And so we reach the end.
As I am writing this, the sun is going down behind the mountains, casting a soft light on the tea fields in the Monzen area. The trees dotting the hills in the back are turning – some faster than others and red and brown and some are slower, yellow and orange. The tea fields have darkened after the autumn harvest and trimming, the cool green of bancha. They look very similar to how they did when Mari (#11), Mia (#9), Tran (#12) and I first arrived in Wazuka, and it really feels like we have come full circle.
Our final intern batch of the year, our Autumn batch, arrived in September, when we officially began to transition into autumn, although the weather took until mid-late October to substantially cool down. This meant that ice brews on Monzen for tea tour were still frequent, with Mariah’s (#211) philosophy being that if the sun was out, so was the cold brew, and there isn’t really anything better than a kyobancha cold brew after hiking the slope to Monzen.
And speaking of kyobancha, Mariah, Mia, Shannon (#210), Stefanee (#214) and I travelled to Shizuoka on one of our Girls’ Trips™ during the autumn. We drove up to attend a tea festival and were able to taste a range of teas whilst we were there – one of which was kancha (寒茶), a tea quite similar to kyobancha but instead produced not in Kyōto but in Aichi and Tokushima prefectures. Naturally, being the kyobancha fan that I have become, I had to buy some and bring it to my next Akky-support to force Akky-san to enjoy it with me.
That Akky-support a few days later ended up occurring on our heavenly Tenku field and Akky-san, being not the hugest fan of kyobancha, wasn’t quite as enthralled with the kancha as I was. That Akky-support actually ended up being my last for the autumn harvest, and it was a day that I’ll remember, not only because it took place on beautiful Tenku, but because it was my first solo Akky-support since springtime and the concept of harvesting autumn leaves by myself with my limited biceps was quite terrifying. My arms didn’t quite fall off (thank you summer deep trimming muscles!!), but it was definitely a big day, and Akky-san and I harvested a fair amount of autumn tencha to be used in our delicious Basic matcha!
The Harvest Moon in October was a core memory for this intern batch, with the rabbit in the moon creating quite a stir as everyone had slightly varied opinions on what the rabbit actually looked like, and some contrarians declared seeing a chicken instead, which classically caused quite a stir. We ate mooncakes together and stared up at the moon, arguing about the rabbit and the chicken, and probably disturbed anyone trying to have an early night in Obubu House.
Shizuoka wasn’t the only Girls’ Trip™ that we embarked on, with early November seeing a trip to Tokoname, a town renowned for its pottery. Although quite a small town, we were inundated with a vast array of pottery, from kyusu to chawan and everything in between. Whilst I myself was incredibly mindful that I have INCREDIBLY limited space in my suitcase, it was an amazing time with the other interns and Assistant Managers, and it was very interesting to see the climbing kilns that we learnt about in Obubu’s Japanese Tea Basics course, that all Assistant Managers and interns complete during their time here at Obubu.
In November, as the weather grew colder, we were incredibly lucky to welcome two volunteers, Sara (#152) and Yuri joined us close to when the autumn batch graduated. Sara, a previous intern, is responsible for much of the gorgeous art that is visible around Obubu, with her art most prominently on display outside on a mural by our Hojicha Factory and on our beloved Obubu Shuttle bus. If you’re ever here at Obubu, do make sure you check those two key locations out! Meanwhile, Yuri joined us from Niigata, and it was very fun getting to see her making her way through our Obubu teas and the tea tour teas, which are very familiar for most of us now, but always a treat for newcomers.
As the weather continued to plunge, we have had to say goodbye to our beloved Autumn batch, who graduated at the start of December. This was our final intern slot for the year, and the last interns that Mari, Mia, Tran, and I will see at Obubu. We don’t have much longer left here now, so please look out for my ‘Previous Assistant Manager’ page, where I discuss my life before, during and what my future looks like after Obubu! Otherwise, please continue to enjoy Japan(ese tea) and tea puns, and look forward to the arrival of our new Assistant Managers next year!
