Wenzhuo Liu
Marjolein Raijmakers is from the Netherlands in Europe, but her love for tea led her to work and live in Japan, Asia. Growing up in a multicultural environment surrounded by diverse tea cultures, Marjolein gradually developed a deep interest in the tea industry. She learned about tea through training programs and international tea tours, combining theory with practice. Marjolein worked for three years at a well-established Dutch tea and coffee brand, primarily as shop assistant and handling online orders. From 2023 to the present, she has lived in Nagasaki, Japan, where she is responsible for developing international tea tourism and promoting sales of Nagasaki regions’ teas for Nagasaki Ikedoki Tea. In 2025, Marjolein participated in an international tea processing training program organized by the China Tea Science Society and a tea tour arranged by Tea Times magazine. She cherishes this learning opportunity and hopes that they take the lead in teaching accurate knowledge about Chinese tea worldwide, while looking forward to the future development of Chinese tea.
In May 2023, Marjolein moved from Utrecht to Nagasaki’s tea-producing region Higashisonogi, where she now focuses on developing international tea tourism for Nagasaki Ikedoki Tea.
Marjolein was born in the Netherlands but spent her childhood in Bangladesh, India, and Zimbabwe due to her father’s work. The local tea-producing regions and tea cultures subtly shaped her understanding of tea. As an adult, she worked in organic food stores, and her travels to Japan sparked her interest in the tea industry. Eager to learn, Marjolein studied tea knowledge at various training institutions and visited tea-producing countries such as Sri Lanka, China, South Korea, Japan, and Europe. In 2019, she was invited by the Dutch tea museum De Theefabriek to join their team as a tea expert and travel manager for a documentary on Sri Lankan tea. Through the Global Japanese Tea Association, she met her current employer, Yasuharu Matsumoto, which led to her current career in Japan.
Eager to learn, Marjolein studied tea knowledge at various training institutions and visited tea-producing countries such as Sri Lanka, China, South Korea, Japan, and Europe.
From 2020 to 2023, Marjolein worked for a long-established Dutch tea and coffee brand’s shops in various locations. During the pandemic, online orders surged, and she was transferred to the e-commerce team to handle large volumes of orders. Though challenging, this experience gave her deeper insight into Dutch tea preferences. For example, older tea drinkers tend to favor traditional black tea, while younger consumers prefer herbal teas and green tea. Among black teas, blended teas are popular, with China’s traditional Lapsang Souchong (smoky flavor) being particularly well-received. Keemun and Dianhong black teas also have a steady market. Green teas like Longjing, jasmine tea, oolong tea, and white teas such as White Peony also have dedicated consumers. Traditionally, the Dutch brew tea in large teapots (about 1-liter capacity) and enjoy it slowly. Younger generations often use tea bags in mugs or opt for French press infusers and cast-iron teapots for a cleaner brew. Known for their practicality and frugality, Marjolein jokes that many Dutch people reuse tea bags multiple times—her mother does this, and her grandfather often teased that their tea is just “water with a bit of color.”
Known for their practicality and frugality, Marjolein jokes that many Dutch people reuse tea bags multiple times—her mother does this, and her grandfather often teased that their tea is just “water with a bit of color.”
In May 2023, Marjolein moved from Utrecht to Nagasaki’s tea-producing region Higashisonogi, where she now focuses on developing international tea tourism for Nagasaki Ikedoki Tea. Nagasaki, with its unique coastal-mountain landscapes and rich historical heritage, is one of Japan’s major tourist destinations, attracting numerous international visitors. Historically, Nagasaki played a crucial role as a key port for Japan’s foreign exchanges, facilitating the introduction of Chinese tea culture to Japan and the formation of Japanese tea traditions. Today, Nagasaki is a distinctive tea-producing area, contributing only about 1% (approximately 750 tons) of Japan’s total tea production annually.
In August 2025, she returned to Hangzhou, China, for a week-long tea training program hosted by the China Tea Science Society, followed by a three-day tea tour organized by Tea Times magazine.
Marjolein explains that her employer, Matsumoto, serves as the vice president of Obubu Tea Garden in Kyoto and is the founder of the Global Japanese Tea Association and Nagasaki Ikedoki Tea in Nagasaki. After years of managing Obubu Tea Garden, Matsumoto and his core team successfully shifted from a domestic-focused business model to one that balances local and international operations, significantly boosting international tea tourism. Through an international internship program, they created a win-win model where interns learn about tea while bringing fresh perspectives to help expand global business. Over 150 interns from nearly 30 countries have participated so far. Matsumoto hired Marjolein as the project manager for Nagasaki Ikedoki Tea, aiming to replicate this success in Nagasaki’s international tea tourism. Visitors can book tea tours online, choosing from programs where Marjolein organizes visits to tea fields and factories, shares tea knowledge, and offers tastings of local teas and meals. She remains optimistic about growth—in 2024, 95 people participated, and by September 2025, the number had already reached 150.
Marjolein values this opportunity, praising the China Tea Science Society for its openness to international collaboration and efforts to promote accurate knowledge of Chinese tea worldwide.
Marjolein first experienced Chinese tea culture in 2019, visiting tea-producing regions in Fujian, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces. In August 2025, she returned to Hangzhou, China, for a week-long tea training program hosted by the China Tea Science Society, followed by a three-day tea tour organized by Tea Times magazine. She was impressed by the high teaching standards, with both theoretical and practical instructors being top-tier experts in China’s tea industry. Marjolein values this opportunity, praising the China Tea Science Society for its openness to international collaboration and efforts to promote accurate knowledge of Chinese tea worldwide. Currently, the global market is experiencing a matcha trend, yet few realize its origins in China. With its long tea history and rapid modern development, Marjolein is excited about the future of Chinese tea.
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