Ippodo Tea Co.

4 October 2011

Past two days have been beautiful and clear. Finally a hint of fall in the air. Today Win began his teaching, and promises to describe his experiences after tomorrow's class. I continue my Japanese conversation class at the International House, and we will both try to enroll in a class at the university. I always seem to blank out on my limited vocabulary when I am out in public so we'll see how it goes.

This afternoon I finally found the famous old tea store I had been hunting for - Ippodo. (Photos are from the web.) I had decided our green tea bags from the grocery store were pretty so-so, and we should celebrate Win's survival of the first class with something more tasty. Only problem is that the store has dozens of teas to chose from, each meant to be brewed in its own particular way. Sencha tea is described as "a perfect harmony of sweetness, sharpness and fragrance...A favorite among tea lovers, sencha is the ideal drink to revitalize your mind and refresh you spirit." I picked, for no special reason, 100 grams of Sho-ikeno-o (probably because it was the middle of a list of 7 types). I also bought a starter matcha (powdered green tea) kit (including bamboo chasen or wisk, chawan or bowl, bamboo chashaku or ladle, cotton cloth, and small tin of matcha), but we decided to stick with the more familiar sencha for our afternoon tea and it was excellent (as described, for sure). I was given a small teapot as a promotional gift so now we are all set. Later when we have seen a tea ceremony, I will attempt to make matcha tea. Green tea lovers among our friends should let me know if they would like me to bring some home for them.

We send much love