A volcano in the landscape
On the island of Kyushu in Japan, it isn’t unusual to find a volcano in your field of vision. As someone who enjoys photography, this makes me very happy. The outline of these lava giants emphasises the controlled horizontality of the tea plants. They disrupt a rather too orderly landscape. They also remind us that the duration of harvests, the duration of seasons, the duration of human life, quite simply, is infinitesimal. Here is Mount Kaimon, which has a silhouette similar to that of Mont Fuji.
Posted in Country : Japan by François-Xavier Delmas | Tags : landscape, tea harvest, volcano
Did you like this article ? Share It !
Tea fields spiked with fans
Right down to the extreme south of Japan you can find these tea fields. They are recognisable for being spiked with fans, which are installed to prevent cold air from lingering around the tea plants. Here, I’m close to Kagoshima Bay, visible in the background, an important tea-producing region in the archipelago.
Posted in Country : Japan by François-Xavier Delmas | Tags : Japanese teas, tea fields, travel
Did you like this article ? Share It !
Yorozu in Fukuoka, a unique experience
The Japanese city of Fukuoka may not get many Western tourists, but if you go there and you like new gastronomical experiences, you should go to Yorozu. You need to book in advance, you need to speak Japanese, or go with someone who speaks the language, it’s essential, and you need a couple of hours free. Then, let yourself be guided, and Suguru Tokubuchi will introduce you to pairings of food with tea and various alcohols, dishes prepared in front of you in an intimate setting, which makes every sip even more precious, every mouthful chosen to accompany one of the cocktails. It’s a unique experience.
Posted in Country : Japan by François-Xavier Delmas | Tags : Experience, gastronomy, Yorozu
Did you like this article ? Share It !
In Japan, organic farmers, father and son
I’d like to introduce you to Kitano Shuichi. Of all the farmers I’ve met in Japan, he’s the most passionate and inspiring about organic practices. He’s been using these methods for 30 years, introduced by his father. The latter, convinced of the health benefits of organic tea, suffered financially for ten years, due to very low yields, but he pulled through. Today, he sells his tea for a good price because demand for organic tea is higher. Kitano Shuichi and his father make their own compost, while others buy it in from outside. But most significantly, they never use anything to do with animals in their compost. So that means no cow manure, for example. They believe in biodynamic methods and use them successfully. They’re so proud of their compost they insist you taste it. But if you want to know their exact recipe, you can ask all you like but they’ll reveal nothing save their good humour, with a smile.
Posted in Country : Japan by François-Xavier Delmas | Tags : Country : Japan, Kitano Shuichi, organic farmers
Did you like this article ? Share It !
Japan, the end of the single variety
Last week I talked about how the mixing of tea leaves by Japanese co-operatives can limit the range of flavours in the country’s teas, but there are also some very positive developments coming from Japan. For example, a few decades ago, the country could be described as mono-cultivar: the vast majority of growers used the Yabukita variety. Happily, today, there are an increasing number of cultivars used in Japan, such as sae-midori, oku-hikari and asatsuyu. A greater range of cultivars means that once the tea is infused, it produces a wider palette of aromas and flavours. And that is good news for tea lovers.
Posted in Country : Japan by François-Xavier Delmas | Tags : Country : Japan, fields of tea, variety
Did you like this article ? Share It !
The author
Articles classified by themes
- Country : China
- Country : India
- Country : Japan
- Country : Kenya
- Country : Laos
- Country : Malaysia
- Country : Morocco
- Country : Nepal
- Country : Rwanda
- Country : South Korea
- Country : Sri Lanka
- Country : Taiwan
- Country : Turkey
- Country : Vietnam
- Country: Burma
- Country: Malawi
- Country: South Africa
- Iced tea
- Inspirational
- nature
- Non classé
- Organic tea
- Palais des Thés
- Places I like in Darjeeling
- Places I like in Kyoto
- Producing tea
- Professional tasting
- Recipes
- Spring
- Tea and food pairing
- Tea plant
- Tea tasting
Blogs on tea in English
Blogs on tea in French
- Emotions de thé
- La théière nomade
- La Voie du Thé
- Le thé et le chemin
- Mon blog de thé
- Sommelier en thé japonais
- Vacui thé
Cooking
Links to Le Palais des Thés
Past travels
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
