#the one being ureshino

[itspneu]

ik the manga is not about kinosaki shes not the protagonist shes not the one being ordered to get married BUT idc i need the potential partners bonding with her too like yeah she may not be the one actively saving them but she is giving support and she got hit in the crossfire several times for these girls, she shouldnt even be there but she is, but then the girls just dont talk about her... like cmon they're not even a tiny bit interested in befriending the kinosaki mei that diva oh lord the content we could've been fed with kino being bestie with these girls we're being robbed

[kof-fatalfury-daily]

"Stray Dog, Stray Wolf" a Fatal Fury novel by Akihiko Ureshino

In 2008, Akihiko Ureshino (same guy who wrote KOF's official novels) wrote a 27-chapter official Fatal Fury novel called "Stray Dog, Stray Wolf."

The novel ties loose ends at the end of Fatal Fury, following Geese's death. The main characters are Terry, Rock and Billy, and supporting characters include Laurence Blood, Duck King and Wolfgang Krauser (YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT, KRAUSER, ALIVE.)

It was published digitally in Japan straight to readers' mobile phones making it EXTREMELY hard to find years later. Fans who saved the text refuse to share it, making it very rare.

But good news! Someone got his hands on the novel and is currently sharing it in English. This is a must-read for people who enjoy delving deeper into Fatal Fury's lore.

The first chapter is... *chef kiss*

Don't believe me?? Take a look:

Clearing his throat, Duck looked at Rock again.

The band-aid on his nose was the least of his problems. He also had a cut on his lip, and one black eye. It was clear that someone had given him a brutal beating. Duck suddenly understood why Bob mentioned a panda.

“Did you get into an argument with some other brat?”

“A street fight, not an argument,” muttered Rock, still looking down.

“Ohh, you sure know how to talk back.”

It wasn’t something a kid that wasn’t even ten years old would say. Duck grinned, because in Rock’s tone he could perceive his dissatisfaction, and the fact that Rock was trying to act beyond his age.

“Then, who was your opponent? Judging by your face, he gave you a royal beating.”

“Terry…”

“Huh?”

“I lost to Terry…,” Rock said, covering the bruise on his eye.

Duck pondered the answer for a second before a shocking realization spread all over his face.

“What!? You mean you tried to fight against Terry?”

“…” Rock nodded, dejected.

Duck smacked the side of his neatly shaven head, frowning.

“That’s not a street fight, then. That’s actually child ab###,” he muttered.

“You’re wrong. I challenged him. I told him to not hold back and fight for real because I could take it.”

“Are you serious?”

Duck had heard that Terry was teaching martial arts to Rock, who despite being a young kid showed great potential.

But no matter the potential, an adult shouldn’t be going all out on a kid who was barely six or seven years old. Even young Rock should have known that much.

But still, Rock had decided to face Terry head-on, and had probably decided to be beaten up by him.

That was Duck’s best guess as to what was going on inside the head of that young boy, who had been born to misfortune.

The full chapters are available 👉 HERE.

This man is doing God's work. Support him if you can!

[purple-petrichor]

Gero and Scars

MarriageToxin Theory Time: Gero is horribly scarred. Specifically, on his torso.

Let's explore this:

>>Already has a facial scar

Gero is a bit unique among romcom protagonists for having a visible facial scar. And that one looks CHEMICAL. We know that Gero's upbringing was rough--was it due to his harsh poison training? If so, there's no way that treatment didn't leave other lasting marks elsewhere on his body.

>>Clothing as cover

Through the series so far, Gero tends to hide his body. He's shy to begin with, leaping away from nudity (with Kinosaki in chp 1, and with Ushio chp 91). But this also applies to himself as well. Gero is largely conservative about his own clothing.

He wears big, baggy clothes. Never goes anywhere without his coat either (although the character profile notes this is due to his job--lots of poison compounds hiding under there). It's relevant to note that we haven't seen him shirtless yet, despite other male characters (Sound User, Ushio's gym-obsessed uncle) stripping down.

Furthermore, when on the Ocean date with Himekawa, Gero wears a FULL WETSUIT. He really covers as much of his body as possible.

>>Hesitance around physical intimacy

Although this is a smaller point, it could perhaps be relevant. We know that Gero is very anxious about touch. Over the course of lots of character development he's become much more comfortable (such as being on Arashiyama's lap) with it, but in early chapters he used to physically flinch away and duck out of reach (Kinosaki, Ureshino). This could hint at a deeper discomfort with touch and physical intimacy--maybe he's subconsciously afraid of what people might 'discover' if they get too close.

>>All for the family

We have heard Gero speak about his childhood upbringing, and it was not a happy one.

The Poison Clan has no problem abusing their children if it means competent heirs. We see 'sensei' hitting him to the point of internal injury. And we also see him as an older boy, trembling as he works with chemicals.

Furthermore, when it comes to facial scars, his cousin Teruaki has one as well, at one eyebrow. It runs in the family, being a trauma that leaves marks both seen and unseen. Come to think of it, it's a bit strange that his sister Akari doesn't have one? If she does, where is it? I swear to god if that was because of some twisted sexist reason like 'don't ruin the girl's face so we can marry her off' ughhh Either way, in the Gero clan, there's no way you get out unscathed. Literally.

>>Survivor of a death game

This has not been fully elaborated on in-canon, but the implications have been fairly strong. The Poison Clan appears to select (or perfect) their heir by having children go through a set of trials. The survivor (?) becomes the official heir. Gero himself refers to this as essentially a death game.

It would be impossible to get out of this kind of Hunger Games without receiving some nasty injuries. Especially given the kinds of chemical substances that these potential heirs may have played with. Not to mention, the scene with him in kimono is the first appearance of that incredibly suspicious scar around Gero's eye, which I suspect may have a dramatic reveal later on. Really, I wouldn't be surprised if his body is littered with scars and/or other chemical burn marks.

What if Gero takes his shirt off and we just see a battlefield.

EDIT: slightly jossed by this counterpoint:

>>Arms

We do see a bit more skin than usual in his cat cafe date! Arashiyama really has a way of loosening him up. Here, the front of Gero's arms are visible, all the way to the mid-biceps. And....there's no scars. No suspicious chemical burns or missing fingertips. Hmm. Maybe he's a miracle heir and managed to avoid all damage except his eye? Or there are scars, just hidden around where the T-shirt covers instead?

[leoteaworld]

Discover the Different Types of Japanese Green Tea & Brew Guide

Green tea has been used for centuries for their medical benefits and are even used today in modern science in alternative medicine. Green teas are not only healthy, but also incredibly flavorful and tasty. Some green teas boast earthy aromas and grassy favors which will peak your senses from the initial smell all the way down to the very last sip.

When people think of green tea, they often associate it with the Japanese. In Japan, it is a staple beverage as it is available at almost every restaurant across the region. It’s easy to stumble across some type of food or beverage that has green tea within it. From matcha green tea lattes, to ice cream, and even chocolate bars, green tea is everywhere in Japan!

Not to be confused a Chinese green tea, Japanese green teas possess unique properties in both their roots and tastes that make the tea drinking process even more exceptional. Let’s discover the many varieties that Japanese green tea has to offer. We will find out what makes this tea so unique and how to choose a tea that best fits your taste buds.  

Japanese Green Tea’s History

Green tea actually originated in China, but found its way over to Japan as it was carried back by nomadic Japanese monks. Japanese monks would travel to China to learn about Buddhism. This is where the monks originally discovered green tea. The irresistible green tea was then brought back by the Buddhist monks to Japan, where the Japanese began to add their own special twists to the brewing process. It’s thought that green tea was first introduced to Japan during the Nara and Heian era, well over one thousand years ago.

Back then, only the upper class were able to get their hands on green tea. As time went on, the production of the green tea leaf substantially increased as farmers increased their yields. Thanks to the increased supply, the demand was met and the popularity of green tea took off. Historians tell a story of a priest in the 12th century called Myoan Eisai. Eisai is credited for green tea demand increase when Eisai wrote a novel on how to properly brew and drink green tea.

In the modern era, the Japanese have made green tea consumption a part of everyday life. It is ingrained in their very culture. Green tea is even used ceremoniously in traditional tea cups. When political figured arrive in Japan, they are immediately offered green tea as a gesture of kindness and to offer a warm welcome.

Types of Japanese Green Tea

Sencha

This is the most popular and widely drunk tea in all of Japan. Sencha green tea is offered in most restaurants throughout the region. It’s brewed by using the smallest tea leaves to give it its exceptional flavor and aroma.

Sencha green tea is offered in many different forms, including a high quality variety that is sure to tickle the fancy of even the most dedicated green tea enthusiast. When harvested, the small leaves are immediately steamed to avoid oxidation. After the leaves are protected, they are packaged into cakes, balls, or spindles.

The taste walks a fine line between acidic and sweet. Sencha green tea is considered to be mild in body and flavorful in taste. Many claim that the green tea consists of hints of melon, pine, and grass. The premium Sencha teas come with a more complicated taste that really calls out each flavor in a bold flavor that is not too overwhelming.

