Buying Matcha in Japan in 2026: Shortage, Limits, Shops

A matcha-buying trip to Japan is still a good idea, but 2026 is a different trip from 2023. Demand from outside Japan has outrun supply, prices have jumped, the famous shops ration what they sell, and a new energy-supply worry has entered the picture. Here is the current situation and how to shop well anyway.

Is there still a matcha shortage in Japan right now?

Yes, and it is well documented in 2026 reporting. Japan's green tea exports in the fiscal year to March 2026 reached 13,125 tons, up 42 percent year on year, with export value more than doubling to about 84.7 billion yen, the highest in over 70 years, and powdered tea made up roughly 70 percent of that volume. The Global Japanese Tea Association's April 2026 report states that European and US matcha demand "has tightened supply of domestically produced tea leaves." The spring 2026 first flush came in on favourable weather, which is a genuine positive, but it is not large enough to close the gap.

What does the shortage mean for someone shopping in Japan?

Higher prices and rationing. Ippodo's February 2026 notice puts the average first-harvest tea price at about 2.5 times the previous year, and matcha specifically at about 2.6 times, and the company has already discontinued several bancha and blended-tea items from March 1, 2026, while warning it "may implement temporary suspensions or purchase limits" on more lines. In practice that means higher shelf prices than a year ago, caps of one or two tins per grade at the well-known shops, and specific grades selling out during the day and returning the next morning.

Is anything new making 2026 worse than 2025?

One thing: energy. Japan's agriculture minister visited a Tokyo matcha cafe in April 2026 specifically to discuss how Middle East tensions could disrupt the heavy fuel oil that tea producers burn to dry harvested leaves during the April-to-June processing window, and pledged to "respond carefully" to fuel supply concerns. Producers interviewed said raw-leaf procurement was fine but that fuel cost and availability were now a worry. It has not caused a fresh price spike as of writing, but it is the reason the 2026 outlook is cautious rather than recovering.

Which shops should you actually visit in Kyoto and Uji?

In central Kyoto, Ippodo's Teramachi flagship is the single best stop, with the attached Kaboku tea room where staff prepare or help you prepare the teas, and, as one long-time TeaChat member put it, "you can usually get some matcha that is not available outside of Kyoto." Horaido sits on the same street with a devoted following. In Uji, 20 minutes south by JR Nara Line, the anchors are Nakamura Tokichi Honten, with its heritage main building and cafe, and Marukyu Koyamaen, the Urasenke school's matcha purveyor. Tsuen, by the Uji bridge, is Japan's oldest tea shop, and Fukujuen's Ujicha Kobo runs a stone-milling class that ends with a tasting.

How should you choose what to buy under a purchase limit?

Spend your one or two tins per grade on matcha you cannot get at home, not on the entry grades that ship internationally. Buy sealed 20 to 40 gram tins rather than one large bag, because ceremonial matcha is at its best within about three months of opening and fades fastest with heat, light and air. If you want organic, look for the JAS mark, not the English word alone. And do not panic-buy an unfamiliar "ceremonial" tin just because the shelf looks thin; under allocation, the shop staff will tell you what is actually good that day.

How do you get matcha home and keep it fresh?

Customs in the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia treat commercially sealed retail tea as normal food for personal use, so keep tins unopened, keep your receipts, and declare food if the form asks. Pack tins in the middle of your luggage away from sun and heat, keep unopened tins in a cool dark cupboard at home, and move any opened tin into an airtight container in the fridge.

What should you do when your Japanese matcha runs out back home?

It will run out, and the same tins from Ippodo, Marukyu Koyamaen or Nakamura Tokichi restock unpredictably on the international sites and sell out within minutes, more so under the current shortage. Rather than refreshing storefronts, set a restock alert for the exact brand and grade you want so you are notified the moment it returns, and keep a realistic second choice in mind for the stretches when your first pick is gone.

Sources

• The Japan Times — Japan's green tea exports surged in fiscal 2025 amid matcha boom (May 2026)
• Nippon.com / JIJI Press — Japan agriculture minister inspects matcha cafe in Tokyo (Apr 2026)
• STiR Coffee and Tea — Japanese farmers increase tencha production (Jun 2026)
• Global Japanese Tea Association — Japanese tea report, April 2026
• Ippodo Tea — Notice on industry supply shortages (Feb 2026)
• MAFF — Organic JAS standard
• USDA — US–Japan organic equivalence (JAS) FAQ
• TeaChat — "Ippodo, Horaido, or someone else?"

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