Published Jan 16, 2026

Author: 抹茶タイムズ

Office “Third Place Transformation” Through “Matcha Bars”

Recently, through work style reforms and wellbeing management promotion, office nature is greatly changing. Beyond merely “working place” functions, “third place” elements enabling employees to refresh and naturally interact are required.

Attracting attention as new option is the “matcha bar.” Matcha possesses effects enhancing concentration while promoting relaxation, with abundant health benefits. Furthermore, it connects to brand power improvement leveraging Japanese character.

This article thoroughly explains from third place significance in offices through matcha bar introduction merits, company cases, and implementation methods. We introduce how matcha bars, as next moves replacing coffee machines, will transform future office culture.

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What Are Offices Becoming Third Places?

Recently, through work style reforms and remote work proliferation, office roles are greatly changing. Once functioning as “places for efficiently completing work,” now evolution into spaces where employees comfortably spend time, cultivating connections and creativity is required.

Not stopping at mere “working places,” offices possessing third place (third home) elements that employees spontaneously visit represent necessary forms for coming companies.

“Third Place” Required by Work Style Reforms

Third places represent spaces for genuine relaxation beyond homes (first places) and workplaces (second places). For instance, cafés, libraries, and hobby community gatherings typify these.

Starbucks’ globally successful “third place strategy” remains memorable, with essence lying in “providing environments where people naturally gather comfortably.” Incorporating third place elements into offices enables expectations of effects including employee refreshment, creativity enhancement, and belonging consciousness strengthening.

Particularly modern offices see not merely long-duration concentrated work but how break and mood change times are designed greatly influencing productivity. Environments enabling heart calming and spaces generating slight interactions represent important elements cultivating not only efficiency but also employee happiness and organizational unity.

Trends Following Coffee Machines

Previously, many companies introduced “free coffee machines” to elevate employee satisfaction. Certainly coffee proves convenient and accessible, yet recently with health risks from caffeine excess plus diversifying employee preferences, coffee-only styles reach limits.

Therefore attracting attention is “matcha bar” symbolizing next-generation office culture. Matcha simultaneously contains caffeine enhancing concentration and theanine calming hearts, providing optimal work balance. Furthermore, “ichigo ichie” (once-in-a-lifetime encounter) and “omotenashi” (hospitality) spirits rooted in tea ceremony also hint at enriching office communication.

In other words, matcha possesses value beyond mere beverages, potentially becoming new symbolic presences for office third place transformation.

Why Matcha in Offices? Three Merits

Incorporating matcha into offices extends beyond mere beverage provision. Multifaceted merits directly connecting to employee performance, health, and corporate brands exist. Here we introduce three specific effects obtained through matcha bar introduction.

Simultaneously Achieving Concentration and Relaxation

Work moments thinking “want clear heads but avoid nervousness from caffeine” occur frequently. While matcha contains caffeine like coffee, theanine components simultaneously act, calming hearts while enhancing concentration.

This combination enables expecting following effects:

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Gentler awakening effects than coffee for sustained concentration

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Easing irritation and tension while promoting calm judgment

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High mindfulness habit affinity, excellent compatibility with meditation and breaks

In other words, matcha represents drinks supporting exquisite “on” and “off” switching. Optimal before meetings or during work transitions, directly connecting to performance improvement.

Wellbeing Effects Contributing to Health Management

For modern companies, “health management” represents important themes. Matcha abundantly contains catechins, vitamins, and dietary fiber, useful for daily health maintenance. By incorporating matcha into offices as employee benefits, employee health consciousness can naturally rise.

Specifically expected effects include:

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Immunity Strengthening: Physical condition management through antioxidant effects

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Stress Reduction: Relaxation effects through theanine

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Lifestyle Disease Prevention: Blood sugar and cholesterol improvement support

If healthy habits take root in offices, connections to management merits including employee absenteeism decline and medical cost reduction follow.

Strengthening Brand Power Through Japanese Character and Premium Feel

Matcha receives global recognition as “Japanese culture symbol.” Installing matcha bars in offices becomes pride for employees while becoming brand experiences elevating impressions on visitors and business partners.

Particularly effective in following scenes:

Guest Reception

Whisking and serving matcha demonstrates refined hospitality

Recruitment Activities

Differentiating as attractive elements enabling corporate culture experiences

Overseas Bases

Strengthening global branding leveraging Japanese character

Not mere beverage provision, “matcha bars” as cultural experiences can strongly project corporate values and uniqueness internally and externally.

Company Cases: Matcha Bar Introduction Aims

Matcha bars transcend mere drink services, becoming presences symbolizing office culture. Actually, introduction backgrounds and aims differ by industry, utilized in forms fitting respective corporate challenges. Here we examine three representative cases.

IT Company Belonging Consciousness Improvement

In IT industries where remote work and flextime became standard, creating “reasons to purposely go to offices” represents major challenges. Not merely workplaces facing desks but spaces enabling natural interaction with colleagues are required.

Therefore, matcha bars function as interaction hubs. Employees whisking matcha at same counters or casually exchanging conversations can cultivate unity and team bonds difficultly obtained remotely.

Furthermore, making “matcha time” internal events creates communication transcending projects, connecting to belonging consciousness and engagement improvement.

