People | 20 QUESTIONS Sep 9, 2017
Michael Drzmisek Sozui: 'Come share a bowl of matcha'
by Ayako Nakano
A tea master explains the comforts of a three-tatami-room teahouse.
Style & Design | ON: DESIGN Sep 3, 2017
It's all about the convenience
by Mio Yamada
Always in the fast lane? Here are some neat ideas for those who don't like to fuss around.
Asia Pacific Aug 4, 2017
Darjeeling unrest threatens tea shortage
The world faces a shortage of prized Darjeeling tea because of deadly unrest in the idyllic Indian Himalayan foothills where it is grown. In the dozens of lush green plantations across the picturesque hill station, the June-August harvest season normally provides the bulk of the ...
National | CHUBU CONNECTION Apr 17, 2017
Shizuoka firm promises good luck in every cup of its green tea
A tea wholesale store based in the city of Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture, has developed a technology to ensure a tea stem floats vertically — an omen of good fortune widely believed by Japanese. Green tea bags from Fukuko, which are sold by Jorakuen, are gaining popularity, ...
Voices | OVERHEARD Feb 18, 2017
Needs no explanation
National | GENERATIONAL CHANGE Feb 5, 2017
Efforts afoot to revive Japan's traditional small tea farms by offering global reach
by Magdalena Osumi
Japanese green tea, known for its health benefits and centuries-old brewing and serving rituals, has won the hearts and taste buds of people around the world. But with the dramatic aging of its society, Japan is seeing a fall in its tea farmer population that ...
Food & Drink | OSAKA RESTAURANTS Feb 26, 2016
Gokan: Tea and cake for modernist samurai
by J.J. O'Donoghue
In Kitahama, just north of Umeda, there are two rather stately teahouses within cake-throwing distance of each other. Kitahama Retro is where you'll want to go if you like crustless cucumber sandwiches, afternoon tea and Edwardian cosplay. But don't let the pretense fool you, ...
Lifestyle Feb 20, 2016
Aromas of old town Tokyo attract new visitors
by Sophie Jackman
A traditionally working-class neighborhood in Tokyo that rose from the ashes to become one of the city's favorite retreats lies a stone's throw east of the Sumida River across from Nihombashi. In the Kiyosumi-Shirakawa district, where cafes and boutiques have cropped up like wild flowers ...
Lifestyle Dec 12, 2015
Food for thought: A traditional Okinawan diet may help prolong life
by Stephen Mansfield
The view that, if there is a Garden of Eternal Life, it is likely located in Okinawa, may be a touch exaggerated but few places offer better models for the correlation between food, health and longevity than Japan's southern islands. "Being Okinawan, being different," Donald ...
People | 20 QUESTIONS Oct 10, 2015
Soren Bisgaard: 'There is more to chadō than meets the eye'
by J.J. O'Donoghue
Danish tea master on philosophy, tranquility and leaving everything behind
Asia Pacific May 5, 2015
Climate change sparks tension in India's tea gardens
Usha Ghatowar smiles wryly when asked about the pay she earns picking leaves at a colonial-era tea garden in India's Assam. "Do you think 3,000 rupees ($48) are enough when your monthly expenses can be double that?" she mumbles, as she puts on her jaapi ...