Varietal Tea

As with wine,  there are so many varieties to produce tea. Even only in Japan, new varieties are born from day to day and some are dropped by the wayside. Some are suitable for producing green tea, others are good for Wakocha, fermented tea. Some create more flowery aroma, the other give more brighter color. Although Japan is not that big, its soil, climate and geography are different from place to place.

Blended tea was the mainstream on the market. Tea from different areas were blended so that the taste of tea could be uniform anywhere and anytime. Actually, this is still the most popular type, but more and more varietal tea are drawing tea-drinkers' attentions. As the proverb goes, there is no accounting fo tastes. Surely, people will appreciate the "difference" of tea all the more.

Benihomare variety

Long-awaited "Hachijyu-hachiya"

Now, April has come. It means a “special tea day”, known as Hachiju-hachiya (literally, “eighty-eighth night”), is approaching, needless to say Sakura season.

Hachiju-hachiya is one of the most important days for Japanese tea. It is a movable feast, and decided according to the traditional Japanese calendar. In 2012, it falls on May 1. It is believed that drinking green tea made from tea leaves picked on Hachiju-hachiya will bring you good health for the year. So, tea on the day can be called “good luck tea”.

Tea festivals are annually held at tea-producing areas including Kyoto and Shizuoka on the day. As you know, Japanese tea industry has been facing difficulty due to the disaster of nuclear power plants. Tea people have been making great efforts to produce safety and tasty tea over the last year. Long-awaited new tea season will come very soon.

Pet-Bottle Country

Japan is a truly superpower of PET bottled drink. So many kinds of Pet bottled drinks are sold everywhere.

Recently, sugar-free tea drinks such as green, black, oolong and blended teas are especially popular. And….although it is all called “green tea”, there are millions different kinds and the flavors. So, if you count in other teas like black and oolong etc, you will easily imagine that you will not have time to feel “thirsty” while traveling in Japan.

Now, a new type of Pet-bottled tea has joined in the market. This is “MATE (Paraguay tea)”, which is not that popular in Japan yet.

Arrival of the Mate may cause another Pet-bottled tea battle.

Sakuramochi

Again, this is another Sakura story.

Sakura is pleasing to the eye, and one’s heart and the palate.

The seasonal wagashi (Japanese sweets), called “Sakuramochi”, are seen in this season.

It consists of a sweet pink mochi (rice cake) and red bean paste, covered with a leaf of sakura (cherry blossom). The style and shape of sakuramochi differs from the region to region.

Japanese traditional sweets are considered to be good with Matcha, but it doesn’t have to be with it. To be honest, I like to have sakuramochi with Wakocha (Japanese black tea) especially made of Yabukita variety, which is the most popular variety to make Japanese green tea.

We have to wait another a week or two to enjoy real Sakura flower, but I have been already in spring mood.

Always Cherry Blossoms- Sakura Cha -

As you may know, Japanese do love Sakura, cherry blossoms. We feel really happy and excited only to think about approaching of Sakura season.

Loving the flowers a lot, we want to enjoy them more often and more closely. So, we pickle the flowers with salt and use them in various ways. We make spring food such as Sakura sushi, Sakura soup and Sakura tea known as Sakura-cha. (The pickled Sakura are sold at the supermarket.)

The tea is easy to be made. Put pickled flowers into a teacup and pour hot water over it. Flower opens beautifully in the cup, so it is often enjoyed at happy events.

Saura is always pleasing to the eye and the heart.

Arigato from Japan -311-

"Arigato" from Japan.
 * You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS-sWdAQsYg&feature=related

We still have a long long way to go.
Hope Japan will be the country where the children take great pride in their hometown.

311

Another 311 is coming soon. Nearly one year has passed since the awful and unprecedented disaster.

There are still tons of problems to be faced and solved in Japan, but the seasons turn and another Sakura season will arrive soon. We cannot give up. We should keep moving forward even a step by step.

Sakura is dear and means a lot to Japanese. Since the olden times, the flower has been comforting us and lifting our spirits in pain and in pleasure. Hope Sakura will bloom beautifully again throughout the country including Tohoku area.

May all victims’ souls rest in peace.

And once again, "Arigato (Thank you)" for all of your concerns about Japan.