Zenkyu Matcha is a brand that aims to elevate matcha from a simple drink to a mindful ritual — nurturing health and embracing the present moment through preparing and enjoying matcha. The brand offers premium Japanese matcha and tea tools to people around the world.
Through the simple act of preparing and enjoying matcha, Zenkyu Matcha encourages moments to pause within a busy life—moments to take a deep breath and return to the present.
With this vision in mind, the brand collaborated with Earthboat, an accommodation in Kurohime, Nagano, known for its concept of “Nature Escape.” A two-day event was held there in September 2025.
Earthboat offers an opportunity to “escape” from everyday life by immersing in nature. Zenkyu Matcha, meanwhile, encourages a gentle pause from the rush of modern living through the quiet moment of preparing and enjoying matcha. Though their approaches differ, the two share a common philosophy. In this dialogue, the founders of both brands speak openly about their work, their beliefs, and the meaning of taking distance from an overly busy life.
While Whisking Matcha
The two-day collaboration event at Earthboat Kurohime took place from September 29 to 30.
On the morning of the second day, a tea gathering was held in the forest, where tatami mats were laid out to create a small tea room. Surrounded by the vast nature of Kurohime, participants prepared and tasted matcha with calm minds, reflecting inward in silence. It became a truly special moment.
After the gathering, once all the guests had departed, Go Yoshiwara arrived with a relaxed air, as if dropping by to visit an old friend. In front of an outdoor table arranged with tea tools, Go Yoshiwara and Kensuke Suji began their conversation with the interviewer.
◎Profiles
Kensuke Suji (Zenkyu Matcha)
Born in Tokyo in 1989.
During his ten and a half years in marketing at Procter & Gamble, a leading U.S. consumer goods company, he served as Brand Director for the Febreze and Braun brands.
Drawing on his personal experience, he founded Zenkyu Matcha in 2025, a brand rooted in the philosophy of Zen and the Japanese tea ceremony. Through the act of whisking and enjoying matcha, he shares a ritual that restores balance to both body and mind.
Go Yoshiwara (CEO, Earthboat Inc.)
Born in Nagano in 1982.
He managed LIG Inc. from 2007 to 2022 and currently serves as Director of LAMP Inc.
In 2022, he founded Earthboat Inc. and became its CEO.
Raised in a family that ran an outdoor school, he grew up kayaking, skiing, and foraging for wild plants and mushrooms. After years in Tokyo’s IT industry, he returned to his hometown of Shinanomachi, Nagano, to build a business that connects people with nature through outdoor experiences.
— Do you usually drink matcha, Go-san?
Go-san: A little while ago, Suji-san visited my home. He whisked matcha for me, and it was so good that I started drinking it regularly. With coffee, I enjoy grinding and roasting beans, but I never paid that kind of attention to tea. The more I learn, the more fascinating it seems.
Suji: Thank you! I am happy to hear that. Many of the participants at this event had never whisked matcha before, but once they tried, they said, “I never knew it could taste this good.”
It reminded me once again how much potential matcha has.
Go-san: In Japan, matcha is still associated with a formal, traditional image because of the tea ceremony. It is not really something people think of drinking casually at home.
Suji: That is true. People overseas do not have that kind of preconception, so they enjoy matcha in more spontaneous ways—making lattes or adding syrup. I find that freedom quite beautiful.
When Go-san mentioned that he had begun drinking matcha at home, Suji invited him warmly, saying, “Shall we whisk some together as we talk today?”
As they prepared the tea, Suji spoke about the concept behind Zenkyu Matcha.
Under the idea of “Matcha Ritual,” he hopes to elevate the act of whisking and drinking matcha into a gentle ritual—one that nurtures self-care and supports both physical and mental well-being.
That is why he values the time spent preparing tea together with others.
Go-san: (Opening the tin and looking inside) What a beautiful shade of green.
Suji: Yes, it is. When the tea fields are properly shaded from sunlight, the leaves develop this deep color.
Now, let us whisk together.
Guided by Suji, Go-san begins whisking the matcha himself.
▼On Zenkyu Matcha’s website, video guides offer simple steps on how to prepare and enjoy matcha.
https://zenkyumatcha.com/ja/pages/howto
Suji: That is complete. When you drink, gently turn the bowl so that the front faces away from you. It is a gesture of humility.
Go-san: (Taking a slow sip) This is delicious. Drinking outside feels so refreshing.
There has always been a tradition of outdoor tea gatherings in Japan, right?
— How does it feel to whisk matcha yourself?
Go-san: I do not know all the detailed manners, but if it is simply about whisking and drinking, even a child could do it.
As long as you get the temperature and amount right, you can always make a good cup.
The Innate Desire to Be in Nature
Amid the lush forests of Kurohime lies Earthboat Kurohime, a property surrounded by a large pond and open land.
As they sat in front of one of the trailer houses that serve as guest rooms, their conversation gently shifted toward Go-san’s thoughts on nature.
