A visit to a Shizuoka green tea specialty shop in Yorii

For a while I was really into the Tobu hiking courses.  All you had to do was catch a train and it lead you to a very simple and easy course to go walking. Some of them actually went into the mountains but most of them stayed in town or they stayed on major streets and roads.

During one of the hikes in Yorii, Saitama Prefecture, I happened upon a green tea shop - a Shizuoka green tea specialty shop no less!  It was kind of perfect because we had already done the major part of the hike and we were tired and ready for a break. So when I asked my friend to come with me she was more than happy to go into the store.

I don’t know why but I’m always really nervous to go into stores. Almost all of the specialty tea shops I have seen are run by elderly Japanese. While my Japanese is fairly good, I often struggle to understand when someone older speaks, both because of their accent and often because elderly people have a habit of mumbling. The friend who was with me wasn’t any better at understanding Japanese but that’s never stopped her before from having a wonderful conversation with new people. Taking her enthusiasm in stride, we both went in. 

My intention was only to peruse and possibly pick up some green tea to review for City-Cost's "Green Tea Guide."  That turned into a lengthy conversation with a lovely Japanese couple and several free cups of tea along the way. 

Look at the beautiful green color!

They were insistent that we sit down and join them with the pot of tea that they had just prepared for themselves. They also offered us some seaweed candy but seeing as it’s been over a year since I tried it, I don’t exactly remember what it tasted like. I do remember that it was hard candy and seeing as it was seaweed flavored it was probably a little salty sweet. 

There’s a word in Japanese called shibui (old-fashioned) and this candy fits it perfectly. The image and idea that the word brings up is often something that I can imagine old people would like. But honestly the taste of green tea makes me think that as well. Shibui.  It’s not a bad flavor but it has a bit of bitterness and isn’t something a kid would typically like. Unfortunately, sometimes my palate aligns more along with my five-year-old than it does with my fashion sense which is like a 60-year-old.

We tried an awful lot of tea that day trying to find one that wasn’t very bitter.

This one definitely did the trick. It was nice and pleasant and light flavored. With only a mild amount of bitterness. I bought 100 g of it which after over a year I’m finally getting around to opening.

I really enjoyed my experience of finally going into a specialty shop. I love having conversations with random people and the elderly are usually the most keen on talking. 

This is an experience that you can only get actually being in Japan and since I’m living here I should stop taking it for granted and go out more to the specialty shops and have more conversations with wonderful people while trying wonderful tea.    

This post is supported by Shizuoka Green Tea Guide, one of City-Cost's Supporters helping City-Cost bloggers to enjoy life in Japan and engage in new experiences.