The two different varieties of Sencha green teas are distinguished by how the tea leaf is steamed. Asamushi Sencha green tea is the way that the Japanese have been steaming green tea for centuries. In this variation, the littlest green tea leaves are steamed for around 60 seconds, giving it a soft yellow hue and particularly sweet in taste. Fukmushi teas give Sencha green tea a modern twist which requires the leaf to be steamed for a longer time. The longer steam time results in a darker color with an unfiltered appearance. This tea offers a heavier and earthier flavor.

Gyokuro

Gyokuro tea is another Japanese variation that is harvested from the Camellia sinensis plant. It is unique in that the plant is grown in the shade in the final months before the leaves are collected. The lack of sunlight during the last month of growth inhibits the growth of cholorophyll and other antioxidants. This nutritious tea has a soft and sweet flavor and is one of the healthiest Japanese green teas available.

The lack of sunlight is also responsible for inhibiting the production of L-theanine from morphing into a catechin. L-theanine is thought to add to a consistent feed of caffeine, making it much less jittery and helping with the dreaded caffeine crash.

Gyokuro tea is renowned for its creaminess and seaweed like long-lasting flavor. This well-balanced green tea is soft and sweet through and through.

Genmaicha

Genmaicha green tea is unique in that the leaves are combined with brown rice kernels, giving the tea a toasted and fuller taste. Genmaicha tea offers a filling flavor similar to that of eating a bowl of chili. The brown rice removed rough flavors from the green tea leaf, making it an easier beverage to enjoy.

Coined ‘the people’s tea’, Genmaicha tea was widely available and incredibly popular as it was the cheapest green tea option available. The combination of the cheap brown rice and the more expensive green tea leaves made the overall cost very affordable for the general public.

In the modern era, Genmaicha green tea is renowned for its taste and aroma that is unlike any other. It is also known to the people as ‘popcorn tea’ thanks to the popped brown rice. Many Japanese use this tea as a palette cleanser either both or after they eat. This tea is traditionally prepared at a more elevated temperature than traditional green teas. The extra heat helps unlock additional flavors of the brown rice kernels.

Matcha Green Tea

Matcha green tea is well-known worldwide thanks to its stone-ground preparation. The ground leaves leave behind a green powder that is renowned in the cooking world. The ground powder is used to make popular drinks suck as the matcha latte. Once again, this tea is cultivated in from plants that spend a portion of their life in the shade.

The grinding process consists of the tea leaves being placed on bamboo mats and first steamed and then dried. The dry leaves are the smashed and obliterated to extract the popular green powder. The powder can also be extracted in a mill.

Speaking of healthy teas, Matcha green tea is incredibly healthy. Grinding the leaves allows you to ingest the entire leaf to get the most nutrients as possible, rather on having to rely on extracting the nutrients into a liquid. Matcha green tea has the incredibly high levels of L-theanine amongst other nutrients.

This tea assists your digestive system in taking up Vitamin E and other healthy fibers within the leaf itself. Saturated with antioxidants, Matcha green tea is the healthiest Japanese green tea on this list.

For Macha brew guide, you can refer to HOW TO PREPARE MATCHA GREEN TEA?

Hojicha

If you don’t like the jitters that are associated with a cup of coffee or other stronger green teas, then you may enjoy Hojicha green tea. This tea is infamous for its low caffeine content. It is uniquely roasted, unlike the other steamed green tea varieties. The roasted leaves are pan-fried after cultivated to keep oxidation at bay.

The roasted profile offers a nutty flavor and is also unique in that it does not project a green hue like other green teas. The color is a light brown hue thanks to the roasting process that the leaf undergoes.

Since the caffeine content is so low, many elderly whom are concerned of heart conditions and even young children who are too young for a cup of coffee drink this variety. It’s traditionally prepared for a short time in hot water to avoid bitterness.

Kukicha

Kukicha green tea is truly special in that it is not brewed from tea leaves at all. This tea is interestingly brewed from the stems and stalks of the plant in hot water. Kukicha tea is also known as Bocha or stick tea because of this.

Kukicha tea that only harvested from Sencha or Gyokuro plants is referred to as Karigane tea. Karigane tea offers nutty flavors with a filling creamy sensation. Kukicha is popularly consumed to aid the digestive system.

Guricha

Guricha tea is hard to come by and sought after by tea enthusiasts everywhere. This uncommon tea variety makes up for about 5% of the entirety of Japanese tea supply. Since it is so rare, Gruicha tea often sells for a very high price at auction or at the market.

Coming from the Kyushu Island found within the Ureshino region, Gruicha is known for its unique shape that closely resembles a comma. The color of this tea when brewed is a dark pine with hints of sweetness. If you’re able to get your hands on this, then you will understand why it is so sought after!

Uji Green Tea

Uji tea originates in Uji, Kyoto. It is a uniquely traditional tea that is rooted deep within Japanese history. This ceremonial tea was transported numerous times during the Meiji era. This tea would be presented to the shogun of a military to show respect. It may not be the tastiest tea available, but it still widely enjoyed by historians and those who appreciate the culture.

How Do I Brew Japanese Green Tea?

This guide refer to general Japanese green tea include variants introduced upon. To start, heat the water to temperature that ranges between 150 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Refer to the list below to make sure that you are brewing your green tea variation at the correct temperature. We advise that you refer to the product label for brewing instructions.

If the temperature is too high, then you may notice bitterness. Boiling the water is not good for the flavor, so avoid this. Generally speaking, follow the directions below to correctly brew different varieties of Japanese green tea:

Sencha: 140 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit for one to one and a half minutes.

Gyokuro: 122 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for one to two minutes.

Matcha: 175 degrees Fahrenheit.

Genmaicha: 185 degrees Fahrenheit for one to two minutes.

Hojicha: 200 degrees Fahrenheit from anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes.

Kukicha: 185 degrees Fahrenheit for up to one minute.

Guricha: 158 to 176 degree Fahrenheit for 35 to 45 seconds.

Drink Japanese Green Tea

When it comes to green tea, the Japanese are the best. The seemingly endless amounts of variety will ensure that you discover a variety that fits your palate. The cultural and traditional significance of green teas in Asia make this beverage special. So pick a Japanese green tea of your choice and be sure to enjoy it on us!

[meowmixtape]

Sinbad of the Shores

Rating: T

Pairing: AiJunko

WC: 5,786

Summary: While out of the manoir de mort for a beachside performance Ai wakes up from a dream to new feelings about Junko. But these aren't feelings she hasn't had before. After mourning the past and bemoaning the future Ai finally seeks safety in Junko and they get heart-to-heart.

FF AO3

"Aphrodite had the beauty; Zeus had the thunderbolts." -Esther M. Freisner

Mizuno Ai sat on a beach towel gazing out toward the sea. It was calm today and the waves rolled slowly, broken only by two girls playing in the water close to the shore. One of them was her friend and groupmate Sakura. The other was another groupmate and her girlfriend Konno Junko.

A voice next to her piped up: "You know that scene –" Ai jumped and turned to see Saki sitting next to her "– in cartoons where two guys are stranded on a deserted island and they're starving and one looks at the other and he turns into a turkey feast with waves of deliciousness coming off him?"

"Yeah. Everyone knows that one. What about it?"

Saki grinned. "That's kinda how yer lookin' at Junko right now."

Ai looked away. "How do you know I'm looking at her?"

"'Cause if you were lookin' at Sakura like that we'd have a problem." Ai heard a popping sound and when she turned back she saw Saki cracking her knuckles. "Do we have a problem?"

"No."

"Good." She smiled and sat back.

Ai hugged her knees and hid the lower half of her face in them. Her eyes were back out toward the ocean. Toward Junko. Was I really looking at her with such a perverted face? Sure, what happened last night was weird, but she was over it. She was!

The average person cannot help what they dream about, but Ai was not the average person. This wasn't a point of pride, either. She was a frequent lucid dreamer. And when she dreamed last night of showering she was very aware of it. She felt the stream caress her face, the water pelt her body like hot bullets, and she thought, Oh, when was the last time I had a nice hot shower? The ones in winter were always the best. And then: Is Junko in here?

"Mizuno-san."

Ai's gaze swung from the showerhead and there she was. And in that weird way dreams can be sometimes she could see everything and nothing at the same time. Lucidity faded and Ai was then fully in the lap of whatever god is appointed the duty of dispensing dreams on the sleepers.

Until then Ai had never dreamed of sex.

Out in the water Junko and Sakura continued to swim and splash and play. Ai supposed most people would find Sakura sexier, but she liked Junko more. Her body was more delicate and gentle, her skin pale and soft, her… well, chest…

Stop it! Don't get those thoughts again!

Her tummy…

This isn't you anymore! Enough!

Ai was so consumed with her own thoughts that she didn't notice Junko duck underwater. She didn't come back to reality until moments later when Saki called out, "Had fun out there?"

