Shibuya tea shop staffed by over 70s proving age just a number

TOKYO, Japan Wire - A matcha and tea shop staffed by workers over 70 years old is setting out to prove that age is just a number, even in Tokyo’s young and trendy Shibuya district.

Take-out tea shop G-Cha and Ba-Cha comes with all the trappings befitting its location near Shibuya’s busy scramble crossing. Bright neon signs and urban art decorate the walls, and staff sport baseball caps and sunglasses.

The minimum age for working as the shop’s front staff, however, is 70 years old, and work is carried out according to a unique set of rules -- staff serve customers while seated and can take breaks whenever they feel tired.

The most important rule, though, is that work should be fun.

The name G-Cha and Ba-Cha is a play on “ojiichan” and “obaachan” -- affectionate Japanese terms for grandad and grandma -- and “ocha,” or tea.

Entaku Produce Inc. -- an experience producer and exhibition developer whose previous projects include a cafe where orders were placed using only gestures -- and Tokyu Corp. opened the shop in March to provide an opportunity for elderly people to work in a way that keeps them happy and active.

The shop’s creative director, Suguru Myoen, 36, of Entaku Produce, said Shibuya holds special significance for the initiative.

“One of Japan’s biggest challenges is its aging population. It’s meaningful that we are sharing our ideas about how to address this from Shibuya, a place where new cultures and new ways of thinking are born,” he said.

According to government data as of December 2025, 36.21 million people in Japan are aged 65 or older -- around 30 percent of the population.

Myoen said that interest in working at G-Cha and Ba-Cha has been overwhelming. The shop, which employs 19 front staff, has received around 100 applications since recruitment began.

Masami Okutani, 70, and Kyoko Miura, 73, were among the staff on shift during a weekday afternoon in May.

Having worked in sales for many years before retirement, Masami -- using his first name at work -- said he enjoys communicating with the customers, particularly those from overseas.

“I never imagined that at my age I would have the chance to interact with so many people from other countries,” he said.

Masami uses a translation app on his smartphone to support his limited English. Despite joking with coworkers about his language skills, he said the foreign customers understand him. “They are always considerate,” he said.

Kyoko -- also using her first name -- found a position at G-Cha and Ba-Cha through a job recruitment site and was drawn to the shop concept. “Helping older adults to remain active and healthy, as well as being able to interact with customers but still be able to sit down, it sounded interesting,” she said.

The shop operators consulted with occupational therapists to create a comfortable working environment for the front staff, which they continue to adapt.

To reduce the need for staff to memorize orders, customers detail their orders on forms available in Japanese and English, including requests to chat and take pictures with the staff. Bright pink marker pens make writing easier to read.

Menu items include the G-cha ginger hojicha at 780 yen ($5), and the B-Cha jasmine green tea, 800 yen. The matcha latte, 930 yen, is also popular, according to the shop.

The drinks themselves are prepared by younger members of staff, who are always on-site to support their senior colleagues.

After orders are prepared, customers are directed to a separate room where staff, like Masami and Kyoko, serve the drinks along with casual conversation over a counter before the next order is ready.

Friends Hina Takeo, 21, and Kai Tomizawa, 25, were visiting G-Cha and Ba-Cha during a day off work after finding the shop through the social media platform TikTok.

Takeo said she enjoyed talking about her own grandmother with the staff. “They were so bright and friendly, and even wrote my name in cute handwriting on the cup. It was so charming.”

When asked about Japan’s aging society, Tomizawa said he does not worry about it so much. “I guess there’s a part of me that thinks it can’t be helped,” he said. “But the staff have experienced things we haven’t, and I think it's important for younger people to hear about them.”

While the steady stream of visitors appeared to appreciate the chance to chat with Masami and Kyoko, creative director Myoen believes Japan can do a lot more to create opportunities for older adults to remain active. “People still don’t realize that they can actually be full of energy and capable of working,” he said.

Amid Shibuya’s on-going development, G-Cha and Ba-Cha is located in a temporary space, in a building east of Shibuya Station, and will not be around for the long term, according to Myoen.

What is important though, he believes, is using the shop to share ideas about making it easier and more enjoyable for older adults to work. “These are the things that will endure,” he said.

This article was submitted by a contributing writer for publication on Japan Wire.