──Is this your first time visiting Earthboat, Suji-san?
Suji: I came once before to take a look, but this is the first time I have stayed here and taken time to slow down.
As a brand, we place importance on deep breathing… and it feels especially good to breathe deeply here. Also, perhaps because the cabins are spaced apart, it feels much quieter than a campsite.
Go-san: At Kurohime, the cabins are placed quite far from each other.
And since each one accommodates only up to three guests, that makes a difference too.
When more than five people gather, it tends to get noisy, but with two or three, the tone naturally softens.
Often, the only sound you hear is the splitting of firewood.
Suji: I imagine that changes the kind of conversations people have as well.
When sitting by a fire, the talk tends to turn to life itself.
Go-san: At night, it becomes completely dark—there is no lighting, only the fire illuminating each other’s faces. That naturally draws people into deeper conversations.
──I heard that Earthboat has become quite popular, with seven locations across Japan and more being added.
Why do you think it resonates with so many people right now?
Go-san: I think it comes from a fundamental human desire to spend time in nature.
Even though life in cities, separated from nature, can function perfectly well, that very separation creates a longing—a kind of reaction that makes people want to return to nature.
But in reality, there are not many services that truly meet that need
Camping, for example, requires equipment and preparation—it can be hard work.
Glamping, on the other hand, is so comfortable indoors that people often end up staying inside. I believe Earthboat fills that delicate space in between, and such a service is surprisingly rare to find. We encourage guests to step outside and spend time surrounded by nature.
Step outside Earthboat Kurohime and a vast pond and line of green mountains spread before you. Simply standing in the breeze brings a quiet sense of calm.
Go-san: Another distinctive feature of Earthboat is that each cabin has its own sauna.
The ability to warm the body and then cool it down in cold water is an essential part of the experience.
I often say that humans cannot control the weather, but we can control our body temperature.
In autumn, for instance, it may feel pleasant to wear just a shirt during the day, but once night falls, it quickly turns cold.
Normally you would have to go inside or put on more clothes, but with a sauna, you can simply warm your body.
In summer, the opposite happens—it gets too hot to stay outside.
But if you soak in a bath filled with cold mountain spring water, your body cools down, and you can comfortably spend time outdoors again.
This idea of regulating body temperature—through the sauna and the cold bath—is central to Earthboat’s design.
Suji: That is fascinating.
It feels as though you are creating a comfortable environment through careful design and subtle attention to detail.
Go-san: Exactly. What amazes me is that even when it snows, guests still choose to spend time outside.
Even if their bodies get cold in subzero temperatures, there is always a sauna nearby heated to around 80 or 90 ℃.
Once they step inside, their bodies warm immediately.
That sense of physical and psychological safety is powerful.
Suji: I can relate to that instinctive feeling of wanting to be in nature.
I live in the city now with my wife and child.
The nights are bright, and the ground is hard concrete—it feels somewhat unnatural.
I sometimes wonder if that constant environment causes subtle stress.
We went camping a while ago when my son was three years old.
He had never experienced true darkness before and was scared at first.
But after a few days, he became used to it and started to play with excitement.
It made me realize how joyful it is to be surrounded by nature, and at the same time, how challenging it can be to create such experiences in everyday life.
On the Surprisingly Positive Nature of “Escape” and “Pause”
──We wanted to have this conversation because we felt that Go-san might share our sense of discomfort with today’s overly busy lifestyles—and our belief in the importance of taking distance from them.
Earthboat uses the phrase “Nature Escape.” Could you tell us more about that concept?
Go-san: The phrase “Nature Escape” carries a deeper meaning for us.
The word “escape” can sound somewhat negative, but we see it as a positive, even active, impulse.
You cannot escape unless you first feel some kind of discomfort, unease, or longing about your current situation.
In that sense, the desire to escape is, in fact, a positive one.
As urban life becomes the norm and people live increasingly disconnected from nature, I believe many still hold a quiet wish—to spend time in nature or to let their children experience it.
But the longer you live in the city, the harder it becomes to take that step.
That is why we want to provide the first step toward that reconnection.
For us, “Nature Escape” means taking that step—an active choice to dive into nature.
──So that is why your facilities are designed so that guests can come empty-handed yet still engage with nature.
Go-san: Exactly. At the same time, there are parts of the experience that remain intentionally hands-on. The tools are ready, but guests must light the fire for the sauna themselves and split their own firewood. They cook, prepare tea, breathe the outdoor air, warm their bodies in the sauna, and return again to the outdoors.
It is a world that only comes alive when you move actively within it.
Suji: I find it fascinating that you view “escape” not as something negative, but as something positive. That perspective really resonates with me.
Our brand name “Zenkyu (禅休)” includes the character “Kyu (休),” which means “to pause” in Japanese. I hope that the time spent whisking and slowly enjoying matcha can become a moment to pause from a busy life.
