Shop Review: ISSHIN – Authentic Japanese Tea

Hidden in the Nieuwstraat, in the centre of the Hague, you will find the store ISSHIN, a store that focusses on Japanese tea and is being run by owner Miyuki Oda. The store was opened two months ago.

Miyuki Oda left Japan exactly one year ago to start a new life, together with her son, in The Netherlands and decided to open a cosy little story in The Hague focussed around authentic Japanese tea.

Aside from the fact that you can purchase Japanese biological green tea here, you can also find several goods to help you prepare Japanese tea or to drink it from, but also a diverse assortment of products to buy for yourself or as a gift for someone else. Writing paper, bento boxes, socks and bags are a few examples of what to expect.

Upon entering you find a big table surrounded with stools. This table has a small sink, which immediately gives off the impression that it’s suitable for workshops. It looks inviting, even when you’re looking into the store from the outside.

The owner let me know that she has recently started organising several activities surrounding the Japanese language and Japanese food. She offers you the opportunity to reserve a night, together with a few friends, on which Miyuki Oda will prepare Japanese food. The evenings on which you can freshen up or improve your Japanese take place every Friday night starting at 18.00 hours and Sunday starting at 13.00 hours. To participate you pay a fee of € 5,00 and you’ll be given the opportunity to improve your Japanese and meet new people. Every first Saturday of the month it’s Isshin Night, on which you can enjoy Japanese food and drinks for € 30,00. Also it is possible to get freshly brewed tea for take away for just € 2,00.

Even though the store isn’t very big, the store offers a lot to its visitors. From the opportunity to drink a cup of tea to walking away with a purchased item. The owner Miyuki Oda is very friendly and hospitable, which will definitely make you feel like coming by more often. The possibility of participating in small activities in the store makes the store extra interesting, because the activities have clearly been taken into account, which you can see when looking at the table. The only day the store isn’t open is Monday, but if you happen to be in the Hague on any other day, I encourage you to drop by.

ISSHIN is opened onSunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 13.00 till 18.00, and Friday and Saturday from 11.00 till 18.00. You’ll find the store at the Nieuwstraat 6H in the centre of the Hague, near Pipoos.