Tearooms are beautiful places to unwind from a crazy day at work. When most travelers think of teas places like Kyoto and Shizuoka come to minds as iconic for teas and kimono-clad sophisticates. Tokyo is Rome, not Kyoto! Located in the Ginza, a place well-known as an upscale district, is home to Kabuki and the rich. I work in the Ginza and found a tearoom near my office about a 10 minute walk.
In the picture is a tea set. The silver pitcher has hot water at around 90 Degrees C. First you pour water into the empty bowl then turn the timer upside down for 1 minute. In the tea bowl on the right has about 30 grams of premium sencha tea. After one minute pour the hot water into the tea pot and move it around. Then pour into the drinking bowl down below. Enjoy! Other cultures and prefectures may have different methods for how they steep their teas, but the way I was shown was taught to me by the owner of this well-known Ginza tearoom called Jugetsu.
When you are drinking tea it is nice to have a visual stimulation. Rooftop tearoom with a nice garden that changes according to the season is a nice way to enjoy teatime.
For lunch, I also ordered gourmet rice balls stuffed with seaweed, whitebait, and bamboo. The brown tea is called Hojicha and is a roasted fermented brown tea that tastes amazing on a cold day. Next to the tea is a hot seaweed soup with fish cakes. Folded eggs; cookies, and pickles.
Thank you for sharing your post! Itās very interesting to learn more about tea rooms. What your favorite tea? Mine is green tea. What is the name of this tea room?
@VasT Thank you for your comment. My favorite tea would be Gokuryo [ Go-ku- RO ] because itās a little more bitter than standard teas. Jugetsudo is the name of the tearoom. Have you been to Tokyo, and have you experienced Japanese tea before?
Wow, what a nice narrative! I learned quite a bit about the preparation of tea, thank you.
Just like you mentioned, and just like @VasT said, I also associate Japanese tea mostly with the solemn tea ceremonies, led by ladies in rich kimonos. I agree that itās important to have a person of knowledge to show you how to make and enjoy tea on your own.
Even though Iāve been to Tokyo and Ginza a few times, I mostly explored the food scene there. Thankfully, some restaurants also boast a peaceful little garden!
To be honest, I like fruit and herbal tea the most, @VasT . Especially hand-picked and home-dried herbs! But sometimes Iām more interested in the little treats that come with the tea, like cookies, scones, and cakes, than the tea itself.
What do you like having your tea with, @user_not_found and @VasT ?
It looks so good and tasty:-) You may know the Japanese tea culture more than me. Someday please tell me your favorite tearooms in Tokyo;-)
By the way, is the shop here?
@DeniGu I love having my tea with traditional Japanese sweets like red bean sugar cookies @VasT I want to learn more about Japanese teas, so I feel lucky to be here in Japan. Fruit and herbal teas are good, too. I like nettle tea for its health benefits. I am also a coffee lover.
@HiroyukiTakisawa I am just a beginner at teas, no worries you are still the master of Japanese tea. There are too many tea rooms in Japan that I love, especially in Kamakura. And, yes, this is the tea room. Thank you for your comments.
Thank you for introducing wonderful Japanese @user_not_found
Your experience is major as a luxury light teašµ. Pouring hot water into the bowl is to make the temperature around 80 ā. Like Chinese tea and western tea, it needs to warm up the unit to maximize the aroma of tea leavesā³.
Thank you for sharing, @user_not_found . The garden and dish presentation looks amazing. Iām sure the taste doesnāt fail as well. You can easily see how much thought, care and effort the owners have put into making a calm zen environment. Iāve always admired places that put an extra effort for a good environment. It is what makes the experience memorable after all.
For sure, youāre a lucky person @user_not_found . You have the chance to experience one of the most fascinating cultures. Iāve tried nettle tea and to be honest is not one of my favorites. Also, red bean sugar cookies? How do they taste like?
@YasumiKikuchi Thank you for your comment and the insight into tea. I really enjoyed the aromatics from the tea and could relax. By the way, the onigiri was made from Koshihikari rice and premium Japanese nori.
@IrrPavlova Thank you for your comment. I agree with you that the environment for tea drinking is important and make the whole experience surreal. Just having a tea at home is not the same for me. The maitreād was knowledgable and very helpful.
@VasT The cookies have a simple and well balanced flavor. I think nettle #tea can have a strange after-taste, but I try to drink it for its health benefits. What other teas do you like?
Thank you for your interest and your time to write me back @user_not_found ,
My current favorites: A mix of green tea. I like to drink rose hip and cranberry tea because of the antioxidants. Also, rose hip helps the immune system during the cold months.
@VasT Looks and sounds good. I also love cranberry juices and teas. The astringency quenches my thirst in the summer months. Have you ever tried any alcohol infused teas?
No, I havenāt tried any alcohol infused teas, as a matter of fact itās the first time I hear about them. Are they any tasty? Whatās the difference between them and the regular types of tea?
