A long way for a bowl of matcha

After the outdoor tea ceremony, we went to the tea house for another ceremony.



This was the gate to the tea house. Doesn’t it look nice?

We went through it and headed to the house.

 

There was a passageway followed by the gate. It was paved with stone bricks and well-organized trees were lined like fences along the pass. I think those trees made the pass look long and calm. We went ahead the pass …

The pass had some turns and zigzags.

 

As we carried on, another gate appeared which was basically simple and rustic. When I passed through the gate, I was enthusiastic over some kind of expectation that something nice was waiting over there.

The passageway looked narrower here. You could find moss and steppingstones on the ground. I felt more calm and relaxed here.

 

After going through the passageway, we finally reached the tea house. It was not big, but primitive and very classy. I could peek at the part of the nice garden between the house and the tree fences. I was already very much excited about the ceremony that we are going into. But, I was just at the entrance and we haven’t even finished admission.

I think my excitement was generated by the long pass from the gate. The actual direct distance from the first gate to the tea house was not really that far. But, the pass was narrow, and had many turns. Moreover, the view was limited by the tree fences. The abovementioned facters made the passageway seem long, and gave me a sense of a virtual trip. The length of passageway may not be the real matter but I believe this passageway was intentionally designed this way to generate people’s expectation to the upcoming world.


I don’t exactly remember but it is sayed that passageway throught the tea house should be likened to the way and introduction to the world of tea which is supposedly isolated from daily life. At this tea house, I experineced the important role of the passageway for a tea house. Jah!

The website of tea house (Japanese) >>>
http://www.city.toki.lg.jp/wcore/hp/page000000600/hpg000000577.htm

Sith in the tea ceremony

Now is one of the great seasons for nice climate in my area. I guess that is why many tea ceremonies are held in this season.

Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ I went to one of the ceremonies with our master. There were two ceremonies that took place at the site, one in a proper tea room and the other one outside. We joined the outside ceremony first. Outside tea ceremony is called, nodate. During the nodate, we didn’t sit on the ground. There were some benches with red drapes and guests sat there.

The host used a special table for tea ceremony.

There was a red umbrella in the middle. I kind of liked it. I think it helped to create more of Japanese ambiance. Since, there is no *tokonoma like in a tea room, so, the flower is attached to the pole of the umbrella.

*tokonoma: alcove in a traditional Japanese room where art or flowers are displayed

The confection at the ceremony

Our tea lesson is always in the tea room. So experiencing tea ceromy outside is quite special for me. This site is surrounded by greens. The tea over the cool breeze and lushious trees was very much satisfying.

They used very nice tea bowls. This was what Hiro, my wife used. I loved this tea bowl. The figure was rugged but the same time it was firm and flavorful with the exquisite black glaze. The tea bowl that I used was different. It had a great presence with significant design of the colors. It looked powerful in a dark side.


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Darth Maul??

jah!

Darth Maul >>> http://www.starwars.com/databank/character/darthmaul/

Is tea from Japan safe?

Have you already tried the first tea of the year from Japan? Some of you might wonder if buying tea from Japan is safe over the nuclear incident, and hesitate buying it.

Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ I have tried three different tea for this year from Kagoshima. The first-harvested tea is regarded as the best quality tea among several harvesting throughout the year. I enjoyed the green aroma of the first tea and the revitalizing flavor filled my mouth.

The overseas tea lovers living outside of Japan might be concerned of how bad the nuclear mishap is, as well as its effects. The controversial issue now is whether or not Japanese tea is safe to buy.

Radioactive polluted area is limited in Japan. The government is restricting the sale of foods that may have the risk of radiological contamination from the area. Our understanding is that foods sold at the market are basically safe. Of course, we have to watch out carefully if the information is correct, but too much concerns and restriction in buying products from the area may possibly result to additional disadvantages and inconvenience to the afflicted people through unusual economic activities.

Let me write why I think tea produced in Japan is safe.

