Last Updated on April 3, 2026 by Home in the World
Japan has become the ‘in’ place for Australians to travel to in recent years – and it’s not hard to see why. It’s an incredible country with an exceptionally rich culture steeped in ancient wisdom, rituals and etiquette, often inspired by elements of nature. It’s a place where great thought, care and pride are put into almost all areas of life.
And there’s a little corner of Perth where this very philosophy has been embodied since well before the latest Japan tourism boom: the Green Tea House Subiaco.
The story behind the Green Tea House Subiaco
The Green Tea House Subiaco was first started by Tsutomu Iwasaki in 2006. ‘Tom’, as he was known, migrated to Australia from Japan with his young family in the early ’90s (I actually became best friends with his daughter in primary school, and that is how I came to know the family all those decades ago).
After trying his hand at various jobs and struggling to find good-quality Japanese tea in Perth, he decided to set up his own little tea shop in the heart of Subiaco. And it proved to be one of his great life passions.
Tom’s vision was to share his knowledge and love of Japanese tea with the people of Perth. And it wasn’t just about the tea; in true Japanese style, it was also about the brewing ritual itself – its calming, meditative qualities, and the fact that the act of making and drinking tea offered a moment to pause and connect with people over a cuppa.
This brought him a lot of joy. It also enabled him to build a very successful business with a loyal and ever-growing clientele.
Tom sadly passed away in 2024, but his legacy is well and truly living on. The Green Tea House Subiaco is now being run primarily by his son, Yuma, with some help from his widow, Junko. Together, the mother and son are keeping the shop within the family, and continuing Tom’s vision of sharing a little slice of Japan with Perth. I love that they have been able to do this.
The Green Tea House Subiaco today
With its long-established customer base and excellent reputation, the Green Tea House Subiaco today remains a thriving little hub for authentic Japanese tea, teaware and gifts.
With a range of teas including sencha, gyokuro, hojicha and, of course, matcha sourced from Kyoto and Kagoshima, there’s lots to choose from, whether you’re a seasoned tea connoisseur or a newbie.
Yuma is more than happy to offer free tea tastings, and provides great insights into the preparation process, utensils needed etc. It is a lovely, calming, zen experience overall.
He and his mum regularly travel to Japan to source their authentic products and expand their tea expertise by visiting historic Japanese tea locations and even meeting with highly qualified tea masters. Talk about learn from the best!
And if you want to up your tea game even more, the Green Tea House Subiaco has some beautiful tea sets, not to mention plenty of other gorgeous ornaments, ceramics and fabric noren. The family have done such a great job at bringing authentic Japanese vibes to Perth – browsing the shop genuinely made me feel like I was back in Japan!
Visit the Green Tea House Subiaco
The Green Tea House Subiaco is located at Shop 17/375 Hay St, Subiaco, and is open Tuesday to Saturday as follows:
- Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 10am-4pm
- Thursdays: 10am-6pm
- Fridays: 10am-4pm
- Saturdays: 10am-3pm
- (Closed Sundays and Mondays)
Visit their website, or follow them on Facebook or Instagram.
Whether you’re a lover of Japanese tea, homewares, or just Japan in general (who isn’t?!), I highly recommend paying a visit to this special little shop (and if you do, please tell them you read about it on my blog!). It truly lives up to Tom’s original vision of bringing a piece of Japan to Perth, and I’m so glad his legacy is being continued so beautifully by his family. Arigatou, Green Tea House Subiaco!
** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **
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How wonderful that the family are continuing the tradition, Tom will be encouraging them from afar.
The homewares look amazing and so artistically displayed. A must visit for any tea lover
Yes indeed! It’s such a lovely shop.