In the West, the three main types of pottery are earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. But in Japan, there are four main types with different definitions, so that there isn’t...
Uiro
Uirō (ういろう) is a steamed cake made with flour and sugar. This wagashi (Japanese traditional sweet) looks similar to yōkan but it has a more chewy texture. The flour...
Grow Your Own Tea (Book Review)
I had this book in my wish list for more than a year. I hadn’t read it because I thought that I should own a tea plant first. But...
Regional Brands of Japanese Tea
Japanese tea has regional brands for marketing purposes. Sometimes it is a historic name, and sometimes it is registered through the Regional Collective Trademark System (地域団体商標制度). Since these trademarks...
Kagoshima Tea Chiran Sencha
I decided to start 2022 by reviewing a high quality sencha from Kagoshima Tea. The Chiran region refers to Minamikyūshū city, Kagoshima prefecture. It is a blend of first...
The Japanese Cast Iron Teapot
You’ve probably heard about the tetsubin (鉄瓶), which is the cast iron kettle. In the West, it is common to use the same word when referring to Japanese cast...
Green Tea for a Hangover
Many of us tend to celebrate by drinking alcoholic beverages. But sometimes we end up drinking too much, and experience hangover symptoms the next day. In Japan, green tea...
Karinto
Karintō (かりんとう) is a type of fried wagashi (traditional Japanese sweet). It’s normally made with wheat flour, yeast, and brown sugar. But nowadays there are many modern variations of...
Wakoen Ou No Kaori Matcha
If I’m not mistaken, this is the highest grade matcha that Wakoen offers. It’s made with tea leaves from the first harvest in Kagoshima prefecture. Since this is my...
The Yaeho Tea Cultivar
The Yaeho (やえほ) cultivar is quite old. It was registered in 1954. It is used for sencha and gyokuro. However, this cultivar is very scarce and it isn’t being...
The Tea Industry in the Metaverse
While it may take many years before we are continuously having virtual and augmented reality experiences, I think that it is inevitable. After all, a lot of us are...
Sugimoto Tea Sencha Fujikaori
Thanks to Sugimoto Tea, I’ll taste the Fujikaori cultivar for the first time. This asamushi (light-steamed) sencha is organic and comes from Fujieda in Shizuoka prefecture. I heard good...