Tea caddies have been important for Japanese tea for hundreds of years and have carried particular prestige since the great warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) ranked tea ceremony utensils for their aesthetic value....
Today, we touch on the history of hojicha, which in comparison to the other Japanese teas out there, is relatively new. Hojicha making started in the 1920’s, during Japan’s early...
A belated happy new year to you! I hope 2023 has started off kindly for you. Today, January 20th in Japan marks Daikan (大寒；daikan), the season of the big cold...
The history of the Japanese tea ceremony (Chado or Chanoyu) is too often told without the sociopolitical context that was essential to its popularity as it took hold in the...
Meet the Edo Period nomadic monk who helped popularize tea steeping in Japan.
Just as you put down your chopsticks after enjoying a round of nigiris at a traditional sushi restaurant in Tokyo the sushi master respectfully announces, “Agari onegaishimasu!” (Agari please!) A few...
Have you ever tried the Japanese dish called ochazuke? Ochazuke is not a dish that one typically comes across in Japanese restaurants outside of Japan. It is more of a familial and...
