Photo= Young people line up in front of the first overseas branch of Itohkyuemon (Taipei City, Taiwan)

Itohkyuemon, an Uji tea and Matcha purveyor and sweets confectionery seller, in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, has opened its first physical store overseas in Taipei City, Taiwan. Since Uji Matcha sweets are popular with Taiwanese travelers visiting Japan, the company is working to further stimulate demand in that locale.

Among the foreign buyers at their branches in Uji City and at Kyoto Station, about half the tax-exemption users have been travelers from Taiwan. As they are the largest number of customers by country and region, the company decided to expand its business into Taiwan.

The company opened a branch in a section of the downtown area of Taipei City, Taiwan. Rather than marketing Matcha sweets there, they are mainly selling Uji Matcha parfaits and will develop an exclusive menu for Taiwan in the future.

Matcha has attracted attention due to its rich nutritional value and it's becoming increasingly popular worldwide. The company has been proceeding to strengthen its overseas business division, including the establishment of a Matcha-processing subsidiary in the United States last autumn.