Best Japanese Matcha Brands, 15 Compared by Price per Gram
japan-japan.com divided each listed price by its grams on the brands’ official online shops. That gives one number per box, tin or bag, and you can compare it across brands and sizes. We do not rank taste in this guide.
4 of Ippodo’s 11 matcha and 5 of Marukyu Koyamaen’s 12 cost under 100 yen per gram. At the top end, 4 Ippodo matcha and 2 Marukyu Koyamaen matcha cost 200 yen per gram or more. The medians sit in between, at 124.2 yen for Ippodo and 110.7 yen for Marukyu Koyamaen.
A 20 g box and a 100 g bag only line up once you divide by the grams.
Ippodo vs Marukyu Koyamaen side by side
The table puts eight facts about these two Kyoto tea houses in one place, from price per gram to overseas shipping.
| Item | Ippodo | Marukyu Koyamaen |
|---|---|---|
| Price per gram | 43.2 to 810 yen | 48.6 to 1,080 yen |
| Median per gram | 124.2 yen | 110.7 yen |
| Matcha counted | 11 | 12 |
| Sizes | 20 g boxes only | 20, 40 and 100 g |
| Tax on prices | With tax | Not stated |
| Shop towns | Kyoto city, Tokyo (3 shops) | Uji, Kyoto city (2 shops) |
| Online limit | Per customer, no number given | One order a month, up to 5 items |
| From abroad | Global Online Shop, USA and Canada shop | No shipping to forwarding companies |
On price per gram, the two are close. Marukyu Koyamaen’s median of 110.7 yen sits a little under Ippodo’s 124.2 yen. Marukyu Koyamaen also has this guide’s highest figure: Tenju, at 1,080 yen per gram in 20 g and 40 g tins.
The bigger differences are in how you buy. Ippodo sells every matcha in a 20 g box, so its prices line up neatly. Marukyu Koyamaen sells 20 g, 40 g and 100 g tins, plus a 100 g bag of Yugen.
Shop prices in Japan carry consumption tax, and food and drink other than alcohol are taxed at 8%. Ippodo shows its prices with tax once at the end of its list. Marukyu Koyamaen does not say whether its prices include tax, so we show them as listed. Our guide to matcha prices in Japan works through the medians for all 15 brands.
Both brands limit online orders. Since a notice of 1 August 2025, Ippodo limits how much matcha each customer can buy, without giving a number. Its Japanese list shows the line 購入点数の制限がございます (kōnyū tensū no seigen ga gozaimasu), which means a limit applies to the number of items you buy. Marukyu Koyamaen takes one matcha order a month per delivery address, up to 5 items in total.
Ippodo has 3 shops in our list: the Kyoto main store (10:00–17:00), Ippodo Aoyama in Tokyo (10:00–18:00) and Ippodo Shin-Marunouchi Building in Tokyo (11:00–21:00). Marukyu Koyamaen has 2: the Nishinotoin shop in Kyoto city, open 9:30–18:00 with the Motoan tea room, and the head-office shop in Uji. Our Ippodo Tea page and Marukyu Koyamaen page list each shop with its hours.
Three measures do most of the work when you compare any two brands. The drawing below sets them out.
Price per gram shows what the tea costs. The shop towns show where you can buy in person, and overseas shipping shows whether you can order again from home.
Ippodo’s matcha from lowest to highest price per gram
The Ippodo Tea official online shop matcha list shows 11 matcha in 20 g boxes. Prices run from 864 to 16,200 yen with tax, and every box is the same size, so the price order and the per-gram order match.
Ippodo set new matcha prices from 1 October 2026, and the 20 g size stayed the same. The table uses the prices we read on 18 October 2026.
Ippodo’s English shop sorts its matcha by style of preparation, including koicha (thick tea) and usucha (thin tea), as well as lattes.