"Yeah!" Sakura called back. She and Junko were walking towards them. "The water's great. Why don't you join us?"

"Maybe later. I just ate."

"Ai, look what I found!" Junko held her hand out.

"Woah!" It actually managed to knock away all thoughts of sex and perversion. "A conch shell! I've never seen one!"

"Really? Haven't you ever been to the beach?"

"I have, and I used to go shell-hunting, but I never found a conch shell! Wow!" Totally impressed, she took it and turned it over in her hands. It was yellow and spiky and everything. She couldn't believe she was holding this. Can't help being a Pisces, I guess.

Similarly affected, Saki said, "Put it to your ear and see if you can hear the ocean!"

Ai did. Its currents whispered. Noticing Saki's demeanor, she said, "Do you want to listen too?"

"Yeah!" Saki took it and held it up. "Oh, I can hear it!" She smirked at Sakura. "The ocean says you're hot, babe."

Sakura kicked sand at her.

Ai frowned. It was just like Saki to come right out and say stuff like that. Ai never could. If she did Junko might get upset or disgusted. Or worse, she might laugh.

Ai held the shell back out to Junko.

Smiling, Junko shook her head. "It's yours."

"Really? That's okay?"

"Mm-hmm. I was going to give it to you anyway. I saw it and thought of you."

Ai's stomach fluttered and her cheeks prickled. She looked down, finding refuge in the shell, safe from Junko's open smile and wet body. "Th-thanks." She found herself wanting to kiss her. Between her affection at this gift and her tumultuous feelings she felt ready to kiss Junko a lot. It would have to wait until they weren't in public.

If only it didn't. I feel ready to have her right now.

Oh, would you stop it!

Junko was reapplying her sunscreen, as were Sakura and Saki. This was Kotaro's plan for waterproofing: reapply every ten minutes. They had a performance here tomorrow, and after what happened in Ureshino he wasn't taking any chances.

"Ai, can you get my back?"

Want me to wash your back? Junko had asked that in the dream and Ai had let her until one thing led to another and they –

"Sure." Ai took the spray can. Stupid dream. She hated it.

After the sunscreen was reapplied Junko hoisted a pail and asked Ai if she wanted to collect beach rocks. Ai said yes. They started off down the beach. It was mostly empty as by now kids had gone back to school. It was August and dog-hot. Ai was certain that if they weren't wearing waterproof SPF 130 sunscreen they'd both sweat their makeup off.

"I love beach rocks," Junko said. "They're pretty colors and they feel so nice. I wonder how they got that way?"

"Abrasion and resistance," said Ai. "Rocks collide with each other and sand smooths them further. As for the color, it depends on the minerals in the water, but most stones are made of quartzite, granite, slate, pumice, and marble."

"Wow. You know a lot about rocks."

"Well, my dad was a geology professor." She itched an eyebrow and looked down. "And I did some beach rock collecting of my own."

"You like the beach too?"

"Yeah, I love it." She wasn't loving the heat, though. It was clouding her thoughts a little. Or maybe it was that dream. She was trying not to look at Junko in her black swimsuit too much. She wanted to. Seagulls were squeaking overhead, and the deliciously salty air breathed with the waves' movement. Ai loved the beach and she loved Junko. Yet, here she was unable to enjoy them to their fullest. It sucked.

"It's weird we've been – you know – for this long but we haven't talked about our families." Junko giggled. "We have a lot in common. We both love the beach and we both have parents who are teachers."

"Your dad was a teacher too?"

"Mm-mm. My mother was. She was a music teacher."

"She must have pushed you hard."

Junko drew her lips in and nodded. "Some pushing was involved as far as my singing went, yes. But she did it out of love for me and I love her for that."

"No wonder you're such a good singer."

"Aw," Junko muttered uncomfortably.

Silence passed. Occasionally the two of them would stop to scoop up rocks and drop them in the pail. A track of sweat got into Ai's eye and she tried to rub it out.

"That heavy?" she asked when she saw the pail was three-quarters full.

"A little. But I'm fine."

"Let me take it." When Junko hesitated Ai held out her hand and said, "Go on, I'll be okay."

Junko forked it over. "Thank you." She briefly put her hand on Ai's back and that alone was enough to bring those thoughts back with a vengeance. She couldn't help it. She had never felt Junko's hand touch her skin-to-skin there. Let me wash your back. Oh my goodness. Oh, Ai!

"Oh, Ai, look at this one! It's beautiful!" Junko bent to grab the rock. She didn't stoop, she bent, giving Ai a good view of her derriere. In her heat-and-lovestruck state Ai couldn't look away. Her eyeballs grew heavy as red and black dots dazzled in her vision. She was floating. She was sinking. She was both.

"It has all the same colors as us. We can put it in the practice room – Ai? Ai!"

Ai had fallen face first in the sand. To her right was the pail, its rocky contents scattered. To her left was the conch shell.

Ai surfaced quickly after, but by then Junko had run off. All good, you know, it wasn't like she could salvage this embarrassing situation in the best state of mind. And right now her state of mind was horrible at best. She had just enough mental awareness to beat herself up. I fainted. I actually fainted over Junko. I'm like some ditzy shoujo manga protagonist.

Consciousness ebbed and flowed. She felt her body being lifted up and carried. Voices clanged in her throbbing head.

"Dehydration, you think?" Sakura.

"Prolly. Hot as balls out." Saki.

"B-buh…" Junko's voice. "She was out in the sun for a shorter time than I was."

Saki: "Weak."

Cool air kissed her face and she came back up again. They were carrying her through the inn lobby. People gawked. The woman at the front desk asked, "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Saki said. "She just needs water."

"Sorry," Ai slurred at the woman. She knew nothing sold your comfy inn like a semi-conscious person being dragged through the lobby. Somebody call a bellhop, we got baggage here. See, that would be funny if they were staying at a Western-style inn. She was really failing at everything today.

A doorway passed overhead and the cotton of her futon rose up to her back. Sakura and Saki appeared above her.

"Feeling okay?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about all this."

"Face it, Ai," Saki said. "You're just doomed to never have a good time."

"You have boogers in your nose." It was true. She could see them.

Saki showed her her middle finger.

Sakura disappeared and returned with a bowl of water and a towel. Ai heard splashing, dripping, and then felt a cold wet towel laid on her forehead.

"Here," Sakura said. "Drink this."

Yes. Water.

Eyes closed, Ai took the bottle. She opened them.

Oh, what the hell.

"A baby bottle?"

"It's so you can drink without sitting up!" Sakura said, beaming proudly. "My brother used to do it when he got sick in college."

Thanks. I'm humiliated and I have a gross mental image. Still, it was with good intentions and Sakura did help carry her, so that snide remark would have to go in the unsaid file. "That is pretty clever. Thank you."

"Oh, no, happy to help. You want us to stay and keep you company?"

"You don't have to. I might nap as long as I'm here."

"That's the spirit!" Saki said. "C'mon, Sakura, let's get some yakitori. I'm starving."

"Didn't you just eat?"

"I get bad mileage. My gut's like a Canyonero bike."

Their voices faded out of the room and down the hall.

Holding the towel to her head, Ai sat up a little and looked around. The room was empty. She lowered herself back down and grabbed the bottle. Stared at it. Glared, more like. Deciding thirst was priority, she sighed and did something she likely hadn't done since 1993. And, drinking, she thought maybe Sakura and her weird brother were onto something. This was nice and convenient, even if she felt stupid as hell.

The AC kicked on and that plus the water gave Ai a little energy. She lurched up to the closet, grabbed a robe, and donned it.

After laying back down she got to thinking about the myth of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of sexual attraction. She wasn't looking for Mr. Right; she wanted Mr. Right Now. Aphrodite's legend began with her emerging from the ocean to shore and ever since everyone's private parts never again knew peace. Wasn't the ocean a perfect symbol for sex? Wave upon wave crashing against the stone piers of some girl's pride and stubbornness.

If Junko's Aphrodite then I'm goddamn Sappho.

The door slid open and light, quick footsteps stuttered inward. Ai smiled. She knew those footsteps. They moved toward her, cloth rustled, and the bowl of water blooped, sloshed, and dripped. The cold wet towel landed slowly and gently on her forehead.

"Hi," she said.

Junko squeaked. "You're awake!"

"Yep." Smiling, Ai opened her eyes.

Junko cleared her throat and smoothed the end of her robe. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

"Good."

"Junko?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"Oh, Ai." Junko brought a curled hand to her mouth and giggled. "I love you, too." She leaned downward and kissed her cheek. Ai liked when she kissed her cheeks. It felt so sweet.

"I'm sorry," Junko said.

Ai was so wrapped up in the sweetness that the apology sounded outrageous. "For what?"

"For not paying attention. If I had been I would have noticed that you were tired and hot and thirsty, and I would have gotten you out of the sun before you fell over. I get too wrapped up in things and…"

"You're not at fault, Junko. I could have said at any time that I wasn't feeling well, but I didn't."

