Symphony Chan

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Name and intern number: #153 Symphony Chan

Place of origin: Hong Kong 

Age: 21 

(Recent) favourite Japanese teas: Sencha (Koushun cultivar) 

Awa-bancha ya or nah: Hmm…

Instagram: sym_hitoritabi 

Kabuse tea in the making! With the harvesting machine on my shoulder and shading material on my back

Before Obubu–Just a tea leaf

I am your stereotypical 21-year-old city girl (As Itsaya would say). About to enter the workforce, but like a tea leaf yet to be harvested, I felt directionless, restless and empty. But my trips to Kyoto and tea were two things that brought solace to me. A year ago I had the pleasure of going to Kyoto for a semester exchange and tried my first cup of Gyokuro. Gyokuro is a shaded tea with exceptional sweetness and umami. It was very different than the Chinese teas that I am used to: It had fresh, vegetal notes with a slight umami at the end. Its aroma reminded me of lush green fields and was so soothing and nourishing. Sitting at my desk in my dorm, sipping my warm cup of tea and watching the steam from the cup rise, I thought to myself: I want to brew tea every morning. Unfortunately, I seldom had the time to brew tea, but brewing tea was my mechanism to reset my mental state before a day of tedious studying. 

Why Obubu 

This year, I find myself in the same state of loss and confusion. I am about to plunge into a highly specific profession, but I wasn’t sure it was my calling. All I knew was I wanted to explore different possibilities and challenge myself. Then I looked up a combination of two of my favourite things on Google: “Kyoto” and “tea”. To make the umami and sweet Gyokuro, farmers “stress” the tea leaves by shielding them from sunlight. Growth comes with discomfort. So I added the work “internship” to my search. I wanted to block out all that I already know and throw myself into unfamiliarity and maybe even discomfort: Japanese countryside, intense physical labour and a welcoming family of…bugs. The first result was Obubu. Learning about tea and living at the tea fields in Wazuka seemed very idyllic to me, and I felt that it promised introspection and restoration of my long-lost inner peace. I also remember watching a video filmed  by a previous intern describing how good Obubu is at creating a home-like atmosphere. I yearn for the close-knit, international environment steeped in diverse culture and tea, so I took a leap of faith, filled out a Google form, and very fortunately, got selected. 

During Obubu—Shading, this time for three months 

So here I am, completely in the dark, and quite anxious. I am in the very foreign Wazuka–a closed-off farming town, one and a half hour away from Kyoto Station. I was a minority in so many ways: the youngest and only culturally Asian intern, with the least knowledge about tea and inept at physical labour. To be honest, I was unsure i could handle farming before we officially started. Luckily, I had a lot of support and encouragement from my senpais and staff member. I vividly remember our senpai, Sarah from Italy, telling me that what was important was to have a positive attitude towards farming, that it was okay even if my physical strength couldn’t match up. Our assistant manager Jean also gave me a lot of reassurance. (Thank you Sarah and Jean!) and I slowly began to embrace the unknown with greater anticipation and readiness. 

Me being a complete beginner in tea meant that every day at Obubu was new and exciting. I always tell my fellow interns that Obubu felt more like summer camp to me (we take our work very seriously, of course). The tea education Obubu opened up many more facets of the tea world for me. It was as if I have unlocked a much wider spectrum of colours! (Kabuse-cha, Awa-bancha, Goishicha, these were all new to me!) Even after three months, waking up in Wazuka always felt surreal. At 8 am, 12 nn, and 5 pm, a pastoral tune echoes through the verdant mountains of Wazuka. In a short walk to Lawson, you will see saw sprawling tea fields, the clear and coursing Wazuka river, beautiful wildflowers, several lively frogs and some cats and tanukis if you are in luck. Coming back from a trip drained? Look up at the unspoiled night sky and you will see millions (okay at least 50 at a glance) of stars. A few weeks ago we saw a double rainbow right from our window. It is truly a fairytale.  