| Tea | Size | Price (with tax) | Per gram |
|---|---|---|---|
| 初昔 (Hatsu-mukashi) | 20 g box | 864 yen | 43.2 yen |
| 若き白 (Wakaki-shiro) | 20 g box | 1,080 yen | 54 yen |
| 幾世の昔 (Ikuyo-no-mukashi) | 20 g box | 1,512 yen | 75.6 yen |
| オーガニック抹茶 (Organic Matcha) | 20 g box | 1,944 yen | 97.2 yen |
| 関の白 (Kan-no-shiro) | 20 g box | 2,160 yen | 108 yen |
| 【季節限定】月影 (Tsukikage, autumn only) | 20 g box | 2,484 yen | 124.2 yen |
| 明昔 (Sayaka-no-mukashi) | 20 g box | 3,024 yen | 151.2 yen |
| 松韻の昔 (Shoin-no-mukashi) | 20 g box | 4,320 yen | 216 yen |
| 雲門の昔 (Ummon-no-mukashi) | 20 g box | 5,400 yen | 270 yen |
| 久遠 (Kuon) | 20 g box | 9,720 yen | 486 yen |
| 閑坐 (Kanza) | 20 g box | 16,200 yen | 810 yen |
The cheapest 4, from Hatsu-mukashi to Organic Matcha, cost under 100 yen per gram. The top 4, from Shoin-no-mukashi to Kanza, cost 216 yen per gram or more.
Ippodo’s shop for buyers abroad lists the same teas in English with its own prices. The Ippodo Tea Global Online Shop matcha page shows Hatsu-mukashi at ¥800 and Kanza at ¥15,000 for a 20 g box, before tax. Ippodo also runs a separate online shop for the USA and Canada.
Marukyu Koyamaen’s matcha from lowest to highest price per gram
The Marukyu Koyamaen official online shop matcha catalogue starts at 2,052 yen. Its top price is 43,200 yen for a 40 g tin of Tenju, and our count covers 12 matcha with a fixed size in grams. The shop does not say whether these prices include tax, so the table shows each price as listed.
Marukyu Koyamaen’s head-office shop is in Uji, south of Kyoto city. From Kyoto Station, the JR Miyakoji Rapid reaches Uji in 17 minutes for 240 yen, as our Kyoto to Uji route page shows.
| Tea | Size | Price (tax not stated) | Per gram |
|---|---|---|---|
| 青嵐 (Seiran) | 100 g tin | 4,860 yen | 48.6 yen |
| 青嵐 (Seiran) | 40 g tin | 2,160 yen | 54 yen |
| 又玄 (Yugen) | 100 g bag | 8,856 yen | 88.6 yen |
| 又玄 (Yugen) | 100 g tin | 9,180 yen | 91.8 yen |
| 又玄 (Yugen) | 40 g tin | 3,888 yen | 97.2 yen |
| 又玄 (Yugen) | 20 g tin | 2,052 yen | 102.6 yen |
| 和光 (Wako) | 40 g tin | 4,752 yen | 118.8 yen |
| 和光 (Wako) | 20 g tin | 2,484 yen | 124.2 yen |
| 雲鶴 (Unkaku) | 40 g tin | 7,560 yen | 189 yen |
| 雲鶴 (Unkaku) | 20 g tin | 3,888 yen | 194.4 yen |
| 天授 (Tenju) | 20 g tin | 21,600 yen | 1,080 yen |
| 天授 (Tenju) | 40 g tin | 43,200 yen | 1,080 yen |
Size matters more here than at Ippodo. Seiran costs 48.6 yen per gram in the 100 g tin and 54 yen in the 40 g tin. Yugen runs from 88.6 yen per gram in the 100 g bag to 102.6 yen in the 20 g tin. Tenju is the exception, at 1,080 yen per gram in both tins.
Matcha is sold online on an irregular schedule, and sales restarted irregularly from August 2025. The shop’s notice gives the reason as a matcha shortage after a sharp rise in demand. It also says the shop does not ship to hotels, forwarding companies or logistics warehouses, so use a home address in Japan.
The chart below counts how many matcha from each brand fall under 100 yen per gram, and how many reach 200 yen or more.
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ippodo, under 100 yen/g | 4 items | of 11 |
| Marukyu Koyamaen, under 100 yen/g | 5 items | of 12 |
| Ippodo, 200 yen/g or more | 4 items | of 11 |
| Marukyu Koyamaen, 200 yen/g or more | 2 items | of 12 |
Marukyu Koyamaen has more matcha at the low end, 5 against Ippodo’s 4. Ippodo has more at the top, 4 against 2.
Nakamura Tokichi and other Kyoto and Uji brands
The Nakamura Tokichi Honten official online shop matcha list shows prices with tax. Our count covers 12 matcha with a size in grams, from 1,980 to 23,760 yen. They run from 66 to 583.3 yen per gram, with a median of 185.3 yen.
Nakamura Tokichi sells 30 g tins and 100 g packs. The lowest per gram is 浮島の白 (Ukishima-no-shiro), a 30 g tin at 1,980 yen, or 66 yen per gram. The highest is 初昔 (Hatsu-mukashi), a 30 g tin at 17,500 yen, or 583.3 yen per gram. Ippodo uses the same name for its cheapest box at 43.2 yen per gram, so check the brand as well as the name.