"I really don't think you're to blame, though. Maybe neither of us are."

"Yeah, maybe."

Junko then said, "Weather does not seem to like you very much."

Ai snorted. "No kidding. My dad had me focused on the ground when it was the sky I should have watched out for."

"See, I had the opposite problem…"

Ai gaped at her, then burst out laughing. That was the first time she had ever heard Junko crack a joke about her death. Junko joined her laughing. Ai loved the sound of their laughter. She loved Junko's laugh, and she loved being able to be a part of it.

Their laughter died down. They looked at each other for a moment and then got laughing again.

"I guess I missed on helluva joke," Saki said as she entered.

"Not really," Ai said, wiping her eyes. "Just Junko doing what she does best – keeping me grounded."

Junko snorted and turned aside, shaking.

Saki stared at them, then said, "Uh, okay. Well, anyway, we're gonna tell ghost stories in the other room."

Ai looked at the clock. It was seven already. The sun was still out.

"You guys wanna join us?"

The two of them looked at each other. Then they looked back at Saki and shook their heads.

"Hmph. Couple of zombies afraid of ghosts. Suit yourselves, scaredy-cats." And she left, closing the door behind her.

They were quiet a moment.

"Um," Junko said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is there a reason you're drinking from a baby bottle?"

Ai could feel her heart snap as it kicked up into her throat. "It – it's so I can drink laying down! It's very convenient!"

Junko nodded, looking more than a little weirded out.

"It was Sakura's idea!"

"Oh. Is this what everyone's doing nowadays?"

"No, boomer, it's not. We might be the 'entitled' generation –" using the e-word made her mouth taste like throw up "– but we can sit up to drink if we're feeling well." Ai sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose. "Now can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"Do I…" She took her hand away and looked at her. "Do I seem childish to you?"

Junko shook her head. "No. Why would I think that? If this is about the bottle I thought it was strange more than childish."

"Well, I mean, you're about the same age as my parents."

"Your parents are nineteen years old?"

"No. But you would be around their age if you lived. I'm not saying I look at you as like a mother, but sometimes I wonder if I should."

"You said if I lived. But I didn't. I died and now I'm nineteen forever. I don't look at you like a child because I've never had children, and I didn't know anybody with them. I guess I can see how you'd see your parents in me, especially if they used a lot of lingo and liked a lot of things from the 70s and 80s. But if you look at the way things are instead of what they could be, the difference between us age-wise is three years. No mother and daughter have that age difference."

"Yeah." And as the words sank in, smoothing the worries off her brain and airing it out, Ai nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Junko smiled and laid her hand on Ai's. "Don't worry, I've thought about the same thing. I thought, 'If me and Ai were alive, why, I'd look like a real freak. Some old hag who's past her prime and looking to reclaim lost youth by taking advantage of some girl.'"

"There's no lost youth, though." Ai sat up and her towel fell off. There was a gray smear where it had soaked off her makeup. "You're still young."

"Exactly."

"Also…" Ai leaned forward, her eyes locked with Junko's, and tilted her head. She smiled. "I'm not so easily taken advantage of."

Junko hesitated, then leaned in and kissed her. Ai leaned into the kiss, her hand coming up to Junko's cheek. It was hot. Hers were as well. Her heart was drumming away. If it wasn't anchored to her chest she supposed it would just fly right out. Every soft stroke of Junko's lips sent intense sensations all the way down to her toes. When they broke off the kiss Ai let out a deep breath.

"I think you're feeling extra-affectionate tonight," said Junko. Ai noticed that she was also breathing quicker.

"You think right. I am." Months ago such a conversation would have embarrassed Ai, but they were closer now so it wasn't so bad (but still a little nerve-wracking). "I love you. I'm glad I met you like this." Unable to help wanting more, she kissed Junko again.

"Feeling's mutual," Junko said before giving Ai a kiss of her own. When she pulled back her eyes drifted downward, popped wider, then darted toward the ceiling.

Do you think about it, Junko? Ai couldn't ask her that, but she couldn't help feeling like that downward gaze confirmed it, confirmed that Ai wasn't the only one between them starving on a deserted island. Do you ever feel anything like what I've been feeling?

"We're alone," Ai said.

"We are. Um, Ai, do you�� I mean, do you w… want to…"

She trailed off, but Ai thought she knew what she meant.

"Have heppei?"

The second that left her mouth she regretted it.

Junko recoiled. "He… h-hep… Hep…"

In Japanese the common term for copulation is sekusu, unless you come from a certain part of Hokkaido.

"I – I had no idea you were from Akita."

"I'm not! I'm from Ueno! My dad's from Akita, the way he talks rubbed off on me."

"Your father talked to you about… that?"

"Yeah, yeah, he always told me and my sister to stay away from boys because they were lying dogs who only wanted hep – sex." If it wasn't bad enough that the man had to give such embarrassing lectures to his daughters he had to use that scummy word, that word that made any decent civilized person in Japan feel slimy inside. And now the real nail in his coffin was Ai was here saying it in front of her beautiful decent civilized girlfriend.

"Oh. Well, he was probably saying that to protect you."

Ai grunted.

"Anyway," Junko said, "that word aside, that was what I was going to ask about."

"If I want to have sex?"

Junko nodded, blushing.

Feeling like a cyborg in a certain 2004 film, Ai asked, "Do you?"

Junko fidgeted with the sash on her robe. "I – I've… I've never… done it before…"

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"I guess." Junko scratched the back of her head. "I don't know why I think that matters when neither of us have."

"I have, actually."

"You what?"

Ai flinched. She hadn't heard Junko yell that loud in a while.

"When? With who? How?"

"Okay. I'm not going to tell you about this if you keep looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like – that." Ai gestured toward Junko's face.

"This is my listening face. I'm listening."

"That is not your listening face."

"It is."

"No, girl. This is." Ai motioned around her own face, which was set in a neutral expression. "This is how you're looking at me." She popped her eyes and mouth open.

"Well, sorry." She didn't make the listening face, but it looked a bit less like she would call her… whatever they called girls who did it back then. Hussy. Jezebel. Jesus, you may as well go all in and call her a slut as long as you're being judgmental. "I just never saw you as the type. Not like you're childish, mind you, but straightlaced."

"Gaylaced, more like." Before they went out Ai would have rolled her eyes so hard at such a joke.

Junko smiled at the joke, then asked, "Where'd you find the time?"

"There wasn't much of it, admittedly. But we lived together, and it wasn't like we were in a relationship."

"Who was this girl?"

"Nina."

"Your groupmate?" The You-Hussy-You-Jezebel face returned.

Ai cocked an eyebrow. "And you are…?"

"Right. Sorry. If you weren't in a relationship though how did it happen?"

"It just… happened."

Junko shook her head. "That sort of thing doesn't just happen."

Ai sighed. She was getting that feeling of being pulled again. But not under by passion. It was back by years. The undertow of time claimed her as she told Junko how it happened.

The year was 2008. It was the end of June and the Tokyo Pride Parade was coming up. Iron Frill's producer decided to tie this in with the announcement of his wife's pregnancy in a way he hoped would show the girls his paternal caring.

"I'm hoping it'll be a boy," he said. "We already have a boy, and if you have a girl after the boy there's a chance she'll turn out funny."

The other girls nodded, but Ai wasn't buying it. "Funny how? Funny as in no arms and legs?"

He glared at her. "That is not funny, that is tragic, and you should feel bad for implying that it's funny. I mean funny as in…" He sighed, turned his eyes upward, then shook his head. "You know what I mean, right?"

Ai shook her head.

He looked at her pityingly and said, "I mean funny as in she'll turn up to the pussy-eating parade that's going on this weekend."

"Gross!" one of the girls exclaimed.

The producer behind Iron Frill knew the industry in and out, but he wasn't terribly articulate. Usually lack of articulation comes with a quiet personality, but this fellow had the opposite problem.

"A faggot could dance better than you! You're just a bunch of club-footed dykes!"

The other girls shrugged their shoulders or giggled. He could have called them communists or vampires; they were insults, yes, but unless these girls drank blood or espoused anti-capitalist ideologies they could never have understood the sting of recognition or the fear of discovery.

Well, most of the members of Iron Frill were like that. Taimajima Nina was not. A tall girl from Shibuya, Nina tended to look away when talking to girls, shifting her eyes upward as though she were studying the weather conditions. Like Ai, she didn't seem interested in anything this man had to say. While working together on song lyrics one morning the producer tore the unfinished work out from under the two of them and exclaimed, "What are you, a pair of dykes who can't write prose?"

Ai had laughed out loud at his stupidity. If there was anyone who could write prose, it was a dyke. It was the other girls he had to watch out for. She saw Nina laughing too and soon they took to mocking this producer, referring to each other first as dykes, then as "stinking dykes." They were "lazy dykes" and "sunburned dykes" before they became "dykey dykes." They couldn't protest the word as that meant acknowledging the truth in it. The most they could do was embrace it as a joke. Embodying the term in all its cliched glory, they called each other "Dyke-oneesama" and straightened pretend neckties, played at lit club members who cried in the most ridiculous over-the-top fashion over Iseiaisha-senpai, an imaginary girl they made up purely for them to discover again and again that she was (cue sob) straight. Dyke, as a word, was always delivered in a harsh and unforgiving tone befitting those weak and stupid enough to act upon their impulses. They used it as a joke, an accusation… and then as a dare.