1. Most of the tea producing area is far from Fukushima.

Fukushumi is located in the eastern part of Japan from Tokyo. The restricted food-producing regions are basically located the eastern part from Tokyo. Most of the major tea-producing regions in Japan, such as Sizuoka, Kagoshima, Mie, Miyazaki and Kyoto, are located in the southern part from Tokyo and they don’t get affected by the radioactive contamination.


2. Radioactive level is too minimal to harm your health.

The following links are the radiation monitoring data of the top five tea producing prefectures. (Vertical axis: level of radiation[μSv/h], Horizontal axis: date)

Shizuoka: http://mextrad.blob.core.windows.net/page/22_Shizuoka.html

Kagoshima: http://mextrad.blob.core.windows.net/page/46_Kagoshima.html

Mie: http://mextrad.blob.core.windows.net/page/24_Mie.html

Miyazaki: http://mextrad.blob.core.windows.net/page/45_Miyazaki.html

Kyoto: http://mextrad.blob.core.windows.net/page/26_Kyoto.html

Maximum scale on the chart is 5 μSv/h which doesn’t even harm your health. For example, X-ray examination for your stomach is 50 μSv for one time. If you fly from Tokyo to NY, you will be exposed 200 μSv for a round trip (Because, you get more radiation in high altitude). From the charts, you don’t find radiation more than 0.1 μSv/h in neither of these cities.

Therefore, I personally think that the most of the tea produced in Japan is safe. If you are concerned about the level of radiation in Japanese tea, you should better not take an airplane for international flight which is much worse for you. Enjoy the Japanese tea of this year. Jah!


Information about the earthquake from the govament (English)
>>> http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/index.html

Edit on Oct 31 2011

Other entries about the radiation and tea

http://everyonestea.blogspot.com/2011/05/restriction-of-tea-leaves.html

http://everyonestea.blogspot.com/2011/06/do-you-know-of-aracha.html

http://everyonestea.blogspot.com/2011/06/controversy-over-radioactive-test-on.html

http://everyonestea.blogspot.com/2011/06/controversy-over-radioactive-test-on_08.html

http://everyonestea.blogspot.com/2011/10/tea-and-radiation-in-japan.html

http://everyonestea.blogspot.com/2011/10/tea-and-radiation-in-japan-2.html

Edited on Nov 4

New entry about tea and radiation

http://everyonestea.blogspot.com/2011/11/tea-production-regions-far-from.html

Tea that you might impulsively buy

If you were a tea producer, how would you name your tea? What kind of name do you think attracts your customers? How about your favorite brand of green tea? What’s its name?

Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ On the way home from Gero trip, we stopped by a confectionery shop, called Ena-Kawakamiya. It is one of the most popular shops making kurikinton, chestnuts-confection. I found interestingly named green tea there. They are sweets shop, so tea is not a major merchandise in their selection. I guess they are not just selling sweets but they are also trying to provide enriched time with sweets. That’s why they came up to sell their own brand of green tea. I love that idea.



Usually, tea is named by its origin, type, grade or breed. For example: premium sencha from Uji, Kyoto; or something like that. Anyway, I liked the way they named their tea. You might want to get the tea impulsively by its name. The name of their tea was “Tea for Japanese confection”! How nice! It doesn’t say it’s sencha but it explains what type of sweets it can go with and why. Please imagine that pretty confections displayed in show cases and you find this tea at their store. You have to buy the tea as well. Jah!

A perfect getaway

Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ Shogetsu is one of the best ryokan, Japanese hotel, I have stayed. I love their well-designed interior as well. Today I want to show you some pictures of them.



Facade

The hallway to the entrance

The entrance

The court garden and small inner garden at their lobby

They have a cozy lounge next to the lobby with some books and magazines for the guests. You can also have free coffee there.

