Starting at 17:25, the documentary shares the process of making Awa Bancha in Tokushima Prefecture, a type of fermented folk tea made in certain Kamikatsu and Aioi Villages in the region. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/2007539/   ..read more

Tokushima is a prefecture of Japan that is located on the island of Shikoku. When one thinks of Japanese tea, Tokushima is probably not the prefecture that comes to mind. That is, especially when one thinks about green teas such as sencha. However, Tokushima, as well as the Shikoku area in general, have some very interesting folk teas that are region-specific. For instance, awabancha is a traditional fermented folk tea that is still produced in a few of the mountain villages of this prefecture. This tea often gets attention for the unique way in which it is produced, with a unique bacterial fe ..read more

by Katrina Wild  June 4, 2024   Every three years, Shizuoka Prefecture hosts the World O-CHA Festival, a celebration of tea's rich history, innovation, and diversity. The latest event in 2022 marked its 8th iteration and served as a testament to the enduring allure of tea culture. The festival, divided into spring and autumn editions, is a must-visit for tea enthusiasts, industry professionals, and curious minds alike. For those who missed the 2022 event, there's good news – the World O-CHA Festival will return in 2025, promising another unforgettable experience. Mark your calendars ..read more

As the name suggests in Japanese, “kabusecha” which means covered tea is grown by covering the tea leaves with a cloth called kanreisha before they are harvested. This shade growing cultivation method is called “hifuku saibai” (Japanese: 被覆栽培), and is also utilized for making gyokuro and tencha (tea that is the raw material for matcha), also teas made through shade growing cultivation. This shading blocks a certain amount of sunlight from reaching new tea leaves for a certain period of time, which changes the tea leaf.  Previously, I wrote a rather in-depth article with respect to shade g ..read more

On February 3-4, we visited Akemi Ishimoto, an 87 year old kancha tea farmer who is located in the Southernmost tip of Tokushima Prefecture.  You can learn about the kancha making process in a recent  article (How Shishikui kancha is made). Here we will expand on Akemi-san and weave together both information that we learned on our trip with information gathered from subsequent research.  "Kancha baachan" Akemi-san resides in Kuo village, a small mountain village that is a part of the greater Shishikuicho, Kaiyo town (located on the border between Tokushima and Kochi Prefect ..read more

Shishikuicho city, is in the southernmost district of Tokushima Prefecture, called Kaiyo. As its name Kaiyo (in Japanese: 海陽) suggests in Japanese, it is a "sea town" that is famous for its sea. It is quite well-known for surfing and diving. Additionally, those who are going on pilgrimage through the Shikoku pilgrimage may pass this town. However, in this region the mountains are also rich in their blessings. In fact, there is a treasured mountain tea from this area!  The treasured tea is called Shishikui kancha (寒茶), a tea that is currerently only grown in ..read more

As some of you may have been aware, February 6th marked the day of matcha in Japan. In a previous blogpost on Yunomi, we touched on some of the tea anniversaries in Japan so we will not get into that today.  Instead, we will delve into the day of matcha and touch on Nishio, one of the leading matcha producing areas in Japan.  The Day of Matcha  is on February 6th and was established in 1992 by the Nishio Tea Trade Association (Japanese: 西尾茶協同組合) to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Nishio Tea. For those of you who may be unfamiliar, Nishio, Aichi Prefecture is a region that i ..read more

Setsubun (節分) is a traditional Japanese festival that is held on February 2, 3 or 4, one day before the start of spring, according to the Japanese lunar calendar. The word Setsubun literally signifies the division of two seasons (winter and spring), and according to the lunar calendar, Setsubun refers to the closing of the winter season and the arrival of spring, specifically referred to as Risshun (立春). Setsubun’s calendar date depends on Risshun, which similarly depends on the lunar calendar and occurs between February 2nd to 4th. Interestingly, Setsubun has been on February 3rd in the last ..read more

The flowers of ume, the Japanese plum, bloom in February and March, announcing the beginning of spring. Around this time many people gather at parks and temples to admire the delicate and beautiful blooms. Ume blossoms have been an important motif in Japanese culture for hundreds of years for their symbolism of new beginnings and arrival of spring.     But ume’s importance in Japan goes beyond the charming flowers. One of the classics of Japanese flavours is umeboshi, a pickled fruit of the ume tree. Its sour and tangy flavour is often combined with rice. Ume fruit is also used for ..read more

Today, we will go over some of the main parts of a chasen, or matcha whisk. While the terminology for the parts of chasen are in Japanese, we hope that it will help you to familiarize yourself more with the chasen or to (re)appreciate certain aspects. Some parts are more elaborated on than others. At the end we also include frequently asked questions on chasen.  The parts of a chasen  Hosaki (Japanese: 穂先） The tines, prongs or teeth of the chasen. In general, chasen have approximately 80 ~120 prongs. However, the number of prongs can differ quite extensively with the minimum being ab ..read more