Late at night Ai would hear the futon next to hers swish, Nina's breath quickening. Either she was masturbating or having a terrible nightmare. Is it me she's thinking about? Ai would follow her lead and wake up the next morning to find their futons had scooted a good nine inches away from where they originally lay. Their love had the power to move futons.

Having no willpower, they relied on circumstances to keep them apart. This cannot happen was accompanied by the shift of sheets whispering, Oh, but maybe just this once. There came an afternoon when, running late to practice, they found themselves alone in the apartment. What started off as name-calling escalated into a series of mock-angry slaps. They wrestled each other onto the futons, both of them longing to be pinned. "You kids think you invented sex," her father was fond of saying. But hadn't they? With no instruction manual or federally-enforced training period, didn't everyone come away feeling like they had discovered something unspeakably modern?

What produced in others a sense of exhilaration left Ai with a mortifying sense of guilt. She remembered sitting cross-legged by the futons, staring at her clasped hands, her back to Nina, who was napping. This was more than a stupid mistake. This was a huge one. This wasn't the sort of mistake you could come back from. The joke was stripped away and all Ai had that afternoon was reality. What dyke could bring dreams and inspiration to her fans? What dyke did every little girl want to grow up to be?

Earlier that year word got out that a seiyuu idol (a Legendary Heisei Idol in her own right) had had a few casual flings with the guys in her band. She had been branded a whore and canceled. If that was the punishment for a girl and a guy Ai imagined the punishment for two girls involved a wooden frame, samurai swords, and lingchi.

Whatever fear and humiliation Ai lived with was apparently lost on Nina, who afterward took to her side at all times. And since at the time Ai believed in opposites attracting, she let her coax her into a few more mistakes. With each mistake Nina grew closer and Ai grew warier.

"Christ, Nina," Ai whispered as they ducked into an equipment shed. "We have to be backstage in fifteen minutes."

"That's enough time." Nina pulled her shirt off. Her breasts jiggled fetchingly in her bra, but this time Ai finally found it in herself to not be fetched. It was raining out. They both stank of rain. If you could still sleep with someone who smelled like that your libido was either very good or very not good.

Nina came in for a kiss. Ai jerked her head aside.

"Not in the mood?"

"Yeah, no, I'm not," Ai said.

"Nothing you can do about that then." Nina stepped back. "I guess we shouldn't go on stage tired after an orgasm anyway."

Do you really like sleeping with me? She must have, considering how many times in the past month she had approached Ai to do so. But after each mistake she would go right to sleep. Oh, she would wake up and then wax romantic and philosophical about their relationship. But first came the sleep.

"Nina, I don't think we should do this anymore."

She froze in the middle of bending to grab her shirt.

"It's just a bad idea. Everytime we do this we get closer and closer to getting caught. Someone could be outside this very shed."

"They're probably not."

"Probably's not good enough."

"Oh, Ai." Smiling, still shirtless, Nina stepped toward her and put a hand on her face. "I know how you feel about all this, but I think you might be worrying too much."

"If you knew how I felt you wouldn't think that!" Ai backhanded her hand away. "If you knew how I felt you'd know that what happened should have only happened once! I do not want to do this anymore!"

"Well, why not? They hate us! We need each other!"

Why, Ai thought, couldn't I have waited for her to put her shirt on before I went in? She looked so sad standing there in her Hawaiian print bra.

Nina tried to grin, but in her state it looked more like a grimace. "Think of how mad they'd be if they found out about us."

"They're plenty mad enough about us existing. Think of how mad I'll be when we're out of a job. You think they'll still be mad when they fire and blacklist us?"

"Well, we'll still have each other. Isn't living well supposed to be the best revenge?"

"Yeah, if you call that 'living well,'" Ai said and Nina flinched. Great going, Ai. Why don't you just punch her in the face? Would be faster and easier.

"So it's about the money."

"No, Nina, it's about me liking myself more than you."

"That's bull. I thought you loved me."

"I don't."

Nina seemed to get smaller still. Ai felt the same way. She had ripped off the proverbial Band Aid, yet she didn't feel any better. Maybe, she thought, there were hings she shouldn't have said that afternoon, things she would have to apologize for. And she would. In due time she would.

"What did Nina-san say when you apologized to her?"

"I didn't," Ai said. "At that day's performance I was hit by lightning."

"Oh my God." Junko's shoulders dropped; her whole body seemed to sink as if screws holding it together had popped off.

"So yeah. That's how it happened."

Junko sighed and looked down. Silence spun out. It wasn't bad silence. In it they grew closer. Ai thought of Nina, but she thought more of Junko, how she had snapped at her over a simple "I love you." Junko had said she thought Ai was too straightlaced to deal with crap for too long. Ai presently fought back laughter at that. The opposite was true: she held her tongue until she exploded. At least this time all she did was faint. There was no yelling but instead the two of them talking to each other like normal people. I might be getting better. But maybe next time something's on my mind I should come right out and say something.

"Sex makes everything complicated," Junko said. "Someone told me that once."

"They were right."

"They also told me – oh, how do I say this." Junko got a bit red. "That once you start having it you can't stop having more."

"They're right about that, too. That's partly why I stayed with Nina for as long as I did."

Junko looked at her. "I don't want that to happen to me. I don't want what happened to you and Nina to happen to us."

"I don't think it will. You're different than her."

"But what if sex changes me and suddenly I'm asking you to do it fifteen minutes before we're due backstage?"

The idea of Junko turning into a sex maniac was incredibly tickling, and Ai almost laughed. "If that happens I'll say no, but we'll still be together. Because I like you more than Nina. I love you."

Junko smiled. "I love you." Then she said, "But what if I'm bad at it?"

"Didn't you learn anything from that porn you saw?"

"Ai!"

She laughed. "Sorry, sorry. You won't be. It'll be good as long as it's with you. That's what I think."

Junko's eyes were on hers. They were such beautiful eyes. Ai loved them. They pulled her in, blue and irresistible, until the were kissing. When their lips met Ai felt it all over her body. Chasing emotional with physical, she pulled Junko close. The kiss deepened, becoming so good and so hot that Ai didn't want to come up for air. And while kissing her, she thought, Wherever I am she meets me there. She's so good to me. She had always worried she and Junko were a mess together, but talking about Nina made her realize what true messiness looked like. Junko wouldn't morph into a sex maniac because that wasn't who she was but also because that wasn't who she was. She didn't make people give up things about themselves in order to gain her love.

God, what do you do with someone like Junko? Ai was at a loss. She gives me so much and I guess all I can give her tonight is a better first time than I had. She wanted to make her feel so good in herself that everyone worldwide, even the people who hated her, would quake in pleasure.

Ai started to nudge Junko onto her back.

A collection of voices screaming exploded like a cold snap in sultry summer instead of winter and they flew apart.

But the room was still empty.

Then Ai remembered. "Ghost stories."

"Yeah." Junko's chest was heaving. Her robe had rucked up, exposing her thighs, and she yanked it down. "Thin walls."

They sounded like cavewomen. Oonga oonga. Like heppei. Ghost stories. Thin walls.

"I don't want them to hear us."

They looked at each other and giggled.

"I guess we're waiting until some other time," Junko said.

"But Junko," Ai said, "I thought this was your sex addict awakening. Don't you want to insist on it?"

"Oh, you." She grabbed the bottle and tossed it at Ai's feet.

"I am so frustrated by your ability to leave me spellbound." -Pink Lady, Sinbad of the Shore

[recentanimenews]

Anime vs. Real Life: ZOMBIE LAND SAGA’s Zombie Secret Revealed!

Street performances in Karatsu, rap battles in Saga, hotel gigs in Ureshino, and commercials in Imari; with only one final ZOMBIE LAND SAGA episode to go, we’ll soon find out whether or not all of Franchouchou’s relentless efforts will have paid off, and if they’ll actually accomplish their noble goal of saving Saga. However, it’s already apparent after these eleven episodes, that the group of undead idols managed to increase the tucked-away prefecture’s profile tenfold in these few months, not only in Japan, but worldwide!

  After a certain popular figure-skating anime, and their own "Animation Around Saga Prefecture" project, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA is now the Saga's latest attempt to make itself more appealing for anime fans, and it sure seems to be paying off. Just about everyone keeping up with currently airing anime, even if only casually, has heard about the wacky group of zombie idols trying to revitalize Saga Prefecture, generating a lot of publicity for the often overlooked prefecture in the north-west of Kyushu. The girls visiting every nook and cranny of Saga helps fans fill their future travel itineraries, and as usual, we’ll go through all of the show’s real-world locations in a second, but paying attention to the anime’s locations has also revealed some interesting secrets behind the supernatural zombie elements going on in ZOMBIE LAND SAGA.