Some Nakamura Tokichi prices went up for orders from 1 September 2026, after a notice of 18 August 2026. It has 9 shops in Uji, Kyoto city, Tokyo and Osaka, the widest spread of the three brands. They include the main store and a Byodoin shop in Uji and two counters at JR Kyoto Isetan. Our Nakamura Tokichi Honten page lists them with hours.
On median price per gram, Nakamura Tokichi is the highest of the three brands we counted line by line.
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Nakamura Tokichi | 185.3 yen per gram | 12 matcha, with tax |
| Ippodo | 124.2 yen per gram | 11 matcha, with tax |
| Marukyu Koyamaen | 110.7 yen per gram | 12 matcha, tax not stated |
Its median of 185.3 yen is well above Ippodo’s 124.2 yen and Marukyu Koyamaen’s 110.7 yen.
Gion Tsujiri has 6 matcha with a size in grams, from 32.4 to 229.5 yen per gram, mostly with tax. It has 5 shops and cafes in Kyoto city, Tokyo and Osaka. They include Kyoto Station Hachijo-guchi (8:30–21:00) and Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi (11:00–22:00). Our Gion Tsujiri page has the rest.
Uji has the main stores of 5 brands in our list: Horii Shichimeien, Itohkyuemon, Marukyu Koyamaen, Nakamura Tokichi and Tsuen.
Itohkyuemon has 5 matcha from 97.2 to 540 yen per gram, each marked with tax. Our list has 5 of its shops in Uji and Kyoto city, including one at JR Uji Station (10:00–18:00). It has no English page, so the Itohkyuemon page on our site gives its shops in English.
Fukujuen has 12 matcha from 64.8 to 432 yen per gram, mostly with tax. Its shop in our list is at Kansai International Airport, opened according to a notice of 2 June 2026. Prices of 14 Fukujuen items change on 1 November 2026, all of them gyokuro, sencha, kabusecha or hojicha, with no matcha among them. Its Uji Tea Kobo offers stone-mill matcha grinding for 2,750 yen. Our Fukujuen page has the details.
15 Japanese matcha brands at a glance
Our matcha shops database counts 42 shops and cafes and 155 teas from 15 brands. We took them from the brands’ official sites. The table gives each brand’s shop areas and its price per gram range on its own online shop. The last column shows whether it has an English page and whether it limits online orders.
If you already know where you will be, the guide below matches four common cases to the brands with shops there.
Uji has shops of Nakamura Tokichi, Marukyu Koyamaen and Itohkyuemon, and Tokyo has Ippodo, Nakamura Tokichi and THE MATCHA TOKYO. Fukujuen has a shop at Kansai International Airport.
| Brand | Shops | Per gram (matcha counted) | English page / online limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ippodo Tea | Kyoto city, Tokyo | 43.2–810 yen (11) | Yes / limit |
| Marukyu Koyamaen | Uji, Kyoto city | 48.6–1,080 yen (12), tax not stated | Yes / limit |
| Nakamura Tokichi Honten | Uji, Kyoto city, Tokyo, Osaka | 66–583.3 yen (12) | Yes / none shown |
| Gion Tsujiri | Kyoto city, Tokyo, Osaka | 32.4–229.5 yen (6) | Yes / none shown |
| Itohkyuemon | Uji, Kyoto city | 97.2–540 yen (5) | No / none shown |
| Fukujuen | Airports | 64.8–432 yen (12) | Yes / none shown |
| Kanbayashi Shunsho Honten | None in our list | 48.6–216 yen (8) | No / limit |
| Horii Shichimeien | Uji | 82.8–360 yen (7) | Yes / limit |
| Tsuen | Uji | 79.2–396 yen (9) | No / none shown |
| THE MATCHA TOKYO | Tokyo, airports | 160–375 yen (4), tax not stated | Yes / none shown |
| Morihan | Tokyo, Osaka | 43.2–324 yen (12) | No / says none |
| Jugetsudo | Tokyo | 14.9–497.5 yen (12) | Yes / none shown |
| Nanaya | Kyoto city, Tokyo, Shizuoka and Aichi | 21.6–108 yen (5) | No / none shown |
| Saijoen (Aiya) | Shizuoka and Aichi | 118.8 yen (1) | Yes / limit |
| Hoshino Seichaen | None in our list | 54–216 yen (8), tax not stated | No / limit |
Jugetsudo has the lowest figure in the table, 14.9 yen per gram, and Marukyu Koyamaen the highest, 1,080 yen. Jugetsudo’s own range runs from 14.9 to 497.5 yen per gram.
