Baachan and her cat
Miyoko Ihara's photos of Fukumaru the cat frolicking with Ms. Ihara's grandmother, Misao, have been published as a collection.

—Mellow Monk
blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: animals, Japan, photographs
Miyoko Ihara's photos of Fukumaru the cat frolicking with Ms. Ihara's grandmother, Misao, have been published as a collection.

blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: animals, Japan, photographs
We just received this — a photo of Kokura Castle, previously misidentified as Kumamoto Castle.

blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Kumamoto, photographs, sights to see in Japan
Greg du Toit's nature photos are simply amazing, especially if you like animals.

blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: animals, Japan, photographs
This photo, taken in the orchard of one of our tea artisans, shows a fan that protects the leaves from frost.

blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Aso, Japan, Kumamoto, Mellow Monk green tea, photographs, sights to see in Japan
Read a review of For All the Tea in China

blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: China, Chinese tea, green tea in the news, Japan, Japanese culture, just plain interesting, sights to see in Japan

blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Aso, Japan, Kumamoto, Mellow Monk green tea, photographs, sights to see in Japan
Part of the PBS series Empires, the three-part "Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire


blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese history, videos
This enka song, Roukyoku Komori Uta, was a hit for Hitofushi Taro in 1963. I love the rough, folksy feel created by the old-fashioned instruments (including what sounds like a shochu bottle being tapped with a stick):
blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese language, music
John Lander, whose beautiful photographs I featured recently, also has this slideshow of Shizuoka's exquisite world of tea:
blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: green tea, Japan, sights to see in Japan, videos
Here is a smattering of Japanese folktales.
blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese culture, sights to see in Japan
The Pioneer Woman shows how to make some unique, scrumptious-looking sushi rolls, while La Fuji Mama gives us a recipe for mouth-watering zakkokumai onigiri.

blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese food
According to one theory, the popularity of Kit Kat in Japan is due partly to its name, whose Japanese pronunciation bears a phonetic resemblance to the phrase kitto katsu, or "You will surely win."

blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese language, news from Japan
Yesterday's post didn't do the place justice, so here are more photos of Oita's Usa Shrine:




blog feed, facebook, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, photographs, sights to see in Japan
360cities has literally hundreds of panoramas of sights to see in Japan, but the closest the website gets to our teas' homeland of Kumamoto is Usa Jingu, a sprawling, beautiful shrine located one prefecture over in out-of-the-way Usa.

blog feed, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese culture, sights to see in Japan
Speaking of Japan's martial arts (see Tuesday's post), I recently came across a scientific study that reminded me about another martial art — the way of the sword.

blog feed, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese cinema, philosophy of tea, Stringing Tea
There is a definite connection between martial arts and tea: As explained in part 3 of "Kyushu, Where Japan's Green Tea Grows," in both cases the practitioner's goal is to empty his mind (kokoro wo mu ni suru), to be so mindful as to completely shut out distracting thoughts.
blog feed, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese culture, videos
Start by checking out this slideshow and the accompanying article.

blog feed, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese food, sights to see in Japan
Here are a couple of photos of the director and cameraman filming the green tea documentary — "Kyushu, Where Japan's Green Tea Grows" — that I helped out with and which featured a couple of our tea artisans.


blog feed, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Aso, Japan, Kumamoto, Mellow Monk green tea, photographs, sights to see in Japan, Stringing Tea
This photo of Kyoto's Toji Temple — part of an excellent collection — makes me feel as if I am there.

blog feed, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, photographs, sights to see in Japan
Two of Velvet Escape's ten incredible bridge walks are on bridges in Japan — the Yokohama Bay Bridge and the wooden Kintai Bridge in the town of Iwakuni.

blog feed, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, sights to see in Japan
In a move to promote tourism, the city of Kyoto has started offering visitors the chance to attend a tea ceremony with real-live maiko and geisha for only 500 yen (US$5).

