My love letter for me to you
My name is Vincent, Vincento, Vincenzo. I go by many names. Different countries, Different names.
But the same person nonetheless
Why Obubu?
Before I came to Obubu I lived in Sweden and Portugal. I have a bachelor in horticultural science. I worked for many years in the so-called green sector. I’ve worked with everything from cleaning weeds in gardens to executing experiments for the university I studied at SLU: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. And just before coming to Oubu I was in the beginning phase of creating a farm in the Mountains of Portugal. But my true love is tea and my true passion is tea. Drinking tea, talking about tea, growing tea, looking at tea. feeling teaware. I love tea and tea culture. I have been involved with tea in some way or shape since 2017.
How did it all start?
It all started as a joke
I said to a friend of mine, after watching a Mei Leaf video on Youtube about Matcha: I am going to become a tea master. ha ha ha…. After that I realised that tea is extremely interesting, and then just like that, I fell in love with it. Before coming to Obubu I did not enjoy Japanese tea so I wanted to learn why it was so beloved by so many people and see if I can start liking it. The best way to do so is to travel to the source of it, Japan. I also wanted to learn how to grow, harvest and process tea so I might be able to create my own tea plantation in the future. Lastly, I grew up watching anime and loved everything about Japan so i wanted to live out my anime life in real life.
Covid-19. The gap year. Obubu
In 2019 I had an upcoming course in my uni called “Horticultural Practice” and I thought that I do not want to do as everybody else: doing an internship in Sweden. So then I started looking for internships. Somehow, through the power of going down the rabbit hole I found Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms. It clicked, My desire to go abroad, my wish to experience Japan, my love for tea, me wanting to understand japanese tea flavour and learning how the production of tea in a country that is similar to Swedish standardization. I contacted Obubu, I wrote the application, had the interview, did the whole thing. I was accepted to the internship. I got approval from my school. And then…..
The world collapsed. It spread and spread throughout the world. People were getting fever, influenza-like symptoms, grandmothers, grandfathers were collapsing never awaking again, children and adults were crying. Some called it the 21st century plague, but the media called it corona, later known as Covid-19. Covid also stopped my plans, two weeks before I was supposed to board my flight the borders of Japan closed, leaving me stranded in Sweden wondering; what should I do now? I decided to do nothing. I went to my balcony and started drinking tea, reading Dune and other fantasies. I had a very long summer vacation that started in April and ended in September.
Sweden during covid was super chill. Everything was as normal except that some stuff was online and no mega big events were happening. There was no lockdown.
Fast forward to 2024
Since 2020 I have studied some more, and I have worked at different jobs. I moved to Portugal for 8 months building a farm, then I moved back to Sweden. Lost my passion for tea, reignited my passion for tea and then summer of 2024 when I had moved back to Sweden and did not know what to do now. I saw Obubu last call for internship application! It struck like lightning. It’s time I said! So I applied again. And I got accepted. 1 month later I was on my flight to japan. At long last my dream has become a reality. Ramen, tea, anime, tea fields, Obubu here we go.
Expectations
My expectations for Obubu the second time around, 2024, were a bit vague to be completely honest. In 2020 I had very concrete expectations: I will drink tea all day everyday, I will learn about the process, I will ask Akky-san many questions for my bachelor thesis, i will write my thesis. I will become a tea master! But as I said, this year I did not know exactly what i was expecting. I was quite broken as a human before coming here. My other dream, the farm in Portugal, had fallen to pieces, so too did i. I put my heart and soul into the farm. But as life has it, I needed to move away and start a new life. The only thing I knew was that I needed to focus on my other big dream, Japan and tea. So my expectations were: trying to figure out who I am without any previous parameters around me and to do my best to learn about tea.
During Obubu
Standing tall and content, sharing a moment of eternal time
The beginning of a beautiful friendship
My time at Obubu and Japan has been a rollercoaster of a ride and I loved every moment of it. The good, the bad, the weird and the beautiful. During this internship I learned so much about myself in relation to different cultures. About myself in general. I learned that my commitment to something is not based on economic incentive but my passion and love for a it. I learned about my boundaries and how much I can work if I love it.
Office hours
Because I was here in the beginning of autumn to the beginning of winter there were a lot of tea tours and only one sencha processing which is okay. I loved the tea tour. Seeing people’s reactions to experiencing flavours and aromas they have never experienced in tea format was and is a magical moment. Making them laugh, experiencing their life stories, being a part of, maybe, their once in a lifetime Japan trip. Talking about tea and improving my public speaking was so much fun and valuable for me. During the tea tours I tried to add my flair into the presentation and I want to think that It was appreciated by the guests and co-workers.
Harvesting I did not enjoy. It was fun to carry the bags as a form of exercise but harvesting and trimming not so much. For me it was too much pressure to do it perfectly and I don’t want that kind of stress in my life, so I decided after the first harvest that I will carry bags. I learned what I needed to learn for harvesting, so I was happy with that.
I also did a lot of Social media, which I loved so much. To share the world through the lens of my eyes and then trying to adapt it to the Obubu brand was a challenge I loved.
Outside of office hours
Japan, oh Japan, the land of the rising sun. You are such a contrast and I love you so much. Japan is really a country of contract. Beautiful, wordless temples and shrines, tea ceremonies where every breath is accounted for, mountains more majestic than one can imagine. The beauty of a yellow hat walking home from school after the “evening work is done” music. Contrasting with the worn out houses, both inside and outside. All the rough american inspired decoration, bikers, clothing. And all along the main road of a town filled with big capitalist signs and electricity cables, hovering over forcing you to look at them, The pachinko parlors. Japan is truly a country of contrast and I love it. One needs a lifetime to really understand Japan.
My favorite time in Japan was definitely after office hours. Me and fellow interns driving going on adventures. The chinese restaurant on the other side of the mountain. Oh boy, what an intense drive. Pouring rain, an italian man driving at 1 million km/h. Super spicy food, it was amazing. Driving to Mt.Ibuki on the brink of dawn, sleepy and happy. Sleeping both the way there and the way back. Sitting on the mountain side of the Japanese Machu Picchu (me calling it matcha picchu). Sharing meals with my beloved friends and co-intern Clover. Going to Nara to look at the deers while drinking tea. Making black tea for 3 days and prepping for 1 week. Going on evening strolls alone and with friends. Going to Plant and Valour to spend way too much money. And so much more. I could write a novel blogpost about everything I experienced.
Back to the future
What now? What will happen in my life? I will go back to Sweden. Re-integrating myself into Swedish society. Becoming what we in Sweden say “lagom”. I wish I could say this, but that is not the truth. I will go back to Sweden and stand out as I have always done. In the near future I will celebrate Christmas with my family, and enjoy the time between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. For the coming year I plan to either work in a tea shop or within the green sector. I would prefer working in a tea shop and I think i have a big chance to do that, because of my experience at Obubu. I believe that having Obubu in the CV. The far future I wish to have another farm where I will build a tea room and a Japanese inspired garden, vegetable garden, an orchid, wine and tea. I want to have tours at my farm and create a BnB. Food and tea in the morning. And if I am allowed to dream even more, have workshops and meditation sessions. living with dogs, cats, peacocks and friends and family.
That's the end of my story. For now
With love,
Vincent
English (UK) 
Français