Granny Kancha and the last Shishikui kancha harvest
On February 3-4, we visited Akemi Ishimoto, an 87 year old kancha tea farmer who is located in the Southernmost tip of Tokushima Prefecture. You can learn about the kancha...
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Women in Tea
In tea and other very traditional Japanese industries you rarely see women in leading roles. But they do exist and this collection is meant to highlight those women who are challenging the status quo.
As a criteria for inclusion, we feature products from producers where women take a visible role of leadership becoming role models for other women in this male dominated society.
Like Ayumi Kinezuka pictured here, they are farmers and CEOS, processing experts and business owners.
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Our personal favorites. Selected for you.
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Black Tea, Oolong Tea, Dark Tea
Japanese tea farms and factories have been crafting more and more non-green teas.
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Lifestyle
All About Japanese Tea Culture
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How Shishikui kancha is made
Shishikuicho city, is in the southernmost district of Tokushima Prefecture, called Kaiyo. As its name Kaiyo (in Japanese: 海陽) suggests in Japanese, it is a "sea town" that is famous for its sea....
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The Day of Matcha and Nishio Tea
As some of you may have been aware, February 6th marked the day of matcha in Japan. In a previous blogpost on Yunomi, we touched on some of the tea...
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The Setsubun Festival and Good Fortune Tea
Setsubun (節分) is a traditional Japanese festival that is held on February 2, 3 or 4, one day before the start of spring, according to the Japanese lunar calendar. The...
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Ume: The symbol of spring with many uses
The flowers of ume, the Japanese plum, bloom in February and March, announcing the beginning of spring. Around this time many people gather at parks and temples to admire the...
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The Parts of a Chasen
This article covers the Japanese terminology for the main parts of a chasen (the bamboo whisk used to make matcha). While the terminology for the parts of chasen are in...
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Wasanbon sugar: Japan's traditional and delicate sugar
Since most of my writing on Yunomi is about tea, I thought I would mix it up a bit to write about a traditional and special type of sugar called...
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Genmaicha, the brown rice tea everybody loves
As some of you may already be aware, November 1st was a day to celebrate Genmaicha day. Genmaicha is a type of Japanese tea made by mixing sencha or bancha...
Eat, Drink, Cook - Japanese Food & Recipes
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How to Cook Japanese Rice in a Pan
This is an article about how to cook Japanese rice. This sounds simple, but I will show you how to get the best results. This is straight forward even if...
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Sakura Butter Mochi Recipe
What's Butter Mochi? Butter mochi is a Hawaiian sweet, made from mochiko (sweet rice flour) instead of wheat flour. It's also a fusion of a Japanese ingredient ,western cooking, and...
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Sakura Tea Latte Recipe
Spring has returned! Some sakura (Japanese cherry blossom) and other spring flowers are blooming, plants are growing and birds are singing. Here is a drink that you can enjoy this...
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Rose Petal Chocolate with Matcha Recipe
If you feel like having a nice, romantic tea time ,this recipe is good for you. As well as a nice and creamy hot drink, it's a beautiful color combination...
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Anko, Japanese Sweet Red Bean Paste, Recipe
Anko or azukian or red bean paste in English is made from azuki beans, and is a staple of Japanese cuisine. You must have seen it many times if you've...
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How to Make Nejiri-Ume (Japanese Vegetable Carving)
There are some kinds of vegetable carvings called Kazari-giri in Japanese cuisine, which is made for decorating and adding a seasonal feeling to dishes. In the New Year, we often...
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Tea Infused Mulled Wine Recipe
Indulge yourself with this "tea-wine" on the festive season. This fruity warm drink will put you in the festive spirit and impress your holiday guests. Combination of Black Tea...
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Hojicha Spiced Biscuits Recipe
Be a star baker this winter with these Christmas biscuits! These biscuits will get you in the festive mood, and also get you to breathe a new style into your...
Professional's Guide to Japanese Tea
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Fukamushi sencha and how it differs from a regular sencha
As its name implies in Japanese, fukamushi sencha is deep steamed tea. “Fukai” (Japanese: 深い) means deep and “mushi” (蒸し) means steamed. This is exactly how fukamushi sencha is processed,...
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Looking for a matcha whisk? Here are some tips
Matcha is becoming known globally, with its attractive lush green color and health benifits. In Japan, the traditional tea ceremony, chado, was initiated in the early 12th century as a...
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77th National Tea Competition in Japan
Here is a little bit of tea news from the homefront (Japan). Just last month, from the 22nd to the 25th of August, the 77th National Tea Festival represented by...
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Tea Picking Experience with Honey Fragrance Black Tea (蜜香紅茶)
Do you know there is black tea made from tea leaves eaten by insects? It is called Mikko-kocha (蜜香紅茶), literally means honey fragrance black tea. This special fragrance is created by...
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Ice steeping, the secret to making your Japanese tea more umami-full
We’re in the midst of the monsoon season in Japan, the rainy and muggy days continue... After the rains, come the hot humid summer days. And if you are familiar...
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Exploring the Color of Tea
This blogpost was written by guest writer Jimmy Burridge, PhD in Plant Science and tea aficionado. Photos are also from Jimmy. Enjoy! Introduction The color of a tea infusion strongly influences our...
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Japanese Tea Harvesting Methods
The 2023 Shincha season is here! Many tea farms will be starting, or have already started their very first tea harvest for the new season. We say very first because...
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The Art of Hand Rolling Tea
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Koukien Tea Garden, a tea farm based near Makizono-cho, Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture. They are a family doing agriculture all year round including rice...