Many ryokan usually have a public bath and you can enjoy hot spring. Have you been to Japanese public bath? They usually have the changing room next to the bath where you take off your clothes. I thought you might want to see the bath and changing room, so I took my camera to the bath with me. When the door of the elevator opened at the floor of the public bath, I was kind of shocked with the view I saw there. An unusual and distinctive world was created at the floor.



Wanna see it?



Here

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Wow! I saw a fantastic entrance of the bath over a dark bamboo grove. The changing and bath rooms were quite usual but they were still nice.



Here is the changing room.

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This is the bath room which was tastefully designed. I liked it pretty much. You can view the scenery of Gero city.

We were in for another surprise. The dinner was served at the restaurant in the hotel. Again, when the elevator door opened, I’m lost for words. There was another world there.



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This is inside of the building. It looked like a small garden with some huts. It was not a large space but it looked like outside. They’ve decorated the floor with trees, rocks and ponds. I think mild lights from the lanterns and paper-screened door helped to create a good ambiance. We went through the garden and were led to an entrance for one of the huts. Each party can enjoy their dinner on their own private space. I really enjoyed their elaborately designed interior.

This is the guest room where we stayed. It had a wide window facing the city. So for those of you who would like to stay in a place that gives you a feeling of home away from home then I highly recommend this place. Jah!

What is tomeishi-stone?

Can you take a look at this picture? Do you find a small stone with black rope banded in front of the bamboo gate? Do you know what this is and why it is there?

Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ I found the stone at the corner of the court garden of Shogetsu. The stone is called tomeishi. You can find it at Japanese traditional gardens or tea gardens. Tome means stop and ishi means stone. Stop-stone? Now, can you guess what it is for?

This stone means “do not go any farther than here”. You can call it “keep-out stone”, maybe. For example, if there is a two-way trail in a tea garden, the stone is placed on one way and lead the guests to the other way for the correct trail. Don’t you think this keep-out sign is very modest? It could be ignored. You can easily move it or step over it. Some people may think that you should place a larger sign which says “Keep Out”, a robust barrier made out bamboo or even a yellow “Keep Out” tape in crime scenes. But, can you imagine a yellow “Keep Out” tape in Japanese gardens? Probably not. This implicit sign suits a Japanese garden. I think it’s very Japanese and I like it that way. Jah!



This is a picture of the court garden of Shogetsu from another angle. There is no tomeishi in this photo.

What do you enjoy about greeting tea?

I kind of look forward to greeting drink and snack at ryokan, Japanese hotel. They are nothing special; just ordinary green tea and sweets. But they relieve the weariness of my trip. After a long drive, relishing tea over viewing Japanese garden or flowers at *tokonoma makes me feel relaxed. Woo, I sound like an old man, haha… (^^;;

*tokonoma: alcove in a traditional Japanese room where art or flowers are displayed

Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ I went to Gero hot spring resort in Gifu prefecture, again. The ryokan we stayed at this time was Shogetu. After passing through nice-looking gates, we were led to their lobby with a favorable court garden. I was impressed by the cozy space and the view there. Shogetsu is located at uptown of Gero city, so from the lobby you can see a great panoramic view of the city over the garden. We were sitting down while facing to the view. They also have a small inner garden behind where we were seated. It really helps to create a lovely Japanese air. We had the greeting tea there. The confection was good. I don’t quite remember the taste of the tea, but you know what? I remembered the special moment in the great environment and the view. So, I think that enjoying tea is not just only about the tea. At the same time, you also enjoy the atmosphere and savor the special moment with the tea. I have to say that I had an excellent greeting tea at Shogetsu. Jah!

Tasting tea at a tea shop, Chadegozaru

Do you have a tea shop in your neighborhood? Are they good guides for your tea exploring?


The other day, I went to a teashop called “Chadegozaru” in a shopping mall. At the front of the store, the first tea of the year is piled.

They have sample leaves shown next to the packages on the shelves.

