At first, tea was associated with Japanese nobility and was regarded as a type of medicine. However, after the tea ceremony was invented at the end of the 16th century, tea eventually became something drunk by both nobles and commoners alike. In 1859, tea finally became something to be used every single day and not only on rare occasions. (Not so) fun fact: tea leaves in Japan used to be tediously hand-rolled until the 19th century. It was boring work that seriously restricted tea production. However, things eventually changed for the better with technological improvements.