  Here’s Part 1, focusing on all of ZOMBIE LAND SAGA’s real-world locations from episodes one through three.

  Image: Saga Travel Suppoort

  After eleven episodes, we’re still pretty much left in the dark about how these girls turned into zombies in the first place; however, last week’s episode finally gave us a small clue as to where the show’s supernatural zombie elements might be coming from.

  In the episode, we see Kotaro catching up with an old acquaintance (and by old I mean old enough to be owning Yugiri some favors) in a bar called “New Yofuku”. Referred to in Japan as Yofuku or Jofuku, the Chinese Xu Fu was a medical scholar serving the first Emperor of the unified China, Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin Dynasty and mind behind the Great Wall of China. Seeking immortality, the Emperor sent out Xu Fu in search of the elixir of life, specifically investigating a tale about herbs able to grant perennial youth. Xu Fu set out on two myth-enshrouded expeditions between 219 BC and 210 BC, and, according to legend, brought over 3000 virgin boys and girls along with him (although that number was probably closer to a slightly more realistic 500). However, Xu Fu never returned from his second voyage, allegedly settling down in Japan. Theories range as far as from Xu Fu never even reaching Japan to him being the catalyst for Japanese civilization, crediting him with many agricultural and cultural developments.

  Image: Saga Travel Suppoort

  Judging by last week’s episode of ZOMBIE LAND SAGA, Xu Fu actually found the eternal youth granting herbs, and now runs a small bar somewhere in Saga. But it’s not only the bar’s name that’s pointing to the show’s bar keeper actually being the 2200-year-old Chinese scholar, since the two pictures hanging inside the bar both show the Jofuku Long Life Center (Xu Fu Choju Kan), which is located at the outskirts of Saga City. The center includes a museum dedicated to the many tales surrounding Xu Fu and his possible link to Saga (pictured above), a statue of Xu Fu (first picture), and a large herb garden with over 500 different herbs. Could one of these herbs possibly be the reason for the girls turning into zombies?

  *All further images were taken with Google Street View (pictures I shot myself will be marked WD)

Imari:

  And now, let’s continue with the coverage of ZOMBIE LAND SAGA’s real-world locations. Located at the outskirts of Imari is Drive-In Tori’s flagship restaurant, which was also the model for the Drive-In Tori used in the anime. And as you probably could have guessed from the jingle, yakitori is their number one dish, followed closely by their popular chicken rice.

    Nice bird! The anime perfectly copied everything from the restaurant’s exterior down to its commercials, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the real president of Drive-In Tori looks like the one in the anime.

    Opened over 40 years ago, the restaurant now gets around 150,000 customers each year, and thanks to the anime, I reckon it’s going to be a couple more than that from now on.

    Needless to say, also the interior of their main store looks just like it does in the anime. And yes, even the commercial is the same!

        Ureshino:

    Moving on from Imari in the west of Saga to Ureshino in the prefecture’s south-west. Our favorite undead idols spent the night in the touristy hot spring town to perform for a local pharmaceutical company. The gig took place in the Kasuien Hotel.

    Ureshino is a quiet hot spring town in Saga, popular for its skin-smoothening bath water (does not seem to work on zombies). The town’s most famous public bath is the Siebold-no-Yu (Siebold’s Hot Spring), named after the famous 19th century German doctor and botanist, Philipp Franz von Siebold. He allegedly enjoyed bathing in Ureshino during his time working for the Dutch trading mission on the island of Dejima in nearby Nagasaki.

    The bridge right behind the Siebold Hot Springs leads to the Ureshino Hot Springs Park.

    People usually visit the Toyotama Shrine to pray for beautiful skin or to cure skin diseases, but I’m afraid it’s a tad too late for that for our seven zombie girls. The white catfish located among the shrine grounds, which was also in the anime, is another symbol for smooth skin.

    Café Moka is where Kotaro tried to strike a deal with the representative of the pharmaceutical company.

    Located along Ureshino’s main road are several free public foot baths. The one the girls are using in the picture above even includes foot steamers.

    Saga City:

  Moving on to Saga City, where live houses must be getting a lot of new visitors. Pictured above is the live house Rag-G. 

    The one that probably gets the most attention at the moment is the Live House Geils near Saga Station, where the first episode’s head-banging performance, as well as Saki’s biker gig took place.

    Lily’s heartwarming concert took place at the Gofukumachi Community Spot Plaza 656 near Saga Castle.

    We also learned in last week’s episode that Sakura tried to get into a good high school in Saga Prefecure, and therefore stayed at the APA Hotel Sagaeki-Minamiguchi while taking her entrance exams.

    The two railroad bridges, where Saki beat up a whole rival gang back in her golden days, is close to where the famous Saga International Balloon Fiesta takes place every year.  

  Karatsu:

    And finally, Karatsu, ZOMBIE LAND SAGA’s main location, which I already covered in the first part.

  WD

  I actually planned to head out to Takeshima Island (picture above), which is another Japanese cat island, during my visit to Karatsu, but unfortunately didn’t have enough time to do so at the end.  

    I already covered the old Karatsu City Historical Folk Museum (and former Mitsubishi Joint Stock Company Karatsu Branch main building), which serves as the zombie girls’ main base of operations in the first part, but the building made some headlines since then. The eerie building, which has been closed to the general public since 2003, opened its doors for a special two-day event last month, and managed to attract over 1000 visitors. 

    The place where Saki’s tragic final moment took place was the parking lot in front of Mt. Kagamiya’s Inari Shrine, however; the cliff doesn’t look nearly as steep as it did in the anime.

    Mt. Kagamiya’s West Obersavtion Deck is also where we ended last week’s episode, which finally gave us a nice view of Karatsu’s long-stretching pine grove.

    And finally, Karatsu’s Furusato Exhibition Hall (Arpino) has been hyped up for the past two episodes, as it’s been closely connected to Sakura’s and Ai’s pasts, and will certainly be the stage for the show’s final performance this Thursday. Be sure not to miss it! 

    Want to learn more about Saga? We've got you covered:

Anime vs. Real Life – Zombie Land Saga’s Plot to Save Saga Is Ingenious Franchouchou Presents: Legendary Facts About Saga!

  What do you think is the reason behind the girl’s zombification? And does Saga seem like a place you’d like to visit someday? Sound off in the comments below!

---

Wilhelm is an anime tourist, who loves to search for and uncover the real-world spots he sees in anime. You can talk with him on Twitter @Surwill. 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[floraexplorer]

16 Surprising Things I Learned From My First Time in Japan

I barely remember my first time in Japan.

Although I was only eight years old to be fair.

In 1996, Japan was a world away from my childhood life in London – a place which had barely crossed my mind – but then my dad got a job directing a play in Tokyo, and that summer my mum and I flew out to join him. We spent a month exploring Japan as a family, and for a child who’d never been out of Europe before, my first time in Japan was nothing short of incredible.

Alas, my memories now are somewhat hazy. I can remember the sugar-fuelled excitement of Goofy’s bouncy house at Tokyo Disneyland; eating hot vending machine spaghetti on the grass at the base of Mount Fuji; staring wide-eyed at the perfect plastic food replicas outside restaurants.

I remember my dad’s joy at the high-speed trains which arrived the exact second they were expected, and my mum’s happiness when a group of Japanese businessmen sent over a bottle of sake to our restaurant table – followed by a bowl of ‘hot and cold ice cream’ for me to try. And of course I immediately fell in love with sushi.

Japan was the first truly different country I ever travelled to, and ever since it’s been firmly lodged in my mind as the most wonderfully surreal place. So when I finally returned to Japan almost two decades after my first visit, I was over the moon to discover that it’s just as fascinating as I remembered!

But it’s different navigating a country as an adult. I also had to get to grips with a number of things, from following traditional rules about shoes, slippers and toilet etiquette to learning the correct way to wash my hands at temples and how to eat my noodles.

So if it’s your first time in Japan, here are some of the things you should know before you go.

Pin me for later!

1. Japanese toilets are just as incredible as you’ve heard.

They speak, they clean themselves, they come with all manner of gadgets and gizmos – and the ultimate amazing factor? The toilet seat is heated. It seems like all of Japan’s toilets are amazingly high-tech, including public bathrooms in airports, at restaurants, and even on the street.

The full extent of Japan’s bathroom services can get a bit complicated for us tourists, so luckily there’s usually a sign (or five) on the wall to help you understand what to do. As long as there’s an English translation available, you can choose from a range of buttons on the wall-mounted control panel to invoke bidet-like water jets, a speaker playing birdsong, or the sound effect of running water to mask any noises you might be making.

The only downside? Normal temperature toilet seats will feel like something of a disappointment afterwards.

