A day for black tea in Japan

On this day in 1791, a boatman Kotao Daikokuya (1751~1828), who washed ashore in Russia due to a storm, was invited to the tea party of Empress Catherine in Petersburg, which was the capital of Russia at the time. It is said that he was the first Japanese person to drink black tea. In honor of that, November 1st was chosen as the anniversary "(Black) Tea Day". 

Black tea was first imported to Japan in the 1880s, but it did not take root immediately due to the presence of green tea in Japan. In 1952, Japan's first tea specialty store opened in Osaka, and in 1974, the first tea specialty store was opened in Tokyo. The Japan Tea Association was established in 1939, and after various changes, it was reorganized into the current new organization in 1971, when the import of black tea was liberalized, and since then it is the only tea-related business organization in Japan that has been active in a wide range of activities.

Related anniversaries in Japan include Japan  "Matcha Day" on February 6th, "Green Tea Day" on  May 2nd,  "Chinese Tea Day" on July 8th and October 31st as "Japan Tea Day".