Choya, a plum experience specialty store offering high-quality plums and ways to enjoy them to customers both in Japan and overseas, will open in Kyoto City on April 1st. The store will be operated by Choya Umeshu Co., Ltd., known for its plum wine production. Lucy Alter Design, known for the Japanese tea specialty store Tokyo Saryo, will be in charge of design and production, from concept to store interior and product lineup.


Plums were introduced to Japan 2,000 years ago and have become beloved as home remedies and luxury items, changing over time. The store is reexamining plums to suit modern lifestyles, and will be releasing the Choya Ume Kit, which allows customers to pickle plums from a single berry, based on the concept of "making a special cup of tea from a single berry."

LUCY ALTER DESIGN's Aoyanagi Satoshi and Tanimoto Mikito commented on the concept of this project, "Whether it's a weekend gem by yourself, a unique exchange of flavors with someone else, or making syrup and plum wine with your family, we hope that this new plum experience will create new value for plums and, in the medium to long term, provide a clue to addressing the issue of succession for plum producers."

The "Choya Plum Kit" allows you to choose your favorite ingredients from a carefully selected range of healthy ingredients (five types of plum, five types of sugar, and four types of sake) to create your own unique plum syrup or plum wine in-store. There are 100 possible combinations. A plum concierge will support you as you sample the various flavors. It comes in three sizes: S (1 cup), M (3 cups), and L (6 cups), and can be taken home or given as a gift.


Takeout drinks are also available in store, allowing you to enjoy the taste of plum in a casual setting. These takeout drinks contain large, frozen, whole, fully ripe Nankou plums that make a big impact, and come in a variety of variations, such as plum syrup mixed with green tea or soda.