Introduction Kouyouka — “the aroma of autumn leaves” — was born from my love for the tea fields of Wazuka.During my internship at Obubu Tea Farm, I wanted to create a small pressed white tea from the autumn harvest, and to share its story through an experimental guide.This project became a way to learn from […]
Intern project by #207 Andreas Fuji (Denmark) I will be speaking about my Obubu project, which was interviewing the four artisans we collaborate with. These artisans are Toshi-san (mochi), Saito-san (pottery), Hosoi-san (hand rolling), and Ishida-san (wagashi). My project actually started out completely differently. I went through five other project ideas before I realized this […]
Intern Project: Fixing and Repairing an Assortment of Areas Around the Farm My intern project evolved a bit from my original plan, which was to create a garden space. Instead I decided that I would take the time to fix and improve a couple features around the office tea field that required repair, in order […]
The journey of Japanese tea terms into foreign languages is a fascinating example of cross-cultural exchange, with a fair share of bumps along the way. Words like matcha, sencha, and hojicha have been embraced worldwide, but not always in their purest form. Common misspellings (from macha to maccha) and creative adaptations in branding have introduced […]
A study on the possibiliteas to upcycle tea leaves in the process of paper making (Summer 2025) Hey there my dear readers! Nice of you to come along to my blog page, I am Mareike (#203). Please take a seat and explore with me the difficult and sometimes very smelly journey of recycling infused tea to […]
How to use this guide You may follow the story chronologically, from its roots to its buds, or choose your Brewer from the menu to unroll their scroll. At any point, you may change your Brewer, or linger for the 2nd brew, a deeper infusion from the same lives. The guide also carries a Google […]
I spent the summer of 2025 at a small tea farm called Obubu, nestled in the countryside village of Wazuka, Japan. I was in a little car, went through the forest, moving from one tea field to another, living a life that felt straight out of a Ghibli film. I captured these moments through my […]
During my internship at Obubu, I wanted to bring a little piece of Japanese culture into our tea fields. In Japan, stamp-collecting (Hanko or Goshuin) is a beloved tradition. Whenever people visit shrines, temples, or even train stations for the first time, they collect a stamp as both a memory and a way of showing […]
Izzy Intern #200 From the UK Instagram: izzys_tea_notes The Idea For my project, I had the idea to create a tool that would help people decide on a tea, this could be deciding which one to buy from the shop, or just which tea to drink reflecting the mood of your day. It would ask […]
Do you need help choosing your next brew? Then you are in the right place. This is Zehra (intern #196), and for my our intern project at Obubu, I teamed up with Izzy (intern #200!) to create a short, fun quiz to help you discover which Obubu tea to try next. The idea came to […]
Hello everyone! My name is Garance (Gahonceee) and I am intern #199 here at Obubu. Spring batch from April to July :) If you ask anyone here at Obubu, I hate dates. I do not like making plans in advance, I don’t like planning in general. Specific times or any future commitment make me anxious. […]
“Tea Eggs,” sometimes called “Marbled Eggs,” are a beloved Chinese snack that has been enjoyed for centuries. Over time, the original recipe has evolved with many adaptations, making this savoury treat popular around the world. In this post, I’ll share my take on this classic snack using Japanese tea instead of the traditional Chinese red […]
Being here at Obubu, you meet all sorts of talented, inspirational people from around the world. Whether they be guests or interns, you learn and can grow so much from each other. I used to be seen as the annoying kid who always asked too many questions. However, growing up, I started seeing my innate […]
Hello! This is Cara, intern #189. My background is in food science with an interest in sustainability! In my eyes, sustainability is a practice of being mindful of our consumption of resources. As the saying goes, reduce, reuse, recycle! In this post we’ll be exploring the world of dyeing! That is, dyeing with upcycled tea. […]
Alexandra #193GermanyInstagram: @xalexty With this post, I want to share a little bit about my sourdough journey here at Obubu and also, I want to share with you three recipes that I invented during my time here. Since the day I baked my first sourdough loaf in my life, something changed. I didn’t just fall […]
Bio: Hozan Tanii, a third-generation potter based in Shigaraki, is recognized as one of the leading innovators of Shigaraki-yaki ceramics. Born in Nara Prefecture in 1953, he is the kiln master of Tanikan-gama (谷寛窯), a workshop originally founded by his grandfather in Shigaraki during the early Shōwa period (1926–1989). In 1995, he built Shio-gama, the […]
Joshua Caleb Ang #188 Singapore Instagram: @josh_lloyd_wright The Idea Having tea business cards was an idea by the exceptional Miwako Kita and Hirokazu Matsumoto, and was previously the responsibility of each intern to print and pack. However, most either did not have the time or were unaware of how to print and pack them. Therefore, […]
My beautiful people! Eva here, winter intern #187! I am not yet colloquialy known as spoon lady, but I do one day hope to be. Back home, making different spoons and utensils out of wood was one of my favourite pass times and coming here I was super interested in learning more about the process […]
As the first signs of winter creep into the valley, the landscape slowly transforms into a serene tapestry of soft whites and deep greens. Wazuka takes on a quiet beauty during this time and this winter has been no different. The mist rolls through the hills, tea bushes are dusted with frost and mountains are […]
Once upon a time, there lived three little seeds. There was a tea seed, a milk seed, and a tapioca seed. Each was sent down from the Empriese himself. The seeds were sent out to travel the world and find the best place to put down roots. With that order, they each departed ways and […]
by CC Monett (Intern #183) Instagram: @cc__emx Interning at Obubu Tea Farms this autumn has been a blend of physical labor, knowledge-sharing, and deepening connections to the land and plants that make this place so special. One of the projects I’ve taken on here is crafting a guide to gardening and farming, specifically aimed at […]
Catch the soul of the seasons Through flowers, poems and wagashi … In a book to feel season changes and experiment what Nagori (名残) and Natsukashii (懐かしい) are. Nagori is nostalgic feelings about things or situations that ended or that is ending. Natsukashii is also nostalgic feelings about happy memories which can warmth your (the) […]
Intern #185 Clover Tan When deciding on my project, I was inspired to combine Japanese tea with Christmas desserts, a pairing not often associated with the holiday season. I thought this unique twist could add to the festive vibe and offer a fresh way to enjoy the holiday spirit. I’ve always believed that taste has […]
Here at Obubu, we often say: “Tea is freedom”. And while it usually denotes the flexibility of brewing parameters, and the subjective nature of how we perceive taste, I think this saying serves to remind us to explore the deeper potential of tea. Tea is more than a drink; it’s an invitation to pause, to […]
An Overview of the Commodity and its Trade in Japan from 538 AD to 2024 AD Jack A. Ryan Obubu Intern #180 Foreword About the Author and Introduction This work is a brief primer which focuses on the commodity and trade history of tea in Japan. The impetus for the writing of this document stemmed […]