blog feed, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: geisha, Japan, sights to see in Japan
Purojitsu.com user John Hyperion has posted photos taken on a recent trip to Japan, including some places off the beaten path.

blog feed, reviews, teas, tweets, videos
Labels: Japan, photographs, sights to see in Japan
Located at the southern end of the Izu archipelago, Aogashima ("Green Island") is one of Japan's most remote inhabited islands. The fewer than 150 residents are watched over by a lone policeman, whose duties include welcoming—with a salute—the daily helicopter that begins its trip from the island chain's northern end.



blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: family farms, Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese history, mellowness, sights to see in Japan
A screen capture from "Kyushu, Where Japan's Green Tea Grows."

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Aso, Japan, Kumamoto, Mellow Monk green tea, photographs, Stringing Tea, videos
Jeff Henig has taken some beautiful photos of Tokyo's historic Yanesen district, while HubPages user Japanlover has written a fascinating account of two station towns along the old Nakasendo roadway where time stands wonderfully still.

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese history, sights to see in Japan
If you think the Kanaguya hot spring ryokan has an otherworldly look and feel to it, then you are not alone: Hayao Miyazaki used it as his inspiration for the otherworldly animated inn in Spirited Away

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese cinema, Japanese history, sights to see in Japan
The people of Aso are proud of and particular about their tea and their abundant natural spring water. So much so that the area around Aso shrine has a dozen or so public drinking fountains that serve up naturally flowing natural spring water.
blog feed, reviews, teas, videos
Labels: Aso, environment, Japan, Japanese culture, sights to see in Japan, videos
From Rocking in Hakata comes a two-minute time-lapse video of an undokai (sports festival) in Japan.
blog feed, reviews, teas, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese language, videos

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese history, Mellow Monk announcements
Bartok Design custom-crafts top-quality traditional wooden Japanese bathtubs made from hinoki.

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese culture, stress relief
The residents of Aso (whence Mellow Monk tea hails) are so proud of their deliciously health natural spring water that the city installed public drinking fountains dispensing this natural spring water, free for locals and visitors alike.

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Aso, Japan, Japanese language, Kumamoto, matcha, Mellow Monk green tea, sights to see in Japan
Here it is, the final segment of "Kyushu, Where Japan's Green Tea Grows," a European documentary in which a Mellow Monk tea procurer is prominently featured. (When watching the video, there will be no doubt as to which one is him.)
blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Aso, green tea, Japan, Kumamoto, Mellow Monk announcements, Mellow Monk green tea, sights to see in Japan, Stringing Tea, videos
Japan is preparing to celebrate the 1,300th anniversary of the country's ancient capital in Nara City.

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese history, sights to see in Japan
A nice story about a tea ceremony teacher and her pupil—who said she used to be stressed out "like a spinning top"—demonstrating sado to a group of 8th graders in Pittsburgh.

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: green tea in the news, Japan, Japanese culture, matcha, mellowness, philosophy of tea, stress relief
I was recently fortunate enough to try Megumi Natto, a brand of naturally made natto crafted in California by Japan Traditional Foods. I was completely knocked out by the fresh, fragrant flavor. Good natto truly is a culinary delight, and Megumi Natto is truly the real deal.

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese food
In Japan, Christmas is a relatively recent import, but like any country does when importing a new custom, Japan has made its own tweaks to the holiday.

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese food, just plain interesting
Thanks to YouTube user Imarvanriet for tipping me off about a well-done NHK documentary on matcha. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is part 1:
blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: green tea, green tea basics, Japan, Japanese culture, matcha, videos
Artist and designer Annie Riker has put together a photo book documenting her "recent trip to the visually rich country of Japan," which you can preview at Blurb.com.

blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Japan, photographs
If you are reading this you are a witness to Mellow Monk history: This is the first time I have ever posted something I received by accident.



blog feed, reviews, teas, twitter, videos
Labels: Japan, photographs