I come from a world where capitalism sets the rhythm. In that environment, you are expected to keep growing; to pause is seen as falling behind. Every day is so busy that we keep being carried away by the things we have to do.
We have to reply to emails, and sometimes the notifications on our phones never stop.
Before we know it, we spend more and more time responding to the demands of others and of our work. That is exactly why I believe it is important to intentionally stop—to make that time our own, and to spend it facing ourselves.
Reaching out to moments of stillness and allowing ourselves to pause has real meaning.
When life feels too busy to stop, that is often the time we most need to.
It is like a barometer of balance.
Go-san: I completely agree. To take an active pause, to actively escape into nature—these are conscious acts of rest and renewal.
In my own life, I roast and grind coffee beans by hand.
I do it because I enjoy the process, but also because it shows me whether I am allowing space in my daily life.
For others, that space might come through preparing matcha, cleaning a room, or reading quietly. Whatever form it takes, being able to make that kind of room in one’s day may be the truest measure of well-being.
How Each of Us Finds Our Own Sense of Fulfillment
What became clear through their conversation was that Earthboat’s idea of “Nature Escape” shared a deep connection with Zenkyu Matcha’s concept of “Pause.”
Having discovered that common ground, the two began to reflect on the meaning of fulfillment—what lies beyond escape and pause.
──When time to face yourself is created through escape or pause, what kind of comfort or sense of fulfillment do you think can be found beyond that?
Suji: I believe that the sense of fulfillment we find after taking a pause is something each person must define for themselves.
I have always been aware that I once pursued what society calls the “right answers.”
I do not regret that path, but at some point I realized that continuing to follow those right answers might not lead me to my own sense of happiness.
That realization became a turning point for me.
Perhaps in the past, happiness followed more standardized definitions.
During Japan’s period of high economic growth, for example, people found collective happiness in higher incomes, a family home, and a car.
But today, more people are realizing that such standards no longer define their own happiness. That is why we must keep asking ourselves—how do I feel now, and what truly makes me happy?
I believe that the act of whisking and savoring matcha can become a moment to think about those important questions.
──How about you, Go-san?
Go-san: When it comes to looking inward, I think that spending time in nature naturally brings you face-to-face with yourself. It also deepens conversations with others.
Another thing I would encourage is to spend time outdoors wearing as little as possible—just feeling the air on your skin. It is hard to find places where you can truly feel that freedom.
Especially for children, I want them to know, “It is okay to wear less, to feel the air directly.”
When I see guests walking around after the sauna, lightly dressed and relaxed, I can tell they are really enjoying themselves.
After all, in daily life we all wear many layers—both literally and figuratively.
Suji: Those layers often take the form of social norms, job titles, and roles.
They are not bad in themselves, but in my own experience, there were times when I believed in them so firmly that my heart could no longer follow.
That is why I believe it is valuable to experience a different world once in a while—to step in and ask, “How does this feel for me?”
That simple question can become the beginning of an inner dialogue.
──What do you think people can do to find their own sense of fulfillment?
Go-san: I think the only way is to try different things. What feels right varies greatly from person to person.
When life becomes too fixed, it creates stagnation and stress. It helps to define what should stay constant and what can change—and when you feel stuck, to seek renewal.
That renewal might come from preparing matcha in everyday life, or simply by spending a little time in nature.
Suji: Have you had any kind of renewal lately, Go-san?
Go-san: This summer, I found unexpected comfort in mowing the grass around my house.
I live in an old farmhouse surrounded by fields, so maintaining the land is part of daily life.
Sometimes I listen to podcasts while cutting the grass or tilling the soil.
It feels similar to cleaning a room—when your surroundings are tidy, your mind also feels at ease.
──This has been a meaningful discussion. How do you feel looking back on our conversation today?
Suji: What resonates deeply with me is Earthboat’s awareness of modern urban life—the sense of discomfort that people feel living apart from nature, and the effort to create experiences that awaken something instinctive in us. It connects closely with what I have been thinking about in my own work. I also found deep inspiration in both Earthboat’s philosophy and the way its experiences are designed. Thank you!
Go-san: I enjoyed it as well. Matcha has a traditional and somewhat formal image, so how to approach it is both challenging and fascinating. I believe matcha holds countless possibilities, depending on how it is shared and experienced.
I am glad that Suji found a sense of connection between Zenkyu Matcha and Earthboat, and that we could have this conversation today.
“Perhaps it is a positive impulse after all,” said Go-san, reflecting on the word escape.
And through Zenkyu’s idea of pause, Suji emphasized the importance of “choosing to stop.”
Though their approaches differ, both share a common vision—to maintain a healthy distance from the busyness of modern life.
By stepping away from constant motion and turning inward, we may each find our own sense of fulfillment. To begin, perhaps we can start simply—with a moment in nature or with Matcha Ritual, the quiet act of whisking and savoring a bowl of matcha.
Text by Hayato Inui
Photography by Ryoya Ito
With special cooperation from Earthboat Kurohime
https://earthboat.jp/kurohime
