Trip of Tea and Love 茶と愛の旅

I had been in Kyoto and Nara for a week to have a tea trip with a man who also loves Japanese tea, especially Sencha and Gyokuro.

It started from Manpukuji Temple, we went to Uji and visited old tea shops, tea fields or 400-year-old tea tree.

We drew water at the Ujigami Shrine or Nishiki Tenmangu Shrine, and made tea using the water and tea from various areas, at the Kansai Airport, Jyojakkoji Temple, the house in Arashiyama we rented from my friend, Todaiji Temple, the rooftop place at the Kyoto station.

We had Sencha, Gyokuro, Hojicha and Daifukucha. We always had tea before meal.

We received the precious time, tea and pure conversation at the gallery Muichimotsu & cafe Utsugi, Horai-do, and Shinjyu-an.

Every time I feel each person's own way of enjoying tea, passion and love for tea, my curiosity was expanded and my heart was filled with pleasures. All are inspirations!

The way of being, the heart of poetry, the sense of beauty, the power of the earth - water and soil which connect with a cup of tea directly, human's hand... This travel made my sureness that tea will always be in me stronger.

This was such a happy trip.

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At 黄檗山 萬福寺 Obakusan Manpuku-ji Temple, Obaku, Uji, Kyoto.

I would say this temple is a mekka for Japanese Sencha-do, as the founder of the temple, 隠元隆琦 Ingen Ryuki (Yinyuan Longqi) is the person who brought a habit of drinking Sencha to Japan.

Ingen Ryuki was invited to Japan from China as a renowned 黄檗 Obaku sect monk in 1654.

He founded Manpuku-ji Temple in 1661.

At the moment Japan was in the state of Sakoku (national isolation) and exchange with foreign countries was forbidden, except China and Holland (in the limited condition).

So what brought from Chinese monks at the period were the massive knowledge for Japanese monks. They delivered Obaku religion, the books of it, Nanso-ga (southern school of Chinese paintings), architecture skills. sculpture, cuisine and tea.

Now there is a large Sencha-do gathering by many schools once in a year at Manpuku-ji Temple (in the middle of May).

At the Uji-cha Tea Tour. (For free! The tour is held by Uji city. All you need is to make a reservation! but this tour is in Japanese.)

You can visit old tea shops, tea manufactures, the house of old tea sommelier (for Shogun in Edo period) or one of the seven oldest tea gardens in Uji city.

This "奥ノ山 Oku no Yama" tea garden is one of those. It's located on the hill where you can look down the world heritage, 平等院 Byodo-in.

The old tea producing method is still held in those gardens.

Currently, only 3.5 % of (Japanese) tea is produced in Kyoto. But high quality tea, such as Gyokuro or Tencha (becoming good Matcha) are made in Kyoto.

Tea is generally picked starting from the beginning of May (but it's earlier in the southern areas and later in the northern areas) about four times in one season.

But in Uji, tea is picked only once, only fresh new leaves by hands. 

After new leaves start to show up, the garden is covered by three layered black shade, one by one to make the shade gradually thicker and thicker. In the end, the straw shade covers over the black shade. In this way, 95% of sun light is blocked. As the more sun light tea leaves receive, the more catechin (which gives bitterness) is produced. And as the sun light is blocked, tea contains more theanine which gives Umami flavor.

After hand-picked, trees are cut very low, fertilized (this fertilization produces a lot of Umami flavor as well) and let them grow until next season.

There are various kinds of Sencha or Gyokuro, up to where, how or by whom the tea is grown and produced . And I enjoy each unique flavor. But Umami flavor is definitely one of the unique ones that you can't really describe with words. You can just taste it.

At 宇治上神社 Ujigami Shrine, the world heritage. This is one of the spots included in the tea tour. Its water source, "桐原水 Kiriharasui" is one of the best seven water sources in Uji.

Exploring around 嵐山 Arashiyama, where we rended the house from my friend this time.

Walking through the bamboo forest, by the Katsura river, up to the Arashiyama park, discovering places at random... I loved listening to the sound of the bamboo swaying by the breeze. I loved seeing the surface of the river reflecting the sun shine. 

Having a cup of tea at 常寂光寺 Jyojakko-ji Temple.

This is the best place ever!!, for having a cup of tea peacefully.

At 蓬莱堂 Horai-do tea and utensil shop, on Teramachi street, Kyoto city.

The owner loves the way of serving Gyokuro, drop by drop, like the world of the most beautiful novel, "草枕 Kusamakura" by 夏目漱石 Soseki Natsume.

After my travel partner bought a bag of Gyokuro and while I was talking to the owner's wife, the owner came to us gently with a simple utensils, then served a cup of Gyokuro.

He told us that his tea is handled abroad too.

Then here I was again. At 無一物 Muichimotsu, the Sencha-do utensil & Bunjin Shumi gallery in Nara where I have always loved since my first visit. 

We had a delicious lunch, many cups of tea and sweets at カフェうつぎ Cafe Utsugi, run by the daughters of the master of Muichimotsu.

This lunch was recommended by my dear friend ... I do thank her and am looking forward to having a lunch together there someday soon.

The master always let me travel to the world of Bunjin Sencha Shumi... sharing with me the way of being, enjoying a cup of tea "really" and "purely". It's never been only about how it tastes. If you are captured by seeking its taste, the true meaning of the way of enjoying a cup of tea disappears... 

At 心樹庵 Shinjyu-an, the cafe and shop, handling well-selected Chinese & Japanese tea.

The owner couple do love tea very much! I could feel so by talking with them, and It was such an inspiration to listen to them. They visit tea farmers all over China and Japan.

They don't value or check only where tea is made or what kind of breed it is.

They are evaluating soil of the tea garden, whether the farmer takes good care of its field for bringing out the best potential of the garden and tea grown there. So even though Sencha is usually enjoyed for 2 or 3 cups in one time, they like to drink until 7 or 8 cups, like the way of drinking Chinese tea. And they said after the fourth or fifth cup (when the flavor of tea leaves are getting less and less), they could taste soil and feel whether tea is good or not.

I heard there is a process of tea making in China, that tea tree is planted in a good place with powerful energy, then once the tree is planted, the farmer shut down the ground surrounding the tea tree completely. Then the energy of the earth goes to tea straight.

They wish there is such way of producing (planting) Japanese tea as well.

We were served a cup of Sencha from Shiga prefecture on the way. We enjoyed until the sixth or seventh cup :)

Walking around Nara during the night time. It always gets dark when I visit Nara, because I spend a lot of time in Muichimotsu or Utsugi :)

At 建仁寺 Kennin-ji Temple on the other day. 

Kennin-ji was founded by 栄西禅師 Eisai Zenshi (a Japanese monk of Rinzai sect) in 1202.

Eisai is the first Japanese who spread "tea" from China to Japan, who wrote the book about tea 『喫茶養生記』. There is a tea monument of Eisai there. The hedges surrounding temples there are all tea trees.

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Even though I still feel the passing winter, the sings of coming spring are everywhere.

I feel grateful that time passes by, seasons come around, and I can re-meet same seasons or festivals.

But things are never exactly the same - flowers, winds, flowing water ... How pure and healthy that things are flowing, passing and changing ...

Wishing you lovely days.