The first week of our internship was rich in experiences! We got to go with Matsu-san to a yearly tea-picking and hand-rolling event in Higashiomi. Before the event, we visited the sustainable community initiative “Nanohana Project” factory, which cultivates canola oil, as well as recycles oil to refine it into biodiesel fuel on which the residents operate the Chokotto Bus “Eco-Tomo”.

Shigaraki is located about 30 minutes by car from Wazuka where we live. It is such a charming town that most interns have visited more than once, not only for the tea utensils but also for the kind people they meet in Shigaraki. Shigaraki ware is a pottery with a long history and culture that has been produced since the Kamakura period and is famous as one of the six oldest kilns in Japan. It is also synonymous with tanuki figurines, and you are bound to come across some unique ones here!

Current intern Alex Dubovoy traveled with former intern Alex Billingsley to Koyasan, a sacred mountain in Wakayama Prefecture. First settled by the Buddhist monk Kukai (Kobo Daishi) in 819, Koyasan has been a pilgrimage site for over a thousand years and is the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism. Shingon is a form of Vajrayana, or esoteric, Buddhism, which means that it is considerably different from other types of Japanese Buddhism and bears certain resemblances to Tibetan Buddhism. Though Shingon has all sorts of interesting arcane and secret practices (read: ghosts, exorcism, fire), Koyasan is also a welcoming place for visitors. It is particularly known for the tradition of shukubou or guest lodging. So, both Alexes stayed at Muryokoin, a beautiful temple, and participated in temple services at 6 AM (yes, fire, lots of fire 🔥).

Together, the Alexes must have gathered nearly 30 stamps! Their visit wasn’t complete without a nighttime wander through the local graveyard, where Kobo Daishi is believed to have remained alive in constant mediation since 835 👻 Oh, also it was Halloween weekend 🎃

If Nara made ‘Mushi’ Justin happy, then Dobutsu Justin (referencing his other project ‘Dobutsu Douyobi’, or ‘Animal Saturdays’) was just as pleased in Kyoto: Arashiyama Monkey Park and the Bamboo Grove! Our lovely temple enthusiasts Katrina and both Alexes were also excited to fill their goshuinchou to their heart’s content when doing the Philosopher’s Walk and literally entering every single temple and shrine for a brief prayer.

Intern Katrina and Hiro-san participated in the annual 5-day business trip to Fukushima city for a kimono sales event at the “Kimono Iwaki” main store. They brewed our beloved Wazuka teas for the staff and customers, the main teas being Obubu’s Hojicha, Kabuse Sencha, Genmai, and Sakura Sencha. Katrina ended up chatting with kimono craftsmen and found out that one of the masters makes Sengoku era style kimonos, and one of them was dyed with tea leaves! Iwaki-san was very happy with the tea and our positive energy, therefore, he generously gifted Katrina a yukata and the accessories that come with it. Thank you! The hard work was rewarded with 2 days of holiday, therefore, on the way back to Wazuka, Katrina spent that time in Tokyo, which resulted in meaningful and inspiring encounters that continue to fuel her dreams. She got to meet Tengyo Kura, a Japanese storytelling vagabond; and Jeff Fuchs, a Canadian tea explorer who completed the Ancient Tea Horse Road. Check out their inspiring work and writings! Tea connects people (better than Nokia, no offense).

Once upon a time, Matsu-san kindly invited interns to join his tea ceremony lesson taught by Nakai-sensei (Urasenke schooled tea master). Alex, Patrick, and Hannah instantly agreed and continued their studies during the internship, later on, joined by Satomi-san and Katrina. The previous intern Moe-chan also is one of Nakai-sensei’s students, therefore, we highly recommend her school! George has also done a few lessons! (we are lucky to have Alex and Matsu-san as interpreters who kindly translate the lesson, therefore, heads up that you might need some Japanese language skills by your side). She creates a classroom, where it’s okay to make mistakes in order to learn. We often have a good laugh, and she is such a gentle and kind person (Nakai-sensei also makes delicious wagashi sweets!).

After trying the best teas from all around Shizuoka at the World Tea Expo, a few of the interns went on a spontaneous adventure. While trying to navigate the city, we took an unexpected turn that led us to Route 223, which can be read as “Fujisan” in Japanese. Crossing Shizuoka Prefecture Road Route 223 is a rare experience as it is traveled by ferry, across Suruga Bay, connecting Shimizu Port and Nishi-Izu Toi Port in just over an hour. This short cruise was an amazing opportunity for us to relax and enjoy views of Mt. Fuji. While exploring the beautiful coastline of Izu Honto, it was easy to see why this is recognized as one of the most visually stunning places in Japan. Along the way, we took a few breaks at incredible and memorable locations. Among our favorites were: Sawada Park open-air onsen in Nishi Izu, Inashimo Shrine, Matsuzaki Town (another of Japan’s 100 Most Beautiful Villages), and Matsuzaki Beach, where the day was made complete by an unforgettable sunset.

We saw two different pottery demonstrations, one involving throwing a kyusu on a traditional wheel and the other, creating teapots without a wheel. Finishing off the day we ate dinner with our wonderful host Takayuki-san. Also, we  got to pet cat celebrity Marron-chan (@kamasaka_marron) and made off with half of Tokoname’s teaware, so great day overall.

Together they roasted kukicha in a houroku pan on a Swedish torch in a tea plantation next to Fujisan alongside a wonderful BBQ and lots of tea, had a brief sencha factory tour, and visited Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre and Fujisan Hongu Sengen Shrine, as well as had a trip to the Izu Peninsula with its spectacular volcanic coasts.

Uji is the epicenter of tea! It’s where the first tea bush was planted in 1190 when the monk Eisai brought it from China. Tea is everywhere here, in all different kinds of shapes: tea and pottery shops (such as Asahi-yaki), matcha ice cream, matcha ramen, matcha takoyaki, matcha gyoza, and so on. All of us attended the Uji Tea Festival, which hosted several tea events and stalls by various tea producers and local craftsmen. Hannah and Katrina also enjoyed the exhibition at the Tea Museum in Uji. The interns also visited Akky-san’s friend Yamamoto Jinjirou (@yamamotojinjirou) whose family has been growing and producing tea for 6 generations. They specialize in hand-picked tencha and matcha, which are produced in the oldest tencha drying oven in Japan. They grow only Asahi and Samidori cultivars, which are picked only once per year in spring. The shading practices also include the preservation of tradition: Yamamoto-san grows rice to cover the tea bushes with rice straw instead of the black synthetic fiber covers. We had a great time together and everyone went home in a car filled with bags of all kinds of different tea-related goods!