Read more: the worst toilets I’ve ever experienced on my travels

2. Shoe etiquette in Japan is a real thing.

It’s considered impolite to wear shoes inside in Japan. Pretty much anywhere you go – hotels, temples, restaurants and tourist sites – you’ll be expected to remove your shoes at the small atrium just inside the door, a space known as ‘genkan‘.

As with many traditions in Japan, this one harks back over many generations. The floors of Japanese homes and buildings have long been laid with tatami mats (woven straw mats), and they’re really hard to clean if you’re tracking outside dirt onto them. When you combine this with the Japanese custom of eating and sleeping on the floor, it makes sense that outdoor shoes don’t belong there.

What’s more difficult to get used to is the specific method by which you have to remove your shoes – which goes something like this:

Step into the ‘genkan‘

Walk towards the raised step which signifies the separation between ‘outdoor’ and ‘indoor’

Turn back to face the door you’ve entered through

Nudge your outdoor shoes off, making sure they remain pointing towards the outside world

Step backwards and up onto the step behind you, either in your socks or in slippers (which have been provided by the place you’re entering)

Leave your outdoor shoes waiting patiently for when you return

My top tip? Wear shoes which are easy to slip on and off when you’re in Japan – it’ll make your shoe-related life much easier.

[Image via Flickr]

3. Get used to wearing slippers everywhere indoors – except on tatami mats.

Generally speaking, slippers are worn everywhere indoors – except for when you encounter tatami mats. The soles of slippers are considered not clean enough to touch tatami, so you take your first set of slippers off and then continue walking in your socks.

This can get confusing.

Case in point: in one traditional hotel I stayed at, there were tatami mats in the restaurant but nowhere else in the building. That meant I removed my outdoor shoes at the genkan, put on hotel slippers to carry my suitcase to the lift, exited the lift and had to remove my slippers again because the lift had opened to tatami matting.

Thankfully nobody expected me to understand exactly when to switch from shoes to slippers to socked feet to slippers again – but it’s worth knowing the customs exist. Particularly when you come face to face with ‘bathroom only’ slippers…

4. Wear double socks if you’re prone to cold feet (and to hide any unexpected holes!)

After taking my shoes off I spent so much time in castles, temples and shrines walking around on tatami mats, which don’t really retain any heat. If you also have terrible circulation in your feet like I do, this is a crucial thing: wear two pairs of socks in Japan!

The positive aspect of double socks is there’s less chance of revealing any unsightly sock holes. While it’s understandable that you wouldn’t intentionally put on worn-out socks, I often end up with toe holes and was a little nervous about this happening in Japan. Double socks = zero problems!

5. Public foot spas must be tried to be believed.

For a country so concerned with dirty shoes and foot hygiene etiquette, it seems conflicting that Japanese people are also keen to sit in public spaces and soak their legs in hot water.

But thanks to the hot springs (‘onsen‘) which criss-cross Japan, the country is filled with public outdoor foot spas, known as ‘ashiyu‘. These shallow pools of hot volcanic water are usually placed at street corners and are free for anyone to use.

A particularly special version of an ashiyu is this wooden steam foot bath in Ureshino, Saga Prefecture. These aren’t a common sight and our Japanese guides were really excited that we tried it out!

6. You can soak in a private onsen on your hotel roof.

Japan’s volcanic landscape means there are hot springs (‘onsen’) all over the country – and understandably it’s resulted in a lot of onsen tourism, with entire towns clustered around a hot spring.

Public onsen is the most common way to experience the hot spring lifestyle, where both indoor and outdoor bath houses are separated by gender. Some of the rules for a public onsen include:

getting naked

washing your body before getting in

not using soap in the water

tattoos are not usually allowed (although some places are OK with it)

If you’re not too keen on being naked in a communal bath, there are also lots of ryokans (traditional Japanese guesthouses) which offer private onsen attached to your bedroom. Sometimes they’re even on the roof!

7. It’s traditional to sleep on the floor in Japan.

Many Japanese people sleep on a futon mattress laid out on the floor. The most common reason seems to be because it allows for more space: once you’ve woken up you can pack away your bedding and use the room for other activities. Sleeping this way can also save you money (as a futon is much cheaper than a bed frame and mattress!) and keeps your body in better alignment during the night.

If you stay in a ryokan (a traditional Japanese guesthouse) then you’ll most likely sleep in this traditional Japanese style (although they often have modern rooms available too). Don’t be surprised when you check into your room and don’t see a bed – staff will set up the futon while you’re at dinner.

Here’s a tip: if the futon mattress feels too thin for you, check behind the sliding wardrobe doors as there are often more mattresses hiding away. One night I had a ‘Princess and the Pea’ situation and eventually ended up sleeping on approximately four futons laid on top of each other – which was a lot more comfy.

8. Japanese breakfasts can be absolutely epic.

In all the countries I’ve travelled to, breakfast in Japan is the most lavish I’ve ever seen. It typically includes a bare minimum of steamed rice, grilled fish and miso soup but can involve dozens of components too: little dishes of sides like pickles, egg, cold noodles, tofu, vegetables like onion and pepper, and dried seaweed. It’s all washed down with a big pot of green tea.

The sheer number of different dishes means you can have little mouthfuls of everything in rotation. Perfect for a grazing type of eater like me!

Most ryokans will serve a traditional Japanese breakfast with local delicacies. However, just in case eating rice on an empty stomach every day is not your idea of a good breakfast, double-check if your chosen accommodations serve continental breakfasts too.

9. Japanese restaurants display plastic food replicas outside to tempt you in.

My absolute favourite memory from my first time in Japan? Standing with my nose pressed against restaurant windows, staring at the plates and bowls of perfectly detailed food – all of which was fake. But it looked so damn real!

Japan’s replica food industry began in the 1930s and is now worth $90m. These faithfully reproduced bowls of ramen, platters of sushi, tempura prawns and even pints of frothy beer are made from wax and plastic, and they allow foreign visitors to point at their chosen dishes instead of scrutinising a Japanese-only menu.

You can also buy mini versions of these models in the form of magnets, erasers, pencil sharpeners and key-rings – which is why I’m now the proud owner of a piece of prawn sushi stuck onto my fridge.

10. Food in Japan is more raw than you’d think!

Back when I was eight years old, I used to boast smugly about how delicious I found ‘raw fish’ – yes, my love of sushi made me insufferable – but I hadn’t quite understood the extent of Japan’s adventurous eating.

Japan’s cuisine involves strong flavours, peculiar textures, and using every part of an animal. Often when it’s thinly sliced and raw, sashimi style. On this trip, I ate at a roadside restaurant where we grilled our own oysters, scallops, clams and sea urchins; I was offered raw beef tongue and a strange cheese made from sake run-off; but the pinnacle was one evening in Tokyo where I was presented with raw chicken sashimi. A lifetime of warnings about salmonella from my anxious mother meant I had a total inability to even contemplate eating it.

11. Japan has an eternal love of ramen.

The delicious noodle broth dish known as ramen is everywhere in Japan, available both as a dried, pre-packaged option and at sit-down restaurants. The solo dining experience at Itchiran, a ramen-only chain, is amazing – but my crowning ramen-related moment was actually at a 7-Eleven.

I stood with my Japanese guide looking at the floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with three dozen different kinds of packaged ramen and asked if she was familiar with all of them. Immediately she started pointing at different ones: “That one is my favourite,” she said, “and this is the spicier one… this one I always have in the cupboard but it’s a quick dinner… and that one I eat when I’m drunk…”

12. Slurping your food is encouraged.

Given that Japan has a strong focus on politeness and etiquette, it’s a wonderful anomaly to sit in a restaurant and listen to your fellow diners noisily slurping their food. But in Japan, loudly sucking up your noodles is a sign of enjoyment – and there’s a logical reason too, as it allows air to circulate around the noodles and cool them down, enhancing the flavour.

Unfortunately, it’s also one of Japan’s cultural aspects which hasn’t translated well to foreign visitors. There’s even a name for it – nu hara – which sounds Japanese but is actually a shortened form of the phrase ‘noodle harassment’. Someone on Twitter mentioned it and the name spread like wildfire!

13. You’re actively invited to eat by yourself.

Japan has a nation-wide chain of ramen restaurants called Itchiran, which is famous for its complete lack of face-to-face interaction. The process goes as follows:

Pay for your ramen at the automated vending machines

Step into a narrow room divided into booths big enough for just one person each

Sit down and order your chosen ramen dish by circling items on a paper menu

The hanging curtain in front of you rises up

A pair of hands appears and quickly takes your paper menu away

After a few minutes, a steaming bowl of ramen is thrust onto the table

You eat, happily slurping away in total privacy and anonymity!

As a self conscious person, eating at Itchiran was absolutely incredible. And their ramen is pretty damn tasty too.

[Image via Flickr]

14. You can buy anything from a vending machine – even seaweed!

The Japanese love convenience, which might explain why you’ll see vending machines everywhere in Japan. Usually brightly painted and placed in stations and on the street, lots of Japanese vending machines stock typical stuff – like packaged snacks, sandwiches, and hot and cold drinks – but there’s more unusual machines too.

