party by Namacha" was held.

Adding Japanese elements to the tree and food, which are the standard Christmas contents, and re-inventing them into something new. It is not an easy task to take an approach that not only renews the image, but also conveys it to the masses in an easy-to-understand manner while firmly retaining the traditional Western elements.

A Christmas tree decorated with traditional Japanese art.

This time, Seicha presented a fusion of tea and Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, the first thing that comes to mind is the tree.

Usually fir trees are used for Christmas trees, but we have arranged them in the traditional Japanese bonsai style. The ornaments are illustrated with Japanese and Western motifs. The result is powerful, beautiful, and somehow calming, in a very Japanese way.

This was created by floral artist Yuichiro Hinata. On the day of the event, a talk session was held with TV personality Yuji, who talked about the particulars of the creation process.

The tree is not too close to a bonsai tree, while not destroying the image of a Christmas tree too much. I was conscious of expressing the humorous aspect that lies between the two. I also paid attention to the base. I cut the lid of a tea box with a saw, and the tree comes out from the lid. I also valued the texture of the ornaments, such as the use of paper for ornaments.

In response to Hinata's words, Eugene also commented, "Even though it is a bonsai, it is a solid representation of a Christmas tree. It's so cool. It was impressive to see the audience taking pictures of the tree as much as they could.

A variety of vibrant food items with color added by tea.

Next was the food, which was enjoyed by everyone present. The food was prepared by Ms. Chiori Yamamoto of "chioben," which provides boxed lunches, sales, and catering services for parties. She is a popular chef among the editors.

The colorful array of food served that day included "Roti of Ezo Deer," "Som Tam of Various Radishes," "Seared Yellow Tail with Aoyama Pepper Sauce," "Tea and Nut Tart," and many more. In addition to their stunning brightness, the food tastes just as good. All of the menu items were gentle on the palate and made the most of the flavor of the ingredients. It was a sight to behold how quickly the dishes disappeared after the food was served.

This year's Christmas party featured tea, so I inserted Shizuoka tea leaves and branches into the crevices of the dishes to add a splash of color. Many dishes at parties are spicy, but this time we decided to incorporate Japanese flavors into the menu, so the menu has a gentle flavor. That's why it goes so well with tea."

Eugene, who tasted the "Ezo Deer Roti," one of the dishes, commented, "I had an image of deer being fishy, but that is not the case with Mr. Yamamoto's cooking. It has an amazingly refreshing flavor. This deer must have grown up eating mint (laugh)," he joked, adding, "It goes really well with the taste of fresh tea.

Tea cocktails created by the best bartender in Japan.

As a drink to go with the delicious food, "Fresh Tea" presented a tea cocktail.

Drinks are an indispensable part of a party. The idea is not just to serve tea, but to turn it into a cocktail. This was realized by Takashi Fujii, who represented Japan in the world bartender competition and won second place.

Ms. Fujii created four types of drinks: "Vin-cha," a fusion of raw tea and wine; "+pear," a martini style drink with pear and cukanuba to boost the freshness of the tea leaves; "Queen's eggnog (non-alcoholic)," a raw tea version of the classic Christmas drink of eggnog and mulled wine; and "Mulled tea (non-alcoholic). 's eggnog (non-alcoholic)" and "Mulled tea (non-alcoholic)".

Mr. Fujii says, "This time, we came up with a cocktail that makes the most of tea. Cocktails often contain citrus fruits, but we dared not to use them this time. We didn't dare to use citrus fruits in this cocktail because they don't go well with the tea flavor. Eugene drank the "Queen's eggnog," a variation on eggnog that is often drunk at Christmas in the United States.

Eggnog has a soft taste, but the addition of the tea flavor makes it easy to drink without being too sweet. The matcha powder on the glass helps give it the astringent taste that adults like, making it a very well-balanced drink."

This "Queen's eggnog" seemed to be very popular at the event. A long line formed in front of the bar where Ms. Fujii stood, crowded with people who wanted to enjoy the rare tea cocktail.

Christmas 2017 at Fresh Tea.

Nama-tea has re-invented the traditional Christmas contents by adding the elements of "harmony" and "tea" to everything from the tree to the food and cocktails. The result is a fusion of these two elements at a higher dimension, and of course, a new sense of value by coming up with and implementing innovative ideas that no one had ever thought of before.

Since Christmas comes every year, you might want to look at it from a different angle and enjoy it in a new way each time. 2017, please enjoy Christmas not with turkey and champagne, but with Japanese food and fresh tea.