Japanese university students promote Taiwan tea at Tokyo tourism expo

Tokyo, Sept. 27 (CNA) Students from a Japanese university held a Taiwanese tea tasting and seminar at the 2026 Tourism Expo Japan on Saturday, showcasing teas paired with Japanese confections.

The event took place during the three-day annual expo, held from Friday through Sunday at the Tokyo Big Sight international exhibition center.

The experience was organized by Toyo University's Department of International Tourism Management, which was participating in the expo, with assistance from the Japanese branch of Taiwanese beverage company Happy Lemon.

Happy Lemon representative Lin Tai-yi (林太一) served as the presenter of the seminar.

Students from Toyo University's tourism department said the idea originated during a trip to Taiwan, where they sampled teas at local beverage shops.

They said they were struck by the wide variety of teas available and became interested in comparing Taiwanese and Japanese beverage cultures, leading them to conduct further research after returning to Japan.

For the event, the students selected Taiwanese teas they considered well suited to Japanese tastes and offered suggestions on how to pair them with Japanese confections.

During the seminar, Lin introduced different types of Taiwanese tea, including green, black and oolong varieties.

He told CNA that one feature distinguishing Taiwanese tea is the different ways in which the leaves are oxidized and roasted.

As part of the tasting, organizers served two of Taiwan's oolong teas, jinxuan oolong and Oriental Beauty, with Japanese snacks.

The pairings were intended to show how Taiwanese tea can be enjoyed in everyday settings and highlight its potential to promote cultural and tourism exchanges, according to the organizers.