They provide tea tasting, as well. These are helpful in assisting customers to find the tea they’re looking for. I actually tasted three different teas and purchase two of them ^^

You can tell the quality of tea by the appearance of the leaves on some level but I’d rather taste it before I make a purchase. So, I prefer tea shops that offer tea tasting. I’m sometimes surprised by the flavors that I’ve tasted. I really enjoy it. I’m excited when I unexpectedly find nice umami in the tea. Sometimes, I’m disappointed with boring flavors or the robust bitterness that the tea has. Also, different preparations by different staff bring out different tastes. I enjoy discovering various teas at those tastings. I hope you have a chance to experience tea tasting.


Chadegozaru webpage (Japanese) >>>
http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/daisan/index.html

Can you evaluate bottled tea?

What if you were working at a bottled tea manufacturing company, what kind of bottled green tea would you make? To produce a great bottled tea, you need to know what customers think of your tea and your competitors’.



Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ Again, I’m gonna talk about a thing I learned at the bottled tea workshop. The company that the instructor works for produces bottled tea. They do tests and evaluations for their products and the competitors’. The company use two kinds of evaluation method and one is a scientific evaluation and the other one is a sensory method. At this workshop, we got to try the sensory evaluation. We learned how it is done and actually experienced it.

Here is a view of what we did at the workshop. Let’s say that you were working at a research laboratory in a bottled tea plant. You ought to think about what kind of product you are going to produce next. You needed to evaluate and analyze your bottled sencha and your major competitors’ for this season to find out what is going to make a big hit on the next season.

This is a relative evaluation. The white marked tea is the control tea, which is your product. The red and blue marked teas are the samples which are the products from competitors. (Water is just for washing your mouth.) The panelists drink these teas and compare how different they are from the control. They check seven aspects.

Aroma
1. dynamics of aroma
2. green aroma
3. roasted aroma
Taste
4. sweetness and umami
5. bitterness
Flavor
6. green flavor
7. roasted flavor

The point is not if you like it. The panelists need to compare the dynamics on each aspect. They taste the teas and complete the survey. The paper partially shown in the picture is the survey sheet.

I actually tasted them as a panelist. The amount of samples was not so much, so I tied to alternately sip little of each tea. But I noticed that it tastes different when I sip plenty amount. I learned that I can tell correct flavors with plenty mount. Anyway, the Smple Red had more roasted aroma and flavor than the control. The Sample Blue had less aroma, but more umami and green flavor. (These samples were major brands from different companies made and sold in Japan.)

So, if you launch your own bottled tea plant, don’t evaluate teas by your preference but with dynamics on the each aspect. Haha^^  Jah!

Tasting the first tea of 2011

Do people feel delight for any first harvest or products of the year in your country? Beaujolais Nouveau, perhaps? Somehow, we Japanese appreciate firstlings. There is even an old saying, “If you eat firstling, your life will be extend 75 days longer.” Hahaha^^



Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ Now it is the season for first harvest of tea this year in Japan! Yaaay! Now, tea is being harvested and sold in stores. Farmers say that this year’s picking season is about one week later than the usual years’ because of the climate change. Geographically, the season starts from southern regions and move up to northern areas.

I had a chance to taste the first tea of 2011 at the workshop I joined last week. It was still the beginning of the season so the teas were from Kagoshima, southern prefecture of Japan. We had two kinds of fukamushi-sencha (deeps-teamed sencha). One was made of Yutakamidor breed and the other one was made of Saemidori breed.

Left: Saemidori, Right:Yutakamidori

Yutakamidori
We brewed it at 63degC (145F) in 50ml of water for 1 min.
The aroma was very natural and rounded. As I sip it, the flavor made me smile. It had a nice sweetness.

Saemidori
We brewed it at (65degC 149F) in 50ml of water for 40sec.
This tea had greener aroma than Yutakamidori but despite of the aroma I found more umami in this tea. All I can say was “Wow!” It had a rich and mellow flavor.

