I found a harbinger of spring, "ume (Japanese plum)" blossoms at a local small shrine.
I also found another sign of spring, "yomogi mochi (a Japanese herb flavored sweets)" at a tiny tea house in the shrine. How can I resist it!? Together with "bancha".
Bancha is tea usually made from late summer or autumn leaves in a local method as a daily tea for local people. So when we say "bancha", it has different meanings and different characters from region to region.
In any case, bancha is considered low-grade and inexpensive. But drinking bancha on such a beautiful place and day is priceless. It was what I felt grateful for on this day.
