About Me
Hello, my name is David and I am intern #234. Through this blog, I hope to share a little bit about my time at Obubu and give you a glimpse into what life looks like on this special tea farm. Who knows, this experience could be yours one day too!
Before I get into my life as an intern at Obubu, I’ll share a little bit about myself. I am from Seattle, Washington, and at the time of writing this, I will be entering my 4th year at the University of Washington. There, I study Human-Centered Design & Engineering. A couple more fun facts about myself are that my favorite tea is oolong tea (any kind), my favorite character of all time is Hachiware, and I REALLY like Hama Sushi (I’ve been multiple times in one week).
I originally applied to Obubu on a whim; I saw an ad for the internship program on Instagram and I was curious about what it meant to be an intern on a tea farm. Up until that point, I had been working mainly within the world of tech (UX/UI design, user research, etc.) and was curious about what else the world had to offer. My friend, Monica (#236), also applied and was accepted to the internship and we thought it would be really funny if we both got in at the same time.
After completing the application in one very sleepy night, with many caffeinated drinks and time spent waiting, I was finally accepted into the Obubu internship program for 2026’s Slot 3!
Life at Obubu
If I’m being honest, I had no clue what exactly I was getting myself into. When I stepped off the plane onto the tarmac at Kansai International Airport, it still hadn’t hit me that I was going to be on a tea farm in the middle of Japan for three whole months. I had so many questions: What did everyday life look like? What are people like? What am I going to eat?
I quickly learned that I knew both everything and nothing at the same time. I was immediately immersed in life at Obubu; the frogs and cicadas singing into the late night, the endless sea of rice patties and tea fields, and the occasional trip to Lawson for ice cream. This was also accompanied by the struggles of learning new things again; the constant struggle against dishes, memorizing presentation scripts for tea tours, and scaling the face of a mountain while Akky-san slides past you like it’s no big deal.
It was a constant struggle of learning, becoming, and accepting. Eventually, bits and pieces started to fall into place; tea tours felt like second nature, farming became a moment to contemplate, and cafe shifts were a time to jam out to my favorite playlist. Every day at Obubu was a day to learn and do something new. Days can feel like weeks and weeks can feel like mere seconds.
That time was also spent with the people who make Obubu, Obubu. There were a lot of nights full of laughter while we played card games or ate mountains of snacks while watching movies (Watching “Obsession” was a good trauma-bonding moment).
One of Obubu’s core principles is community, and I really felt that with my time spent on this tea farm. Through this internship, I learned that community is one of the most important ingredients to making tea. I shared many moments with fellow interns, assistant managers, and staff here at Obubu and I learned so much from each and every person. Through this internship, I gained a lifetime of memories in just three months. My worldview expanded and I gained a different understanding and outlook on my life and the possibilities it can hold. At the same time, I was constantly reminded and grounded by the fact that people are what make dreams into reality. Every person at Obubu, past and present, has helped to shape Obubu into what it is today.
I hope that this blog, however random it may be, has given you some insight into what it’s like to be an intern at Obubu. There’s a lot of magic that happens in the background that makes Obubu what it is and I am forever grateful for this opportunity to have witnessed everything firsthand. Thank you, everyone!
(There’s more I could say but to keep this page succinct, I will include a speed run of core memories I have from my time as an intern below)
- Stargazing at night with Monica, Amber, Liszt, and Chong Jun and getting paranoid about the boars and monkeys in Wazuka
- Playing card games with people from Slot 2 and Slot 3 late at night and laughing so loud all of Obubu could hear
- Spontaneous car rides to Plant to buy a LOT of groceries
- ALL of those nights going to Hama Sushi after a long day of work (I will miss you Hama Sushi)
- Surviving the car rides to Monzen
- Going on a two-hour hike up to Aoimori with Katrina and Liszt after a typhoon just to chat about ATLA
- Chilling in the cafe with music blasting and people going ham on their laptops
- Watching the Perseid Meteor Shower with Liszt, Chong Jun, DJ, Monica, Garance, and Trey on the ramp of the cafe
- Eating durian with Tran in the middle of the night and subsequently dropping a piece and then eating it because I forgot I dropped it
- Playing in the river after handpicking with high schoolers from Yokohama
- The amazing staff lunches made by Tran, Katrina, Kayo-san, and others that I looked forward to every week
- Going to Katrina’s tea event in Kyoto and doing side quests with Monica, Amber, and Fiona the same day
- Late-night dance practices with Dhvani, Monica, and eventually recruiting Tran for our K-Pop dance performance at Slot 2’s graduation
- Going out to eat with our senpais in Slot 2 almost every week
- Watching “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” with Amber, Liszt, Chong Jun, and Monica and sobbing through the end of the movie
Until next time!