中英對照讀新聞》Can global matcha craze save Japan’s tea industry？ 全球抹茶熱潮能否拯救日本的茶產業？

抹茶類甜點近來人氣飆漲。（法新社檔案照）

◎孫宇青

From matcha ice cream to cake and chocolate, producers of traditional Japanese green tea are capitalizing on growing global interest in its flavor － even as demand for the drink declines at home.

不管是抹茶冰淇淋、抹茶蛋糕，還是抹茶巧克力，傳統日式綠茶的生產商正從這股逐漸風靡全球的抹茶熱潮中獲益，儘管日本國內對這種飲品的需求正在下滑。

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At Shigehiko Suzuki’s tea shop in Fujieda, the prefecture of Shizuoka, the customers are flooding in but more to scoop up gelato or cake than to sip the bright-green tea.

在鈴木成彥位於靜岡縣藤枝市的茶舖裡，顧客一窩蜂地湧入，但多半是想挖義式冰淇淋或蛋糕來吃，而非啜飲色澤鮮亮的綠茶。

Japan exported more than 5,000 tonnes of green tea － mainly to the United States － in 2018, 10 times more than two decades ago. But in Japan, the consumption of green tea leaves for drinking dropped from 1,174 grams per household in 2001 to 844 grams in 2015, according to the latest government data.

2018年日本綠茶出口量逾5000噸，是20多年前的10倍，大多銷往美國。但最新政府統計顯示，每個日本家庭買來泡茶的綠茶茶葉量，平均從2001年的1174公克，減至2015年的844公克。

To pull in younger punters, some tea rooms are trying to modernize the traditional drink. "Something between tea ceremony and bottled tea, like a cafe where customers can enjoy tea in comfortable surroundings, didn’t really exist before," said Yuka Ihara at Tokyo Saryo.（AFP）

為了吸引年輕消費者，某些茶舖試著讓這種傳統飲品增添現代風味。「東京茶寮」的猪原由佳（譯音）說：「介於茶道和瓶裝茶之間的東西不曾真正出現，像是客人可以在舒適環境下品茗的茶舖。」（法新社）

新聞辭典

capitalize on：慣用片語，利用。例句：He capitalized on his experiences to win the job.（他善用經驗優勢獲得這份工作。）

scoop up：慣用片語，舀出；挖出。例句：His job is to scoop up ice cream for the customers.（他的工作是幫客人挖冰淇淋。）

punter：名詞，消費者；賭博者。例句：His cordiality helped pull in more punters.（他的親切友善吸引更多顧客上門。）

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