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The 1400 year old temple of Kannon, where Shinran had a…

Tea Adventures

The 1400 year old temple of Kannon, where Shinran had a revelation that an easier way to Buddhist practice was through the vow of the Amitabha and his Pureland. Thus, the Pureland Sect, Jodoshinshu, was born. Situated right in the epicenter of Kyoto, only here can you have something so old look completely in harmony with its modern environment. I guess what I like about Kyoto most was its ability to preserve its ancient history and culture seamlessly into the future. Many modern cities can take a page from them! But if the taste of tea and Zen are one, what is the taste of tea and the Pureland?

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My winter tea tour went smoothly, without missing a beat, or…

Tea Adventures

My winter tea tour went smoothly, without missing a beat, or anyone for that matter. Phew, another year without anyone falling off a mountain or poisoned by a centipede, bitten by a spider, or carted off to jail for breaking some rule in Japan! Success!
These tea trips are strenuous for me, but in a way, less so when there is a tour, since I can’t expect folks to pack it in like me. As I get older, I reflect on the purpose of these tours. Tell the stories? Convert one person at a time to be a true tea believer? That’s called a religion, not a business… I should get tax exempt status!

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Why do some places develop more culture than other places? I’d…

Tea Adventures

Why do some places develop more culture than other places? I’d say, reverence to the connection to our ancestors, predecessor masters, and our excellent peers. The respect for a collective value system for art, everyday aesthetics, well made crafts, living as part of nature and congruently with each other, are some of the deeper values of Kyoto. The ubiquity of tea and fine wood work is on one end of the spectrum, all the way to the most convenience available for hassles, and cleanest civic places, are on the other end. This can only happen to a culture that has respect and accountability built in. There are a lot more ways to say ‘I am sorry’ (15 ways without even counting conjugations) in Japanese than we say WTF in English, for example. But I felt a sense of success in introducing a context to my tour group at the very least….

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Nagatani-San, the founder of Sencha, who was elevated to…

Taste and Flavor

Nagatani-San, the founder of Sencha, who was elevated to kami/diety status, the official tea god of Uji- discovered a way to make quality Sencha in the 1700s, and the landscape of Japanese tea was changed forever. It took him 15 years to figure out how to remove the bitterness from the tea leaves by studying how the farmers remove the bitterness from the persimmons when they are making hoshigaki. Carefully rolling the leaves in heated troughs into needle shapes, it would take 5-6 hours to make 500 gms. And it would sell for what is today, 70,000 yen per 100gms- or $600 for ¼ lb! Only the richest merchants can afford the leaves, and after they finish drinking the tea, the second tier merchants would dry the leaves and then drink them again. And then….. The poor samurai class would get to drink the leftovers after that.

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Not exactly Nebuta festival but here at the Manga Museum, the…

Tea Adventures

Not exactly Nebuta festival but here at the Manga Museum, the tour group gets exposed to the 70 years of rich manga culture as well as what ‘kawaii’ means! Only in Japan can cute and profound meet, and in the world of manga, an unlimited expression of everything that’s on anyone’s mind or imagination can be found. That explains the little cartoon signs in front of 600 year old temples, the appeal of Hello Kitty, and the now worldwide phenomenon of manga culture. Super heroes they may not be- the majority of manga is in the struggle of everyday life and issues.

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