All About Japanese Tea Culture

  • Celebrate Japanese Tea Women

    Celebrate Japanese Tea Women

    Tea farming, like agriculture in general, is typically thought of as a male-dominated world, probably because men tend to own the land, businesses and equipment. Nevertheless, in Japan, women have...

  • A Japanese summer delicacy, Uji kintoki

    A Japanese summer delicacy, Uji kintoki

    If you are a Japanese tea aficionado, you’ve probably already heard of the famous tea producing region Uji, in Kyoto Prefecture. But have you heard of Uji kintoki? It actually...

  • Craftsmanship and evolution of the Japanese tea caddy

    Craftsmanship and evolution of the Japanese tea caddy

    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....

  • Tea Tour 2023 in Tokyo!

    Tea Tour 2023 in Tokyo!

    On Sunday May 28th there was a tea event in the Nihonbashi neighborhood of Tokyo city, called Tokyo Tea Tour 2023 (in Japanese: 東京お茶めぐり2023). Being back in my motherland this...

  • Grandma phantom tea in the mountains

    Grandma phantom tea in the mountains

    Hello! Have you tried any of the 2023 shinchas at Yunomi?  The month of May (the time around the 88th night) is peak tea harvesting season in Japan. When one...

  • Celebrate Hachijyu-Hachiya (88th Night)

    Celebrate Hachijyu-Hachiya (88th Night)

    May 2nd in 2023, is “hachijyu-hachiya”, a holiday which marks the 88th night since the beginning of spring called Risshun (i.e., February 2nd or 3rd) according to the Japanese lunar calendar. Traditionally...

  • Full Moon Harvest Wha-ha-ha Three Year Bancha

    Full Moon Harvest Wha-ha-ha Three Year Bancha

    Greetings! It’s starting to feel more like spring in Japan with the beautiful blooms on ume (plum), cherry, chinese magnolia trees, and the hopeful call of the nightingale. What new scents, sprouts...

  • History of Hojicha, One of Japan's Favorite Teas

    History of Hojicha, One of Japan's Favorite Teas

    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...