Our Obubu tea fields possess the same magical quality: some of my nostalgic sensations would be: tea bushes brushing against my rainproof pants, spotting tiny (sorry not the big ones) praying mantises among branches, Akky-san and Miwako-san’s smile and energy, the smell of gasoline powering the harvesting machine, the satisfaction of uprooting weeds. (to name but “a few”). 

Of course, it wasn’t all ponies and rainbows .The learning curve was quite steep: I had to adapt to cultural differences in communication while confronting my weaknesses every day. As cliche as it may be, I learnt to have faith in the process ,believe in eventual improvement, and see my shortcomings objectively. Part of growing up is to accept that we are not perfect, but we can always be better. Be grateful for criticism, treat it professionally and work on it. It is true that in certain fields (pun is unintended, but I absolutely mean it in both ways), we will never be as good as the naturally talented. I had to constantly remind myself that I was completely new in this field and adjust my expectations along the way. Being a beginner at something, I should be aiming for growth, not gold every time. 

Another vital lesson I have learnt is to never give up communicating, whether it’s how I felt physically and mentally, or when there is a misunderstanding. Several of my friends (we are definitely friends before colleagues or interns) here do it very well, and I learn a lot from them. Obubu is a very multicultural place and because of communication barriers, words may sometimes be misconstrued. It is very important to actively seek to communicate and understand each other because at Obubu from all staff members to interns, we all treasure our bonding and relationship very much :) (group hug) Misunderstanding and miscommunication could really harm trust, and destroy relationships. 

Ask questions. Ask questions. Ask questions. How much we learnt really depended on how much we ask. Of course, you need to have a certain level of knowledge before knowing what the right questions to ask are. My fellow interns always inspire me to ask questions. I remember how Yena shared about her asking Hiro-san and Jack (our senpai) about how his tea was made, and I was reminded that even more learning opportunities could have been created through asking questions. 

If my life at Obubu was a cup of tea, it was definitely like gyokuro. It had a rush of umami that was foreign to me, but a lingering sweetness so dear to my heart. This is thanks to every precious, tea-infused and tea-loving soul I have met here. At Obubu, we say that the last few drops of tea are the “golden drops” (last drops of tea concentrated with flavour). I will conclude this paragraph with what I consider my golden moments at Obubu. (Don’t worry , it’s just a list, not another paragraph)

  • Free flow of tea and our tea guessing games in morning meetings 
  • “Let’s enjoy today!” from Hiro-san 
  • The road to Aoimori 
  • The view from Tenku 
  • Watching my trimming and harvesting techniques improve 
  • Being able to carry more and more tea bags 
  • Welcoming guests from tea tours 
  • The tea workshops from Jean and George, JTBs from our senpais and us 
  • Getting COVID in Obubu, but also getting SO MUCH LOVE FROM EVERYONE (Sara’s homecooked Houjicha congee, Juliette’s very potent cough medicine, and honey, Kayo-san and Miwako-san’s drinks and medicine and everyone’s heartwarming messages.) 
  • Tea processing/spontaneous dance party in the sencha factory 
  • Putting in my first screw in the factory

After Obubu–The unshading 

After three months (unrealistically long for an actual gyokuro but painfully short for a human being wannabe gyokuro), the tea leaves are unshaded and back to the arms of the warm comforting sunlight that they are used to. But what’s next? When we harvest, there is a mix of stuff that we know, like the type of tea it will become, and some that we don’t, its taste. Truth be told, I don’t know how much I have grown, but I would love to believe that I have. (Warning: embarrassing episode ahead) Being a very skinny girl, I would always check if my (then-non-existent) biceps have grown stronger after a tough farming day, and throughout the internship. But I was told time and again by all my companions here that the desire to pursue growth is more important. That was the only validation I needed. Career-wise, I know that I am going to go back to Hong Kong to become a teacher, with a cup of tea resting on my hand. I still don’t know if I can manage, but I am anxious and thrilled to see how that will turn out. 

