ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Akita in Akita City will hold "Tea-Scented Gourmet Time" (茶薫る美食時間), a two-day event that explores the appeal of tea, for the first time. It takes place on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, 2026. Tea brewed with two well-known Akita waters is served alongside dishes prepared by the hotel's chefs.
Tea Brewed With Water From Mt. Chokai and the Shirakami Mountains
Akita Prefecture is blessed with good-quality water nurtured by rich mountains such as the Shirakami Mountains, a World Natural Heritage site, and Mt. Chokai. Much of the water is soft, low in minerals, and mellow on the palate. This water has long supported Akita's food culture, including rice growing, sake, and fermentation.
Water is also essential for bringing out the aroma and flavor of tea. At this event, tea is brewed with two of Akita's representative waters, the brewing water of Tenju Shuzo (天寿酒造) and Shirakami Sansui (白神山水), to bring out the individual character of each tea leaf.
The first is the "ultra-soft water" (超軟水) from Mt. Chokai that Tenju Shuzo, a long-established sake brewery in Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture, also uses to brew its sake. It is subsoil water that comes from the perennial snow and snowmelt of Mt. Chokai, polished by the earth over a long period of time, and is known for its soft, clean mouthfeel without any unpleasant edge.
The other is Shirakami Sansui, nurtured by the rich nature of the Shirakami Mountains, a World Natural Heritage site. It is collected in Fujisato Town, Akita Prefecture, and is soft water with a hardness of 19. Its refreshing taste brings out the natural character of the ingredients.
Three Plans: Lunch, Afternoon Tea, and Dinner
The event is led by tea brewing master (お茶淹師) 大図 優香, who has more than 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry and has pursued pairings of food with wine and tea as a sommelier. Three plans are offered: a lunch that pairs Chinese tea with food, an afternoon tea featuring Japanese black tea and Japanese herbs, and a pairing dinner that matches tea with Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine.
A variety of carefully selected teas are served with dishes and tea sweets finished by the hotel's chefs. Guests can listen to the instructor's explanations of how to brew tea and about the tea leaves while enjoying the aroma, flavor, and lingering aftertaste of the pairings between tea and food.
Plan 1: Lunch - Yum Cha and Chinese Tea Gathering
A lunch tea gathering with three kinds of Chinese tea that differ in aroma and flavor, paired with dishes from the Chinese restaurant Karin (花梨). Guests can experience the aroma of Chinese tea and the appeal of how it is brewed together with Hong Kong-style dim sum.
- Dates and time: Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, from 11:00 AM
- Duration: About 2 hours
- Venue: Chinese restaurant Karin (花梨), 1F
- Price: ¥4,800 per person
- Capacity: 20 guests per day
- Contents: 3 kinds of Chinese tea and 7 Chinese dishes
Talk theme: How to brew Chinese tea and how to enjoy it with yum cha. The talk covers authentic etiquette and how to choose tea leaves, combining knowledge and hands-on experience.
Menu
- Assortment of three select amuse-bouches
- Medicinal herb soup with pork spare ribs
- Stir-fried two kinds of seafood and seasonal vegetables with fermented black beans
- Tasting of two kinds of house-made shumai
- Seasonal spring rolls and daikon radish cake
- Savory fried rice with iburigakko (smoked pickled daikon)
- Assorted Chinese-style small sweets
Plan 2: Afternoon - Afternoon Salon With Japanese Black Tea and Japanese Herbs
An afternoon to relax with the rich aromas created by Japanese black tea and Japanese herbs.
- Dates and time: Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, from 2:30 PM
- Duration: About 2 hours
- Venue: THE STUDIO, 1F
- Price: ¥4,000 per person
- Capacity: 20 guests per day
- Contents: 3 teas incorporating Japanese black tea and Japanese herbs, plus 12 tea sweets and savories
Talk theme: Guests experience the differences in aroma and flavor between Japanese black tea and Japanese herbs while learning ways to stay healthy as the seasons change. The talk introduces ways to enjoy tea in tune with the season, together with medicinal-style tea sweets made with beautiful skin in mind.
Tea sweets and savories menu
- Almond jelly with southern apricot kernels
- Almond cookie (xing ren su)
- Fresh chocolate filled with lotus seed paste
- White fungus and snow pear sweet soup
- Steamed bun sandwich with braised pork belly
- Black sesame cookie
- Pumpkin pie
- Pear tart
- Marron glacé
- Sweet potato
- Fig pound cake
- Tomato marinated in sherry vinegar with cured ham
Plan 3: Dinner - Tea and Cuisine Pairing Dinner
An evening to enjoy a new kind of pairing in which Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine resonate with tea.
- Date and time: Saturday, October 17 only, from 6:30 PM
- Duration: About 2 hours
- Venue: Chinese restaurant Karin (花梨), 1F
- Price: ¥10,000 per person
- Capacity: 20 guests
- Contents: 7 teas matched to the dishes, plus an 8-course Japanese, Western, and Chinese fusion full course
Talk theme: The world of tea matched to food. Guests experience tea pairings that, like wine, bring out the flavors of the dishes more deeply. While listening to the instructor's commentary, guests enjoy a pairing evening that spans Japanese tea, Chinese tea, and black tea.
Menu
- Assorted hors d'oeuvres for gourmets
- Steamed soup with seasonal mushrooms and chicken meatballs
- Sashimi of seasonal fish
- Deep-fried taro in broth
- Stir-fried shrimp with tea leaves
- Roast young lamb with mushrooms and mustard sauce
- Chinese soy sauce "black fried rice" with zha cai (preserved mustard stem) and Sichuan pepper-flavored pickled daikon
- Special dessert assortment
About the Instructor: Tea Brewing Master 大図 優香
大図 優香 is the representative of tea & peace. After graduating from high school, she worked in the food and beverage industry for more than 20 years, pursuing pairings of food with wine and tea as a sommelier. She started working as a freelancer with the COVID pandemic as the turning point, and her mission is to deliver "peaceful and comfortable time (PEACE)" through tea.
She incorporates food cultures and traditional crafts from around Japan, and sometimes goes into the mountains to draw spring water or gather wild plants. Her wish is to serve delicious tea to the person in front of her, using the teaware and tea leaves she treasures, to create "tea time that can only be enjoyed in that place." She hopes that time spent with tea will make everyone's daily life a "nao ii hi" (なおいい日), a day that gets even better.
Event Overview
- Event name: Tea-Scented Gourmet Time (茶薫る美食時間)
- Dates: Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, 2026
- Venue: ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Akita, Chinese restaurant Karin (花梨) on 1F and THE STUDIO on 1F
- Reservations: https://www.tablecheck.com/ja/shops/karin-anacpakita/reserve
- Official website: https://www.anacpakita.jp/offers/tea-event2026/
