Plus Kombucha is a kombucha specialty store located a 4-minute walk from Higashiyama Koen Station on the Higashiyama Line of the Nagoya Municipal Subway. This quiet residential area is within walking distance of Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens, a popular tourist destination, and is known for its many fashionable spots. If you walk straight from Higashiyama Koen Station, you will see Plus Kombucha, a sophisticated store that won the Interior Design Award 2023. The owner, Yosuke Kikuchi, happily told us about the world of kombucha, where the pursuit of deliciousness has led to good health.

My first encounter with kombucha

Kikuchi says he first encountered kombucha on a trip to the Gold Coast in Australia. Kombucha (a drink made by fermenting black or green tea with SCOBY bacteria, which is expected to have an effect on intestinal activity) is popular as a health drink overseas and is a part of many people's lives, but it is still unfamiliar in Japan. When Kikuchi tried kombucha for the first time, he had a hunch that "I could make it taste even better." At the time, kombucha sold overseas was often very sweet and sour, and he felt that it would take some ingenuity to make it a single serving for one person. From there, he naturally began researching the delicious kombucha he wanted to drink.

The birth of kombucha began with a childhood experience

As a child, Kikuchi loved snacks and sugary drinks, and would snack on them every day. One day, while living this way, he gained a lot of weight, and even though he was still in elementary school, he felt a sense of crisis. From then on, he decided to only drink tea and water, and worked to improve his constitution. As it happened, his relatives were rice farmers, so he started eating brown rice that was 80% polished on a daily basis, and he succeeded in improving his own constitution. This experience of facing his own body led to a heightened awareness of health, which led to the birth of the current kombucha. Kikuchi says that there are many healthy food options overseas, and he was always on the lookout for them. He discovered kombucha in Australia, which led to the birth of his own original kombucha that was both delicious and healthy, something he had been searching for for many years.

A new culture of toasting with kombucha

The owner, Mr. Kikuchi, used to drink alcohol as a daily habit, but when his wife became pregnant, he started to cut back on his alcohol intake. At that time, he was surprised at the lack of non-alcoholic drink options when eating out or toasting. Mr. Kikuchi felt that kombucha was the perfect non-alcoholic toast drink that anyone could enjoy, as it is as flavorful as wine and good for your health. Eventually, that desire led him to work to create a world where kombucha is an option for toasting.

Currently, the store has an attached brewery that produces and wholesales kombucha. Kombucha is being introduced in many restaurants as a non-alcoholic drink at weddings and other celebrations, and as a drink to accompany a course meal, fostering a new food culture. "Plus Kombucha" is spreading new values that combine deliciousness with health benefits.
The many people and miracles he has encountered through kombucha, and the vividness of everyday life is overflowing in each cup. Visiting the Higashiyama Park area to try Kikuchi's original kombucha is a new way to enjoy Nagoya.

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Store name: Plus Kombucha

Address: 1F Kurokawa Building, 4-17 Higashiyama-dori, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 464-0807

Access: 4 minutes on foot from Higashiyama Park Station

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plus.kombucha/

HP: https://traghetto.jp

*For details on business hours and holidays, please check the link above.