Closing Credits (Like in movies, this section is mainly for the cast and people behind the scenes to ravel in their achievements and hard work, but the audience is, of course, welcome to stick around :)) 

MY COHORT THAT I GOT ALONG WITH SO EFFORTLESSLY, ALWAYS SHOWERING ME WITH LOVE, KINDNESS, INSPIRATION, TEA and SNACKS. (Just read my letter :p This is going to be way too brief) 

Yena: My eonni that I secretly look up to. I admire your competence, your attention to detail, the breadth of your knowledge about tea, and your generosity in sharing it. All the times you cared about me and the people around you reminded me about the importance of self-care and self-love. Thank you for all the advice you give, the times you listen and offered to listen. 

Sara: Your artistic talent, your insight in life and your deep, emotional and beautiful connection with people and the world never cease to amaze me. You are a precious altruistic soul who live with full dedication and passion to people, nature and your work. You are the prime example of what it means to live life to the fullest. 

Itsaya: You are the power plant of us spider pigs. You are so strong and powerful and always supplying positive energy to the group. I really envy yet admire how much you genuinely enjoy your work. You are always giving your all and seeking improvement. It is a rare quality to have. 

Juliette: You are tough (physically and emotionally), intelligent and wise, mature, confident, put together yet fun. At the same time, you are generous, understanding and empathetic. There always seem to be a silver glow around you. I always say I want to become someone like Sophie when I grow up, but sometimes, I secretly wish to be like Juliette too (even though you are slightly younger than me). Please help me thank Alain-san and Veronique-san for Juliette :) 

I was also extremely lucky to have a group of lovely senpais 

Sophie: The natural charismatic leader with her signature British humour and love for Pokemon. I know that everything is going to turn out well when I see your name on the calendar alongside mine. 

Jack: Whose sarcastic humour is at times difficult to understand but gives the most insightful comments at times (very rarely) 

Thomas: Who always asked if we needed anything from McDonalds and initiating our arcade trips 

(From left: Myself, Jack, Sophie, Thomas and Juliette before destroying the factory) 

And my kouhais (who are a lot more like senpais than me) 

David: Who is reliable, empathetic, a great leader and gifted all-round musician

Julien: Our sommelier and Obubu House star chef, a true superman and the big brother among our group

Maren: Wise, elegant, sometimes quirky and as intense as her tea. You make the most interesting observations. I wish we had more intellectual conversations on linguistics. 

Lukas: The 19-year-old with the brain of a 26-year-old. I truly enjoyed our conversation on the history and food Germany. I poke fun at you a lot, but I secretly admire how knowledgeable you are.  

(From left: Julien, Maren, myself, Lukas AND DAVID! Who was, as always, helping out somewhere so sadly he’s not in the picture…)

I would like to dedicate this last paragraph to:

Hiro-san for your positivity and patience 

Akky-san for your extraordinary energy and endurance 

George for your empathy, for always checking on us, your extraordinary leadership and always doing more

Jean for always picking me up when I doubted myself. Your words saved me many many times. 

Matsu-san for always including us in cool tea events 

Miwako-san for the energy and laughter you bring to our community

Justin for being reliable and kind in the field

Kayo-san for your kindness and HEAVENLY TEA RECIPES

Higashi-san and Araki-san for creating a welcoming atmosphere for us and kindly answering all our questions about inventory and packaging

The baby praying mantises, tiny grasshoppers, obtuse geckos on the Obubu House window, timid lizards (more like lizard tails because they are always on the run), the wasp, bees and their families that found my interesting but graciously left me alone, for brightening up some tough farming days

Sakura-chan (Miwako-san’s corgi) and Cha-cha-chan (Wazuka’s adorable mascot) for simply being cute. 

And to YOU, readers (probably a stranger), who hung around in spite of my disorganized blabbering. :) So…

Let’s be friends! 

Instagram: sym_hitoritabi