Houjicha is made of leaves harvested later in the season. Instead of just being steamed like the other green teas, these leaves are also roasted in a porcelain or cast iron pot over charcoal at a high temperatures, which gives the tea a very particular reddish-brown color and a toasty caramel flavor, sweeter than other green tea varieties.
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Interview with Akito-san, founder of Tea Cup Trip. Learn about Akito-san’s tea tours and products, and how to enjoy them
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When thinking about Japanese food, most people would immediately think about tempura, ramen, or okonomiyaki. But do you know that in Japan, there are a lot of traditional dishes that are sticky, smelly, but unexpectedly delicious? Those “bizarre” dishes are loved by locals not only for their taste, but also because of their immense health benefits and interesting textures…
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In Japan, it’s not rare to see a street attendant working past retirement, or a kind 80-year-old woman still running her family soba restaurant. It’s a widely known fact that this country has some of the oldest people in the world, falling only behind Hong Kong in life expectancy. Why is this? Could it be the fantastic healthcare system, the high regard that seniors receive, or the fact that many of them remain active, getting up at 6 AM for their daily exercises? Of course these are all contributing factors, but we are missing a pretty important one: food.
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