About green tea again, today. You know, Shizuoka is known as the No.1 green-tea production in Japan and Shin-cha new leaves are being picked at the best in every part of Shizuoka this season. But you know what ? It's not so simple to enjoy fully its natural sweetness.
Now, when you make tea, I can imagine every possible way for it. Some may pour boiled hot water into tea-pot and others put water and tea-bag into a tea-cup and cook it for a minute in a microwave. I also enjoy green-tea as you do. Good enough, isn’t it ?＾＾

By the way, I joined a lecture of “How to enjoy Shin-cha” the other day. First the instructor told us what Shin-cha is, or when and how tea-leaves are picked. According to her story, tea-leaves are picked 3 or 4 times a year and the first ones around Hachiju-hachiya, the eighty-eighth day ( on May 2nd this year ) from “Risshun”, the first spring day, are the best of all with the reason of condensed nutritive value throughout winter. That is, it’s best now !＾＾

Now, “how to make the best tea”. First of all, put proper amount of tea-leaves into a tea-pod. Then, fill tea-cups about 70% with boiled water ( to find the appropriate amount of water ) and pour them in a tea bowl called “Yuzamashi” to make it cool down a little.

After appropriate temperature ( about 70 dgrees C ) is set, you can finally put it into the tea-pot. It depends on the tea-leave brand how long to wait for extraction and in our case, we waited for 45 seconds. Now, It’s ready to serve ! Make it until the final drop is fallen. It’s called “Golden Drop”. I took a sip. Its sweetness spread out in my mouth. I’ll bet you can tell how sweet shin-cha is.＾＾ The second cup shall be served hotter than the first one to extract more tea-essence. A little bit bitter, you may feel. The third one, still hotter than the second. That’s how you extract the essence cleverly and gradually.

You know, the taste of tea varies based on the temperature of hot water. If you like sweetness, you make it first with about 70 degrees C hot water, or if you like bitterness, you pour hot water 80-90 degree C or whatever for more extraction.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy various flavors and tastes with shin-cha new green-tea !

The lecture is held several times in a year at O-CHA Plaza on the 3rd floor of Mizuno-mori building in front of JR Shizuoka Station. Free of charge. Or you can simply learn a lot about world’s tea including how to make tea anytime when it’s open.

Have a good day !

Shizuoka O-CHA PLAZA
Access from JR Shizuoka Station ： 1 minute on foot ( 3rd floor in Mizunomori BLDG )
Open Hours ： 9:30 – 16:00 ( weekday only )

“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾

After “Reisai”, the annual ceremony in Kunozan Tosho-gu Shrine, I visited “Miho-no Matsubara” to see the “Hagoromo-no Matsu” pine-tree. There were only a few visitors seen despite Sunday due to, maybe, the earthquake and tsunami.
Now, here is a legendary story about this tree. Actually, I know 2 stories about it.
Once upon a time, a beautiful houri came down to Miho beach. She put her plumage ( Hagoromo ) on a pine tree and enjoyed herself bathing in the sea. Then a fisherman came to the tree and took the plumage out of it. She walked to the man and begged him for it saying “I can’t go back to the upper world without it”. The plumage was so beautiful that he couldn’t give it up. Finally, he said. “If you perform a dance of the heaven, I’ll let you have it”. She did as told and went back to her world.

New Hagoromo no Matsu

Old Hagoromo no Matsu

The other story is more fishy and humanly.
Once upon a time, a beautiful houri came down to Miho beach. She put her plumage on a pine tree and enjoyed herself bathing in the sea. Then a fisherman came to the tree and took the plumage out of it. She walked to the man and said, “I can’t go back to the upper world without it”. He fell in love with her at a glance and answered. “Only if you become my wife, I may get it back to you”. She followed his word but the fisherman would not return the houri to her for fear that she might escape. One day, while the man was away from home, she sneaked in the room and took it back from him, and finally, she could reach up to her world.

Now, which legend do you think is more realistic ? Anyway, the pine-tree “Hagoromo no Matsu” has been standing on Miho beach for about 650 years and, by reason of aging too much, another pine tree took it over for the next generation last year. Now the old tree has been preserved carefully under the special observation for recovery.

Miho-no Matsubara is also known as one of the best spots for Mt. Fuji. When I was there, it was hazy outside and I could barely see it, to my regret. On a fine day, you will find the view as in the right picture. Walking along the coast, actually 1 hour or so, you can find Miho Swimming Beach, Miho Aquarium, Natural History Museum, and the training ground of Shimizu S-Pulse of J League, the professional soccer team ! I’ll introduce them before summer.

Have a good day !

Miho-no Matsubara ( Hagoromo-no Matsu )
Access from JR Shimizu Station ： 20 minutes by Shizutetsu Bus Miho Yamanote Line to the bus stop “Hagoromo-no Matsu Iriguchi” and 15 minutes walk.
Admission ： Free

“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾

Recently, Japan has become settled in a sense. Now, we can tell the whole picture of the earthquake and tsunami and know what to do and care for, or how to live under these conditions. Though radioactive matter is still a big problem, some annual events are being held discreetly to keep our cultures and histories.
On April 17, 1616, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of Edo Shogunate, passed away in Sumpu Castle. His body was buried in Mt. Kuno and enshrined as Tosho Daigongen by his will saying “My body is to be buried in Mt, Kuno, the funeral in Edo, and after one year, transfer my body to Nikko to become a guardian of Kanto Area”.

Now, “Tosho” is the god-name of Tokugawa Ieyasu, as called Kunozan Tosho-gu, or Nikko Tosho-gu, which literally means “Lighting in the east”, indicating the east part of Japan, that is, Kanto area including Edo is under his blessing. Or, if his word construed as “Lighting to the east”, because Edo is to the east of Suruga ( Shizuoka ), his soul might be in Shizuoka to see warmly the way his son or grandson administers this country.

By the way, on the anniversary of his death, a formal ceremony “Reisai” is to be held in Kunozan Toshogu Shrine every year. “Reisai” is regarded as the most important event for shrines. And you know what ? Yesterday was the day for it ! I visited Kunozan Toshogu Shrine of the National Treasure and saw the whole ceremony. I don’t explain about Kunozan Toshogu Shrine much this time because I’ve ever written about it twice. Please refer to the report on Jan 21, 2011 and one on Apr 23, 2010.

I didn’t take Nihondaira Ropeway this time to walk up the 1159 stairs to the shrine. It was a little bit physically hard for me but spiritually refreshing for its panoramic view.
At around 10:30, all attendees assembled around the main hall. The ceremony started solemnly with the sound of Shinto flute and a shout of Shinto priest, which continued for 15 minutes or so, followed by “Shunki-no Mai” dance by a priestess in gorgeous costume, praying for the world peace. After the Mai dance, Shinto ritual began. There came the 18th descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu in a historical costume. 300 spectators around. He had the very image of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Modest and decent. I can’t actually explain what is to what but all his demeanors somehow made me feel the air of Ieyasu.

After the Shinto rituals of 1.5 hours, at around 12:00, we all walked up to the place of his original grave-site to pray for him to rest in peace. And there, all attendees took some commemorative pictures with Mr, Tokugawa and all ceremony of 2 hours came to an end. It was very fun to me to feel our culture in a historical spot like Kunozan Toshogu Shrine. Such kind of annual ceremonies are held in many shrines. Anyone can join it. If you’ve got interested, please inquire us.

Have a good day !

“Shizuoka Guide” is our official English blog website for events & sightseeing. Always with you ! ＾＾