Tag Archives: obubu

冬: Assistant Manager Blog by Katrina [Winter 2025]

I’d always heard the legends about winter being the “quiet season” for tea farmers—when tea bushes lie dormant and the fields, along with the tea tours, rest under the chill of the colder months. Well… my winter turned out to be anything but quiet. It was still very much genki—lively, bustling, and packed with exciting activities. In fact, I might even say it felt busier than autumn, thanks to all the tea-related shenanigans we dove into.

Pottery Of The Earth

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 […]

Tea Business Cards by Josh 🍵

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, […]

The World of Wooden Tea Utensils

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 […]

Soft Cheese and Tea Pairings

Soft cheeses, with their delicate textures and buttery flavors, call for equally refined tea pairings that enhance their richness without overwhelming their subtlety. Let’s explore the perfect infusions to complement these melt-in-your-mouth delights. Rocamadour PDO & Kabuse Sencha Small but mighty, Rocamadour is a soft cheese from the Southwest of France. It is made from […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Alix [Winter 2024]

Hello everyone, Alix here (AM #6) ! In this blog I am writing about my experience of my last quarter at Obubu, which seems a bit surreal after such an amazing and intense year. Winter is the most quiet period in terms of activities at Obubu since there is little to no farming and tourism […]

Cooked Pressed Cheese and Tea Pairings

Cooked pressed cheeses, like Comté and Gruyère, develop deep, caramelized flavors through careful aging, making them an exciting partner for a well-chosen tea. Let’s dive into the best pairings to enhance their savory-sweet complexity. Abondance & Natural Okumidori Matcha Why not swap out your wagashi for (w)Abondance ? This pressed paste cow’s raw milk cheese is […]

Winter in Japan – Assistant Manager Blog by Mac

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 […]

Blue Cheese and Tea Pairings

Known for its pungent aroma and tangy bite, blue cheese can be an intimidating yet rewarding choice for tea pairings. The right brew can balance its intensity, mellow its saltiness, and highlight its complex flavors, let’s find out how! Bleu des Causses PDO & Natural Sakura Sencha As its name suggests, Bleu des Causses is […]

秋: Assistant Manager Blog by Katrina [Autumn 2024]

Hey hey, Katrina here! I am back! In autumn 2022, I joined Obubu as an intern (#138), and while I was volunteering at the sister project Ikedoki in Higashi Sonogi last year, also made a brief return to Wazuka, where I had a great time getting involved in the construction shenanigans during the renovations of […]

Uncooked Pressed Cheese and Tea Pairings

When you think of cheese, you probably think of wine and bread as good foods to pair it with. While these are, of course, great options, one of the products that pairs surprisingly well with cheese is tea ! There are many ways to pair tea and cheese but here are some of my personal favourite […]

Assistant Manager Blog by Alix [Autumn 2024]

Hello everyone! Welcome to my third blog about my adventures as an Obubu Assistant Manager! Autumn in rural Japan is the season of higanbana (red spider lilies), persimons, chestnuts, beautiful fall colours everywhere, and cooler weather (we finally brought out kotatsus in Obubu house!). It was also my third quarter at Obubu, marking my transition from […]

Tea Adventures of Current Interns

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 […]

Volunteer Event – Kanagawa Cherry Blossom Project

The best cherry blossom production area in Japan: Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture A project to pick cherry blossoms and leaves, make tea and deliver them to the world. We are looking for support volunteers! You think cherry blossoms are for watching! Actually, in this volunteer activity, we pick cherry blossoms and leaves! Details: Date and time: […]

Tea Garden Update – I’m working on it!

Good morning(*^^*)Ladies and gentlemen, it’s me, Akky!How are you doing?It’s getting warmer these days and the pollen is flying and flying.My nose just won’t stop running today!Well, this time we will continue with the previous re-planting project 😊 I put in the bamboo last time and then backfilled it.From here, we can start replacing the […]

Welcome to Tea Planting!

Hello everyone!How are you doing?It’s getting warmer during the daytime these days!Risshun has passed and the tea season is just around the corner😄.This time it’s a planting change! Replanting is not about having dinner together ❗️….Plant again! The first is “the start time”.Due to the old age of the predecessor, Mr. Yabukita ↓. Some of […]

Summer Tradition in Japan

Original article https://www.obubu.net/oblog/31693.html?fbclid=IwAR0FGgixtwhcLXl7RlvJnHZTBv_L20j5LAfWpKUfHgX5wmEsT1446Q7yMDw Summer Tradition in Japan   Hello Everyone, Today I would like to introduce you to Japanese summer tradition.   Have you ever heard about Nagashi Somen? Nagashi Somen is one of the summer traditions in Japan.   Somen is a white thin noodle made from wheat flour. It’s usually eaten cold and […]

What is ‘sustainable agrictulture’ and a new Gyokuro tea field!

Akihiro Kita, the President of Obubu Chaen, has been a tea farmer and processor for about 25 years including his training period. From the emotional encounter with a cup of Kabuse Sencha Tea by experiencing a part-time job at a tea farm in Wazuka,   Introduction to Japanese Tea Akky 16 years ago?! He dropped […]

Herbs and tea ・Our experiment of a mint infused Matcha!

Have any of you been annoyed by the hundreds weed and grasses growing on their own in your garden at home? We perfectly understand… But we have actually a good news for you tea lovers!  Yes, a lot of herbs, plants and flowers are very delicious when brewed with tea! And one of the most […]

Summer Tea Hand Picking and Hand Rolling Event 2020

On Saturday, July 11, 2020, Obubu’s “Summer Tea Picking & Handmade Tea Making Experience” was held! Due to the influence of COVID-19 this year, Tea Loves from all over the world participated in the situation that it is difficult to participate from abroad! After the greetings and explanations on how to pick the shoots were […]

Tea in Indonesia

Today, I interviewed one of the interns, Andre from Indonesia who has been here since Spring to talk about Indonesian tea industry! But first, let me introduce him a little bit! Andre was born and raised in a tea family who runs a tea trading company with a history of over 60 years in Sukabumi,West […]

5 Ways To Reuse Your Tea Leaves

By Giedre Trumpiene Hello, tea lovers! This is Giedre. An exciting time of the year in a tea world, right? Amazing freshly pressed sencha aromas and flavours fill the air here in Obubu. This Friday, to switch things up, I would like to talk about what happens after brewing the tea. Sometimes it is so […]