Hospitality Industry Omotenashi Value

Hotels and tourism industries see “omotenashi culture” as competitiveness sources. By installing matcha bars in offices, employees can daily experience Japanese omotenashi hearts, also utilizable as places honing customer service skills.

For instance, learning “matcha whisking methods” and “guest serving methods” as new employee training components naturally cultivates service mindsets. Additionally, when welcoming guests to offices, matcha bars become places providing impressive hospitality experiences, elevating brand images.

Startup Brand Differentiation

For startups with intense fundraising and recruitment competition, offices fulfill showroom roles embodying culture. Amid difficult differentiation from other companies, matcha bars attract attention as means projecting “unique, refined culture.”

When investors and job seekers visit, serving with matcha rather than coffee communicates innovative yet Japanese tradition-respecting corporate postures. This evokes feelings of “want to work here” and “want to support this company,” connecting to recruitment power and branding strengthening.

Coffee Machine vs Matcha Bar: Introduction Effect Comparison

For office beverage services, “coffee machines” long remained standard. However, receiving employee needs diversification and rising health consciousness, recently “matcha bars” as new options attract attention. So what differences exist between both? Here we compare from three perspectives: introduction costs, health effects, and communication activation.

Introduction Cost and Operation Differences

Coffee Machines: Initial costs remain relatively suppressible, with easy introduction as strengths. However, running costs including capsule and bean replenishment plus filter replacement accumulate, with long-term cost increases in some cases. Additionally, maintenance efforts require consideration.

Matcha Bars: When arranging dedicated sets or counters, introduction costs become somewhat higher. However, powdered matcha enables long-term storage with minimal disposal loss, with consumable costs also relatively stable. Furthermore, simple equipment compositions enable easy maintenance.

Conclusion

Coffee advantages short-term, but considering long-term cost performance and operational efficiency, matcha bars possess sufficient competitiveness.

Health and Performance Advantages

Coffee: Rapid caffeine awakening effects prove excellent for blowing away drowsiness with immediate effectiveness. However, demerits including palpitations, stomach burdens, and afternoon drowsiness (caffeine crashes) from excessive intake also exist.

Matcha: Through caffeine-theanine synergistic effects, characteristic of enhancing concentration while maintaining relaxation. Furthermore, containing antioxidant catechins and vitamins proves excellent from health management perspectives.

Conclusion

Coffee suits short-duration stimulation, but matcha advantages considering sustained performance and health aspects.

Communication Activation Degree

Coffee: Already workplace-rooted habits tend toward excessive dailiness, difficultly becoming conversation triggers.

Matcha: Whisking actions themselves represent special experiences, promoting natural “let’s take a break” employee exchanges. Furthermore, tea ceremony “omotenashi” and “ichigo ichie” spirits also enable expecting effects enriching workplace communication.

Conclusion

As mechanisms promoting employee interaction, matcha bars possess advantages through freshness and topicality.

Implementation Steps: Installing Office Matcha Bars

When introducing matcha bars, stepwise planning proceeds smoothly.

Necessary Equipment and Basic Sets

Chasen (tea whisk), chawan (tea bowl), matcha spoon
High-quality matcha powder
Kettles or water heaters for boiling water

Simple sets start from approximately tens of thousands of yen.

Service Provider and Rental Utilization

Recently, “office matcha bar services” and rental provisions are increasing. By entrusting maintenance and consumable replenishment, manager burdens reduce.

Small-Scale and Large-Scale Office Introduction Models

Small-scale: Self-service type (simple sets)
Large-scale: Deploy dedicated counters or specialized staff event-style

Flexibility choosing according to scale and culture represents matcha bar introduction ease.

Future Office Culture Matcha Bars Bring

Matcha bars transcend mere beverage services, possessing possibilities transforming office culture itself.

Mindfulness and Matcha Break Combinations

“Whisking matcha” acts directly connect to mindfulness bringing concentration and stillness. Incorporating this into break habits enables promoting employee mental care and creativity demonstration.

Employee Satisfaction and Retention Rate Improvement

Matcha bar presence connects to feelings of “being valued by company,” demonstrating effects on employee satisfaction and turnover prevention.

Japanese Brand Strengthening at Overseas Bases

Installing matcha bars at overseas bases can project “Japan-originated unique culture.” Powerful appeal points also from recruitment and corporate branding perspectives.

Discover New Findings at Matcha Times

Matcha extends beyond mere tea cups. It represents “work companions” enhancing concentration, “wellbeing habits” supporting health, and “brand assets” disseminating Japanese culture globally.

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Office introduction cases and health management frontlines
Overseas matcha booms and Japanese brand value
Mindfulness practice methods learning from tea ceremony culture
Latest matcha sweets and café trend information

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Summary: Matcha Bars as Office’s New “Third Place”

Coming offices require roles beyond mere “working places.” Possessing third place elements enabling employees to refresh and naturally interact connects to productivity, satisfaction, and belonging consciousness improvement.

Matcha bars greatly contribute to that realization. Beyond individual merits including health promotion and concentration enhancement, organizational effects including communication activation and brand value improvement are also expected. As new culture replacing coffee machines, they can become icons symbolizing office reforms.

Introduction need not represent large-scale investments. Starting from small matcha sets enables easily experiencing effects, with stepwise expansion also possible.

One matcha serving aligns employee hearts, enriching corporate futures. Why not now consider “matcha bar” introduction as steps toward office third place transformation?

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