Hello, I’m Holden (Intern #179). Getting the chance to work on a tea farm is a unique opportunity, so naturally I wanted to make as much tea as I could. At first I wanted to make post-fermented teas like awabancha since that seemed like an interesting project, however, after trying awabancha I learned I didn’t […]
Spring is by far the busiest period of the year at the farm. It is high season for tourism, so we welcomed many guests for our 4-hour tours and our other experiences. For farming, the season started with a late winter harvest for Kyobancha. Then we started with early trimming, shading and many other preparations […]
Photography, in all its forms, has been a lifelong passion of mine. From the tactile experience of darkroom work to the precision of digital imaging, each method offers a unique view of the world, reflecting vision in different ways. You’re probably wondering what a tea farm has to do with this type of art? Surprisingly, […]
By Jason McLoughlin – Intern #178 Beekeeping, primarily for honey production, has a long and varied history around the world and began around 10,000 years ago with evidence of beekeeping in ancient Egypt, China and Greece amongst others. In Japan, the oldest record of beekeeping can be traced back to the 7th century in Nihon […]
One year as an Assistant Manager at Obubu みなさん こんにちわ! This is Sarah and, together with Pau, I joined Obubu as an Assistant Manager in September 2023. It is now the end of my program, and I wish to give a brief summary of how incredible this year at Obubu has been. Following on my […]
The following blog is about some specialty teas I decided to use, one of which Obubu has and another I was able to enjoy and learn about while in Japan. These two teas are Sakura tea and Awabancha. For the first specialty tea that I decided to use was sakura sencha which is a blended […]
Hello everyone ! My name is Alix and I am Assistant Manager #6 at Obubu. I come from the North-West of France (Brittany and Normandy !) and I studied agriculture and food engineering. My combined interest in Japanese culture and high quality products of origin pushed me to apply for this amazing opportunity. I am so excited […]
In this blog post I decided to make sodas with Wakoucha or Japanese Black Tea and Kyobancha. You can learn more about Wakoucha here in the Introduction to Wakoucha : Japanese Black tea blog. I noticed while looking at the different projects that past interns have made and was captivated by one called Iced Shiso […]
For this blog I decided to make green tea or sencha soda as Japan is known for green tea. Blog post What’s in a Name? Part 1: Matcha, Tencha, and Sencha. It discusses the differences in all of these different teas and what I will be using as the main teas in this blog. With […]
After the Autumn harvest, and having had the chance to process the autumn moon tea and plenty of Bancha, we headed to the fields to do some trimming work. Trimming quickly became my favorite filed work activity, it is a bit more technical than harvesting or other activities. It requires a lot of attention to […]
Hello, to all those who love tea and also those who also happen to love soda. I am Jocelyn intern #176 at Obubu studying Biological Systems Engineering specializing in Food Engineering in university and while being here at Obubu I found a new love for tea and hope to share with you all a fun […]
First, some introductions and pleasantries Hi, this is Amanda, one of the interns at Obubu. Interning at Obubu has come with many surprises, one of which is learning that black tea is also produced in Japan. Japanese black tea or more commonly referred to as wakoucha has quickly become one of my favourite teas. I […]
At Obubu, it is often said “Many things happen. Please enjoy”. If you are lucky enough to spend time here, you will understand what is meant by this. There are many moments of serenity within the chaos, and it’s important to note this chaos is quite benevolent. Obubu-san has doggedly refused to stop growing and […]
What is the difference between Abandoned tea and maintained tea? Why is there abandoned tea, and what does it take to maintain it? Hello! I’m Jordan, intern #172! Here’s why I am interested in abandoned vs. maintained tea fields. It all started on an Obubu tea tour, where I noticed some overgrown tea bushes, more […]
Hey there fellow tea lovers, my name is Till, Intern number #175 and I am currently taking part in a 3-month internship at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms, where I have the once in a lifetime chance to explore the ways and means of Japanese tea production, including plant care, harvesting, machine processing, as well as […]
At first glance, handmade tea is very intimidating. In Wazuka, hand-picked and hand-rolled tea are the most expensive senchas in Japan. Because of its high price, only the masters are allowed to touch the tea during this process. Nevertheless, you can make your own handmade tea at Obubu, and it is actually quite simple. Whether […]
A natural phenomenon as spectacular as the sakura of springtime is the coming of the Japanese autumn leaves, or kôyô (紅葉). Japanese forests are transformed with bright red, orange, and yellow foliage, and the star-shaped leaves of the momiji or Japanese maple trees, are exceptionally breathtaking! Wagashi artisans incorporate these vibrant colours into their creations, […]
Hi! Hello! Intern #171, Patrick here! During the week at Obubu, we were busy either framming, leading tea tours, or leveling. On the weekends, all bets were off. We interns had easy access to some of the most amazing cities in Japan: Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. If you were feeling extra spicy, you could make […]
Summer in Japan can be intense, to say the least. The high temperatures and harsh humidity are brutal. Nonetheless, we still want to eat wagashi, of course! So here’s my little guide to enjoying Japanese sweets in the summertime. Summer calls for sweets that bring cooling images to mind. Summer wagashi tend to be lighter […]
Wagashi (和菓子) are traditional Japanese sweets that are typically paired with matcha. There are various types of Wagashi, distinguished by their shapes, ingredients, and preparation methods. Some popular examples include Namagashi (生菓子), Daifuku (大福), and Dorayaki (どら焼き). During the Obubu wagashi-making class, Ishida-san taught us how to create Namagashi, which is commonly served during traditional […]
Hello, my name is Lana and I am intern #167. I came to Wazuka and Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms at the very end of the winter. Because of that, I was lucky enough to see the nature wake up and birds start singing. One of my co-interns mentioned that our Kukichas were named after the […]
In spring, Japan is steadily covered in a blanket of pink. From late March to early May, cherry blossoms decorate the landscapes of Japan as sakura trees burst into bloom across the country. As the sakura are only briefly in full bloom, they are celebrated for their beautiful reminder of impermanence and seasonal changes. In […]
Ah, the tale of the old signs The Wazuka rain may have been our ally in nurturing our tea crops, but when it came to our road signs, it left travellers squinting and scratching their heads. It was a bittersweet realisation for us at Obubu – while these road signs had served us faithfully for […]
Winter is a time when we need countless cups of hot tea. It goes without saying at this point that every cup of tea is an excellent time to eat a bit of wagashi as well. During winter, multiple occasions call for sweets, notably New Year celebrations, which are of great importance. Wagashi is also […]
Hi! I’m Mac :) My journey with Obubu Tea Farms began in 2015 when I was accepted as an intern to the Obubu Internship Program. This incredible program takes place in the heart of Japan’s beautiful countryside. It’s a place where the art of tea cultivation blends with centuries-old practices, and where every leaf represents […]
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