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 […]
You may or may not have had the pleasure of drinking a Hojicha Latte (if you haven’t, I highly recommend it!) And if you’re like me, and some of our other interns, you like to sweeten your latte slightly… Instead of using sugar, why not try making a simple syrup with Hojicha tea, instead next […]
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 […]
As an avid tea drinker, and amateur baker, I knew I wanted to experiment with adding tea to my baking. Matcha baking is already very popular, but what about the other tea powders, beyond matcha? I began my tea baking journey with a Hojicha White Chocolate Cheesecake. I experimented with adding different amounts of Hojicha […]
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 […]
Hello, fellow tea lovers! My name is Kirstine, but I usually go by Kia when I find myself in Japan. I am a tea enthusiast, a Japanese studies student, and a die-hard wagashi lover from Denmark. I also have the great pleasure of being intern #165 at Obubu! For a while now, I have been […]
At Obubu we are looking for someone who … Is it me they are talking about?! Let me introduce myself! My name is Suzuka, and I am a senior high school student volunteering at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms! One day, I was looking for a volunteer project where I would be able to use English, […]
What a first day in the field for the new Interns Obubu! At 9 o’clock this morning, Kali, Kamiko, Lana, Nathan and Patrick, joined their senpais Kirstine and Jenifer for the first harvest in Aoimori, the Blue Forest tea field. Ready with gloves, boots and rain pants, at 9 o’clock the team went up the […]
Hello everyone, Jean here! I’m an Assistant Manager at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms and I am notably in charge of the internship programme. It’s a pleasure sharing about our lives in Japan and especially related to tea. Spring is on its way now and Obubu is preparing for the harvest season. We are so happy […]
Introduction Hi everyone! My name is Jason, and I am intern number 163 here at Obubu Tea. I’m from the United States and I graduated in May of 2023 from Truman State University. I came to Obubu to learn more about tea and to experience Japanese culture as I want to potentially teach English and […]
Konnichiwa!! This is Gabrielle (intern #161). Sadly, it is my last week here at Obubu.. Where has the time gone?! It has been an unforgettable 3 months full of many memories. My internship period was for the Autumn season and I lived in Wazuka from September-December. Here is a recap of my time at Obubu! […]
Hello again! Hope you are all staying warm in this winter month! Sarah here writing about flowers, for the month of December! This month, in all private gardens and on the side of the houses, manryō (万両) has been proudly displaying its red berries, appearing so vivid in contrast to the grey sky of winter. Manryo, […]
Hello! I’m Cameron, intern #160, here to tell you about how I got the chance to make my own black tea by hand. We got up early to hand pick our tea, getting to the field about about 7 in the morning. We used Aoimori 青い森茶畑 (Blue Forest) tea field, an all natural tea field […]
My name is Emma, intern #162, from Denmark.During my time at Obubu and Japan my interest for the Japanese culture grew bigger and especially the history behind the traditional tea garments caught my attention. During my time at Obubu, I wanted to explore the traditional garments worn in relation to tea. Which uniform is worn […]
Hello everyone! Gabrielle & Elvira here! We traveled a lot during our three months living in Japan and wanted to share some of our favorite trips we took to give you ideas for some weekend trips. KYOTO We took many trips to Kyoto during our internship. There are so many beautiful temples to see in […]
Tea blending is one of the most involved activities anybody can engage in when it comes to tea. It can be one of the strongest acts of appreciation any tea lover can do and holds the potential to push products to new heights and beyond any flavour profile you have experienced. The only downside to […]
みなさん こんにちわ! This is Sarah, and for the month of November I would like to write about a very special flower: the tea flower! Camellia sinensis is an evergreen plant that, besides its delicious leaves, also produces flowers and seeds. The flowers are around 3 cm, they have white petals and yellow anther and filaments. […]
Hello everyone welcomes to our cycling guide of Wazuka, we’ll provide you with essential information about the best cycling routes, whether you’re an avid cyclist seeking a challenging ride or traveler looking for a tranquil escape. Wazuka Tea Field Exploration: Exploring Wazuka covers approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) with an elevation gain of 430 meters. […]
Intern #156 Maren explores some common tea words and shares the stories behind some of Obubu’s tea names
On a cold Thursday evening of October, as we entered Nakai Sensei’s tearoom, Sara, Jean and I noticed an unfamiliar object. Moe, another student of our teacher, was practicing sado (tea ceremony) using a mizusashi (water container) that was particularly tall. Nakai Sensei explained to us that this shape of pot was only used in […]
My third month at Obubu! Oh nooo it is my last blog post!! Time goes by too quickly! We have so much fun here that we can’t see the days go by! This month has been as busy as the first two though we didn’t harvest. I miss it a lot by the way! Harvesting […]
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