9 of the 15 brands have an English page. Three brands do not say whether their prices include tax: Marukyu Koyamaen, THE MATCHA TOKYO and Hoshino Seichaen. The other 12 mark their prices as including tax, though Gion Tsujiri and Fukujuen each leave one item without tax wording.
THE MATCHA TOKYO runs cafes in Tokyo and one at Fukuoka Airport, and its 4 matcha cost 160 to 375 yen per gram. Our THE MATCHA TOKYO page lists its cafes with hours. Horii Shichimeien takes up to 7 matcha items per order online, and it restarted online matcha sales on 24 September 2026.
How to pick the best Japanese matcha brand without a taste ranking
Each brand describes taste in its own way. Ippodo puts a label on most matcha in its list: 濃厚 (rich), バランス (balanced) or 軽やか (light). Marukyu Koyamaen’s list shows names only. Nakamura Tokichi’s list lets you filter by sweetness, umami and bitterness, but each tin shows a name and a price. These five measures work across all of them.
- Price per gram. Divide the price by the grams. Ippodo’s 864 yen box of 20 g is 43.2 yen per gram.
- The same size. Ippodo sells only 20 g boxes, Marukyu Koyamaen sells 20 to 100 g, and Nakamura Tokichi sells 30 and 100 g. Compare a 20 g box with a 20 g tin.
- The shop town. Uji, Kyoto city, Tokyo, Osaka or an airport. Pick the brand with a shop on your route.
- Shipping abroad. Check it before you plan to reorder from home.
- The tax wording. A price with tax and a price as listed are not always the same thing.
At 20 g, the two Kyoto houses overlap. Ippodo’s 20 g boxes run from 864 to 16,200 yen. Marukyu Koyamaen’s 20 g tins cost 2,052 yen for Yugen, 2,484 yen for Wako, 3,888 yen for Unkaku and 21,600 yen for Tenju.
Two questions sort out most buyers.
Buying in Japan, start with the shop towns. Ordering after you fly home, start with the brands that run a shop for overseas buyers.
Ippodo has a Global Online Shop that ships overseas, plus a separate shop for the USA and Canada. The Fukujuen global online shop ships all products directly from Japan. The Jugetsudo (Maruyama Nori) online shop guide says it ships abroad only to registered customers, by arrangement through its mail form. It adds a 5% handling fee on top of shipping.
The Morihan online shop shopping guide says it delivers only to addresses in Japan and cancels orders with an address abroad. The Hoshino Seichaen overseas shipping notice says it ships only within Japan and does not accept orders through international forwarding services. Kanbayashi Shunsho takes online orders only from people living in Japan. Marukyu Koyamaen does not ship matcha to forwarding companies.
If you buy in a shop, Japan’s tax-free rules change on 1 November 2026, and our tax-free shopping guide explains the new steps.
FAQ
What is the best Japanese matcha brand?
It depends on what you compare, and we do not rank taste. On price per gram, Jugetsudo has the lowest figure in our list at 14.9 yen and Marukyu Koyamaen’s Tenju the highest at 1,080 yen. Of the three brands we counted line by line, Marukyu Koyamaen has the lowest median at 110.7 yen per gram.
Is Ippodo or Marukyu Koyamaen cheaper?
On the median, Marukyu Koyamaen is 110.7 yen per gram and Ippodo 124.2 yen, but Marukyu Koyamaen does not say whether its prices include tax. Ippodo has the cheapest single matcha of the two, Hatsu-mukashi at 864 yen for 20 g, or 43.2 yen per gram. Ippodo’s prices include tax.
Which Japanese matcha brands ship overseas?
Ippodo ships abroad through its Global Online Shop and its USA and Canada shop. Fukujuen’s global online shop ships from Japan, and Jugetsudo ships abroad only to registered customers by arrangement. Morihan, Kanbayashi Shunsho and Hoshino Seichaen deliver only in Japan.
Where can I buy Ippodo and Marukyu Koyamaen in Japan?
Ippodo has its main store in Kyoto, open 10:00–17:00, and two Tokyo shops, Ippodo Aoyama and Ippodo Shin-Marunouchi Building. Marukyu Koyamaen has the Nishinotoin shop in Kyoto city, open 9:30–18:00, and its head-office shop in Uji. From Kyoto Station, Uji is 17 minutes away by the JR Miyakoji Rapid.
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