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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
We were pleased to welcome intern #147 Sophie this summer 2023. Sophie is from the United-Kingdom and is giving us her insights about tea in Britain! Tea In Britain Whilst tea drinking has become almost synonymous with British culture, tea wasn’t introduced to the country until 1660, almost 900 years after the introduction of tea […]
[2023年 06 月] My first month at Obubu is finished! It went by so fast! During this month, I have learned a lot about processing and each step of the transformation of the leaf, but it doesn’t end here. For example, we cleaned the soft and rough rolling machines. It was very funny because we […]
Overlooking the Uji River, Asahiyaki is a pottery studio and gallery shop presently headed by its 16th successive generation of potters and has a rich history of 400 years. For the first time, the studio held an exhibition, ‘Asahi Yaki 423 Exhibition’ that featured works from all its 16 generations. Through the exhibition, one could […]
As someone who picked up ceramics as a hobby over the last two years during the pandemic, I was enamoured by Japan’s long pottery history and the relationship between tea and pottery. I decided to interview the ceramic craftsmen who built some of the chawans (matcha bowls) that Obubu uses for tea tours and carries […]
[2023年 06月 TO 08月] Hi I’m Itsaya! I’m intern number 151 at Obubu and I will share a little part of my history! I’m from France and I dreamed of coming to Japan since 6 years ago! I have a degree in Japanese. I learned the Japanese culture, history, and literature at university. I also […]
Hello desu! This is Jia En and Sarah reporting live from Obubu. You might have seen us trotting around Obubu’s instagram account over the last three months, from March till June. We had such a fun time preparing and helping out in this year’s Spring harvest. But it is almost time for us to say […]
Konnichiwa! Jean here to tell more stories about Obubu Tea Farms. May was busy with the spring harvest. But June is time for the summer harvest. So exciting! We prepare the harvesting machine and tea bags to collect the tea and interns and I often ride at the back of the truck. Riding in the […]
Hello everyone! It’s Jean again. On my previous blog post, I shared about my arrival at Obubu in Japan and everything I’ve been up to on my first month. We are now at the end of May, and it is time to share with you some of my adventures. May is the month of the […]
“If today we can enjoy Obubu as it is, it is thanks to all the work of those interns who arrived before”. The words of George got stuck in my mind, as the car embarked on the steep climb across the fields. It was my second day at Obubu Tea Farm, and together with my […]
Hello everyone! Welcome to my first blog! I’m Justin and you can call me Woo Jae also. Right now, I have been working as an ‘Assistant Manager’ since September last year. So, I’ll be uploading a blog each month, showing you guys how Obubu is, what we’re up to and giving you guys some […]
Over the last several posts we’ve tested four of Obubu’s teas from all over Japan and all over the world. At least as much as one can do with eight waters, but it does illustrate an important fact. Depending on the water used to brew tea, the flavour of the tea can be drastically changed. […]
As a town with an over 800 year history of tea cultivation, Wazuka is a special place. We are lucky to have a mayor who also thinks brightly about Wazuka’s future. Recently, thanks to Matsu-san from Obubu Tea Farms, we were able to speak with Wazuka’s mayor, Tadao Hori-san. The mayor knows this place very […]
Shouhouji is one of Wazuka’s beautiful temples, known for its red fall leaves. Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with its abbot, Tetsudo Ozeki-san. I was able to learn a lot about the deep history between Buddhism and tea. While drinking delicious tea out of teaware that Ozeki-san had made himself, we had this […]
Justin, Patrick, Katrina, Hannah, Alex, and Satomi-san here! During our internship, we went on several trips and tea-related festivals and events, both individually and as a group. Being located in the Kansai region, there are countless possibilities for discovering many different places in Japan. In this blog, we will tell you a little bit about […]
Japanese sweets and tea are often served together. The connection between Obubu Tea Farms and Midoriya’s Toshimasa-san also runs deep. He often brings us delicious mochi to eat while we drink tea together. That’s why our intern’s have given him the endearing nickname “Mochiman”! Recently, we were able to speak with him about tea, sweets, […]
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