Both teas had rich umami and did not have much bitterness. These senchas are covered by screen to avoid direct sunlight for a few days before picking. Some of you might notice that they aren’t considered as kabusecha. Yes, these senchas are made like kabusecha, but the covering period is shorter than kabuse. That’s why these are sold as sencha. *I believe there is no clear definition of the covering period to distinguish sencha, kabusecha and gyokuro. Anyway these senchashad good umami like kabusecha. I actually loved both of them. I very much enjoyed the first tea with kuzu confection and the tea time with other participants. I guess I am one of the people who feel delight for firstlings, hehe^^ Jah!

*Note
Basically, sencha is not covered with screen. Some farmers cover sencha for a very short period to make mild sencha.

What is the difference between brewed tea and bottled tea?

At the previous post, I said that bottled teas are real tea. But, are they really the same as brewed tea at home?

We even have a very small bottle of green tea.

Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ Today, I’d like to talk about what is the similarity and difference between bottled tea and brewed tea.


One thing they have in common is that they are both extracted from tea leaves, which is the most important element for tea drink. Since the bottled tea is made in that way, I consider them real tea.


On the other hand, the difference is that bottled tea is made with all kinds of efforts for a long preservation. The followings are the ingenuities.

Filtering
Naturally brewed tea has floating substances. Manufacturers filter the brewed tea in order to take them out for a long preservation. Also, those substances have natural tendencies to group together and subside at the bottom of the bottle. The grounds don’t look good and can be a cause of complaints from customers.

Adding vitamin C
Oxidization is an enemy for a long preservation. Adding vitamin C can prevent oxidization. The instructor said that vitamin C looks like whitish granule and it tastes sour. I haven’t tasted the sourness in bottled tea, so I guess the added amount is extremely little. (Or manufacturers may have some special techniques to hide the sourness??)

Sterilization
The bottled-tea manufacturer where the instructor works uses heat-sterilization method. Each manufacturer has slightly different method for sterilization.

I think these processes may take out or change some flavor of original tea. So, some people think bottled tea doesn’t taste as good as brewed tea. If you think that the disadvantage of bottled tea is that they don't taste as good as brewed tea; well, they also have a huge advantage as compared to the latter. You can easily enjoy green tea anytime and anywhere. I think the convenience is a significant advantage of them. It's no exaggeration to say that bottled teas have changed tea lifestyle in Japan. As a matter of fact, some young households don’t have a teapot.



I've learned that the fundamental similarity is that both brewed and bottled tea are extracted from tea leaves. The difference is that bottled tea applied some ingenuities for a long preservation. Another thing I learned is that manufacturers in Japan always keep on improving those preservation techniques to achieve making the same flavor as brewed tea. I’m very delightful for the future of bottled green tea^^  Jah!

Are bottled teas real tea?

Is bottled or canned green tea popular in your country? Have you tried them? The first canned green tea in Japan was released in 1985. Now bottled teas have become widely accepted in contemporary life style. Some young households do not even have a teapot. They don’t prepare tea at home. They just buy brewed ones from supermarkets or at convenience stores.

Konnichiwa, it’s meヽ(^。^)ノ This weekend I joined a workshop for tea instructors and advisers. This time, we learned about canned and bottled green tea.



So, do you think bottled teas are real tea? Are they artificial tea?



Before that, what is real tea?



Yes, maybe the tea prepared with tea leaves and a teapot can be called real tea. Then, do you know how bottled teas are made?



** How bottled tea is made **
1. Extracting tea leaves
2. Filtration
3. Blending (To produce stable quality of bottled teas, tea concentrate is extracted and then it’s diluted)
4. Sterilization
5. Bottling and capping
6. Cooling

After attending the workshop, my understanding of bottled tea is that they are real. It is because bottled tea is made of extracted essence of tea leaves. Have you looked at the ingredients shown on the label of bottled tea? It usually says that the main ingredient is TEA.   There are some things in common and different between bottled teas and brewed teas. I’ll talk about it on the next entry. Jah!