Soryo Matsumura is an associate professor in the Urasenke school of tea, one of the three main Japanese tea schools. He is founder of the tea practice space Shuhally, where he holds tea ceremony classes with a contemporary slant. He has an MBA from the University of Wales. While traveling abroad as a student, he realized how little he knew about his own culture, and on returning to Japan, he began studying the way of tea. Guided by his philosophy that "tea should be more free, more joyful," he hosts tea gatherings across Japan and internationally.