November 1st was World Vegan Day. Now I had this thought: “would vegan tea really be a thing, and would the vegan aspect of tea be something that vegans or vegetarians throughout the world would actually pay attention or care to?” [Watch the video which this article is a transcription of] Do you think that there are any aspects that could affect tea to be either vegan or non-vegan? Let me know what you think in the comments below. I’m very interested to get different opinions. Vegan tea Now, I have thought about this and because tea’s always fertilized, I would say that depending on the fertil ..read more

There are a few things that you absolutely shouldn’t do when walking around in a tatami straw matted room. In this article I will give you three hints on what not to do on tatami mats. [Watch the video which this article is a transcription of] I want to give you three tips on what you should not do in a tea chamber or in a traditional Japanese house where there is straw matted flooring. On these mats, there are some typical, modes of behavior that you should keep in mind just not to come over as impolite or disrespectful. And if you keep these three tips to hart, then you will be able to go in ..read more

Are you a minimalist or are you a hoarder? In this post I want to talk about minimalism and its relation to tea ceremony. I see a lot of people relate to tea ceremony as a source from where to learn about minimalism and take tea ceremony as the ideal image of what minimalism is supposed to mean. But there are some issues with this and some things are not taken in account. [Watch the video which this article is a transcription of] Minimalist architecture And the best example of that is contemporary architecture. If we look at contemporary architecture from the architects that design tea pavilio ..read more

How Has Tea Brought Me To Intermittent Fasting? Tea has led me to become more aware in many respects. Food and nutrition is one of those areas I have become more aware about, and intermittent fasting has helped me take control of my life and wellbeing in a much better way. in this article I talk about my experience, heightening my sensitivity through both tea, intermittent fasting, and tuning in to the language of the body. [Watch the video which this article is a transcription of] As you know, at The Tea Crane, I select teas that are not only organic or pesticide free, but they are actually a ..read more

I know that a lot of people often wonder or worry about how to store matcha properly. If you don’t store your matcha properly, then it will go bad or deteriorate over time. But of course you will want to keep it as fresh for as long as possible. [Watch the video which this article is a transcription of] Long-term preservation of matcha Now, the thing with matcha is that in Japan, it’s hardly ever stored in its powder form. It’s always stored as the tea leaf. When it’s needed as matcha, it is pulverized. When the matcha is pulverized, it will become much more prone to oxidation, starting to go ..read more

I like skateboarding, and I do it with my kids on a sunny Sunday afternoon. It’s great. It’s good to keep your body in shape. It’s good to keep moving, break a sweat, keep some activity going, stay young, stay happy, stay fun, have fun with the kids. It is just so very important to keep the body active. And it doesn’t matter whether you skateboard, or go for a run, or practice martial arts. Simply to stay active is of utmost importance for your health and wellbeing. [Watch the video which this article is a transcription of] I don’t think that because this website is essentially a tea store, th ..read more

Happy New Year! Yes, it’s Tea Ceremony New Year. Tea Ceremony New Year Celebrations Each year in November we celebrate Tea Ceremony New Year. And what does that entail? That means that we are shifting from the summer service to the winter service. The summer service and the winter service of Tea ceremony are largely different. [Watch the video which this article is a transcription of] The Summer Service of Tea Ceremony In summer, we use a furo (風炉). The furo is the floor brazier. It’s usually a metal or laquer or ceramic basin in which the ash is kept to hold the hot charcoal. This is placed o ..read more

I went camping with my family in Mandokoro. It was a beautiful weekend showing my kids around the natural tea gardens of Mandokoro, experimenting with a different way of making a fire, trying out my hammock tent setup for the first time, enjoying some bushcraft, taking a cold plunge in the river for cold exposure, and simply having a great time in the outdoors! [Watch the video which this article is a transcription of] I really love camping and being out in the outdoors because here the worries of everyday life are taken away. Just being out in nature, connecting with the earth, with soil, wit ..read more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE REGARDING RESUMPTION OF INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL FROM JAPAN The Japan Post Has Started To Resume Acceptance Of Postal Packages To Several Western Countries. 　　[JAPAN, KYOTO, September 18, 2022—]Thank you for your continued patronage and support to the activities of The Tea Crane. It is because of you, my loyal, faithful and supportive customers that, as a small business operating from within Japan, supplying some of the most authentic and unique Japanese teas to the world, we have been able to stay afloat during the most difficult past two years. We have received the hopefu ..read more