It's May! Time to harvest tea

May is tea harvest time in Japan. In February, tea plants are clipped into their classic hedge-like shapes. As the weather warms up, tea plants put on up to four inches of new growth which is picked in May. Most tea is picked by machine, but the highest grade teas are picked and processed by hand.

Tea plantation, Saiyama Hills near Tokyo



Wada-san, proprietor of Wada-en tea plantation in Saiyama, explains the tea harvesting process.

More information about where to experience green tea harvesting in Japan: http://gojapan.about.com/od/attraction1/tp/japan_greentea_harvesting.htm (Usual disclaimers apply.)

Matcha source update

A couple of recent trips to San Francisco took us to Japantown and Asakichi stores. Asakichi operates four stores in Japantown, one of which specializes in tea and equpment for chanoyu. The matcha they sell is Uji Koyama-en. We stocked up with several tins of their delicious tea.

Chanoyu Glossary

This Omotesenke web page has one of the best Chanoyu glossaries I've seen:

http://www.omotesenke.jp/english/chanoyu/glossary.html

It has wonderfully clear explanations, and many are accompanied by pictures. I'm considering printing a copy to keep with my notes.

So, where do you get your Matcha?

Weekly Tea ceremony practice with four or five people will use up a tin of tea in short order so we're always looking for good and affordable matcha. We often stock up when friends go to Portland or San Francisco, and until recently have ordered delicious tea from Pacleaf.com. However, necessity dictates we broaden our tastes and shopportunities.

Here are some sites I found while cruising for new tea sources. Any recommendations? Comments are welcome!

http://www.ippodo-tea.co.jp/en/index.html
We have tried Ippodo teas and found them to be of very good quality. The tea was sent as a gift from Sensei in Japan. We have not ordered directly from them.

http://www.amazon.com/DoMatcha-Organic-Matcha-Green-1-06-Ounce/dp/B0019FOZC4/ref=pd_bxgy_misc_img_b Who'da thunk that you could buy matcha from amazon?? I'm tempted.

http://www.lupiciausa.com/

http://www.matchasource.com/

http://www.shizuokatea.com/index.htm
We bought Shizuoka Tea from vending machines in and around Shizuoka. Very tasty.

EDEN Organic Matcha http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=110510&ref_src=froogle&ref_id=froogle

http://www.choiceorganicteas.com/greenteas-order.asp#1838

http://www.artoftea.com/catalog/ceremonial-matcha-p-67.html

Chanoyu in Montréal

Recently, Laura discovered Chanoyu while visiting Montréal.

While planning activities for Montréal, I discovered that the Montreal Association of Chado Urasenke Tankokai offered demonstrations of Japanese Tea ceremony at the Botanical Gardens' Japanese Tea Garden. I determined to go, and made a day of it. ...

Her photos of the beautiful garden and impressions of having Tea are here at Lauraven's Miscellany...

Teabowls!

These three bowls viewed together told a unique story that could not be conveyed by any of them individually.

Oribe, raku, modern -- reading about these tea bowls tugs at my heartstrings and I wish I could have held them too.

http://www.asianart.org/blog/index.php/2009/06/20/teabowls/

(Thanks for the link Kumi!)

Encyclopedia of Shinto

Recently, Harvey found a darling picture of a Japanese shrine cat which reminded us of our cat, Nikko. The photo was taken at Umemiya Shrine in Kyoto. Curious, I did a quick Google search to find out about the shrine and came across this website:

http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/

This is a good introduction to Shinto, an important influence on Chado and Japanese culture in general.