Take your pick from comic books, clothes, batteries, bananas and beer, and if you happen to fly through Saga airport you should keep your eye out for this nori vending machine I saw! Turns out the Japanese love dried seaweed so much that it needs to be available at all times.

15. Japan has over 300 flavours of Kit Kats.

Kit Kat chocolate bars are really popular in Japan – and a cursory Google search reveals why. The name sounds like ‘kitto katsu’, a common Japanese expression of good luck, so Kit Kats are often given to wish people luck.

In the last twenty years, Nestle has released more than 300 Kit Kat flavours including apple, chestnut, soy sauce, miso soup and wasabi. Some have only been available for a limited run, while others are specific to different regions of Japan – so when we left Saga in Kyushu Prefecture I was able to get my hands on Kyushu’s local Kit Kat, flavoured with purple sweet potato!

[Image via Flickr]

16. The Japanese love giving gifts.

When I first visited Japan as a child, I was literally weighed down with gifts from my dad’s Japanese cast at the theatre: jointed puppets, my name artistically painted in katakana characters, and a Disney music box which I still have today.

It happened again on this trip too. Within hours of my arrival in Tokyo I’d already been gifted a box of beautifully hand-painted chopsticks from a sushi chef – and over the next few days I amassed little folded pieces of origami, a handful of badges, stickers, postcards, key rings, and a huge amount of food.

Along with the souvenirs I managed to cram in, my suitcase weighed an extra five kilos by the time I flew back back home. And when I checked in for my flight, the kindly airline staff even gave me a little bag filled with gifts and a note. How’s that for Japanese hospitality?!

Pin this article if you enjoyed it!

                                NB: my trip to Japan was supported by Tokyo Metropolitan Government – but the observations about plastic food and talking toilets are all my own.

The post 16 Surprising Things I Learned From My First Time in Japan appeared first on Flora The Explorer.

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6 Remarkable Destinations For Tea In New York City

New York City is often seen as a vanguard of trends, of things to come. It is said, “If you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere.” For a town that is remarkably one dominated by (sometimes excellent) coffee, by an unwavering need for speed, and for a mentality that “time is money,” tea seems to be a beverage that would not survive. But despite all that, within the last 10 years a new generation of teahouses has emerged, bucking these trends and indicating that, amidst all the urban clamor and rat race, there is not only a place but a need for spaces where people can slow down and focus on the meditative act of making tea.

To be clear: I am not talking about the onslaught of now-ubiquitous, trendy, and Instagrammable to-go matcha lattes. These new teahouses purvey directly-sourced, single-farm, hard-to-come-by teas from the far off tea-producing mountains of East Asia. Brewed mindfully and traditionally (whether whisked or steeped), these new teahouses are in themselves a reflection of a growing appreciation in America for a standard of tea that is more commonly found in Kyōto, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, or the mountains of Yunnan or Northern India.

Best of all, while some teas can range in price up to hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars per cup, these shops in New York instead curate focused menus of excellent teas that encourage price-savvy exploration before breaking one’s budget. And with their founders dedicated to educating their clientele, these listed teahouses are the perfect places to navigate the vast world of tea in NYC.

Kettl

Kettl is a tiny jewel box of Japanese tea and teaware in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. Located above the locally-renowned Japanese breakfast and ramen joint Okonomi/Yuji Ramen, a journey up a flight of stairs reveals a sparsely-furnished space filled with a wide variety of high-quality loose leaf teas from all corners of Japan. Inspired by travels throughout the Japanese archipelago, owner Zach Mangan imports teas that aren’t often available outside of the regions in which they are produced. This approach to showcasing “local varieties” means that in addition to stocking some of the best sencha, gyokuro, and matcha available in the United States, Kettl also contains exquisite examples of teas even highly versed tea drinkers might never have enjoyed, including single-varietal tamaryokucha (pan-fried, coiled tea produced in Kyūshū), kyo iribancha (late-harvest, deeply-roasted full-leaf tea with notes of pine resin and tobacco), and rare Japanese black teas from Ureshino and Yame (which often exhibit flavors of apricot, grape skin, and osmanthus).

Kettl, while mostly operating as a farm-direct online purveyor of fine Japanese teas, keeps its retail space in Williamsburg open for in-store sales, education, and sampling of any of their more than 30 distinct teas that regularly shift with the seasons. All teas here are refrigerated to ensure their freshness, and Kettl’s selection of teawares, from tea bowls for Japanese tea ceremonies to teacups and teapots for daily use, are all of excellent quality, produced both in Japan and by local New York ceramicists.

What to drink: Ayame Kabuse 10-day shaded sencha from Fukuoka, Japan

Kettl Tea is located at 150 Ainslie St., 2nd Floor, Brooklyn. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Floating Mountain Tea House

Opened in 2017, Floating Mountain Tea House is one of New York City’s most recent additions to a growing constellation of excellent tea spaces. Taking cues from classic East Asian teahouse design (with a dose of Manhattan gallery minimalism), the space is clean, meditative, and intimate. Featuring over 90 different whole leaf, single-origin teas from China’s famous tea producing regions, Floating Mountain is not only a great place to taste the depth and breadth of tea styles, but is also one of the best locations in the United States to learn about the subtle differences between different regional varieties. Here you can explore rare varietals of hong cha (“red tea”) produced in the eastern province of Fujian to new, aged pu’erh tea grown in China’s southwestern region of Yunnan, green teas from Sichuan, and single grove “Phoenix” oolong teas grown in the mountainous region of Chaozhou in China’s southern Guangdong province. Paired with Chinese porcelain and clay ceramics, guests are guided on how to brew tea by owner and founder Elina Medvedeva in the traditional gong fu cha style, where each tea is skillfully brewed to express optimal flavors.

In addition to directly sourcing all of her teas from small, single-plot farms in China, Medvedeva organizes tea educational events, private tea tastings, meditations set to tea, and even chi gong courses. Floating Mountain is typically most busy on weeknights and on the weekends, with early afternoons being the best time to grab one of the four low tables or a place at the tea bar. Floating Mountain is located just minutes away from Central Park and Lincoln Center in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, making it ideal for those seeking to fully enjoy the city—and then escape from it.

What to drink: A pot of Lao You Hua Xiang (“Old Tree Pomelo Flower Fragrance) Phoenix oolong from Chaozhou, China

Floating Mountain Tea House is located at 239 W 72nd St., 2nd Floor, New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

29b Teahouse

29b Teahouse is equal parts upscale Japanese-inspired restaurant, East Village bohemian drinking den, and full service gong fu cha tea bar, mixing an elegant straightforward presentation of whole leaf traditional teas from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and India with innovative pairings of wine, beer, soju, and sake. What first began as a private tea sourcing venture and pop-up shop begun by founder Stefen Ramirez in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood has taken full flight in lower Manhattan, as 29b is now one of the largest tea spaces in the United States. The layout incorporates a central bar where tea and tea-infused drinks are masterfully prepared, alongside ample table seating for both tea drinking and relaxed dining. While featuring stellar teas from all across East Asia, 29b features some of the nation’s best (and hardest to find) Korean green teas and tisanes, as well as thoughtful tea-infused alcoholic drinks, including a must-have matcha and rice beer, as well as a rotating menu of soju and sake-infused cocktails.

29b currently features one of New York City’s most diverse menus of teas, tisanes, and tea-infused beverages. They feature a regular calendar of tea tasting events and classes, and offer a wide selection of privately-commissioned teawares from master ceramicists. This place is heaven for late-night tea lovers, folks looking for a great date spot with plenty of non-alcoholic options, and fans of considered bar design.

What to drink: 29b’s signature matcha beer or a pot of organic Woojeon (“pre-rain”) Korean green tea from the Jiri Mountains, South Korea

29b Teahouse is located at 29 Avenue B, New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Puerh Brooklyn

Named for a distinctive style of fermented tea that comes from the mountains of Yunnan province in southwest China, Puerh Brooklyn carries well over 20 different types of puerh, as well as a diverse array of other teas, from red, black, oolong, white, yellow, and green from China, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Nepal. Located in an airy two-floored teashop in the heart of Williamsburg, co-owner and founder Gabriel Grippo has built a shop where the community comes to enjoy tea in a relaxed and casual style. Originally begun by Grippo in 2001, the current space was purpose-built to include tea alongside with his two other passions: clothing design and art. (The space includes an active clothing design atelier and gallery.)

Entering through the street-level upstairs, guests are met with rows of shining canisters full of loose leaf tea, large ceramic jars filled with stacks of aging puerh cakes, and teapots made by renowned local and international potters. Descending to the open, gallery-like lower level, stark cement walls are juxtaposed by the organic lines of wooden tea tables, carpets, and teaware set for both casual tea brewing and the occasional meditation meet-up. Set below the clamor of Williamsburg, Puerh Brooklyn’s tea space is a hidden gem and welcome respite in busy Brooklyn, a great place to find peace and explore the vast world of tea at a natural pace.

What to drink: 2015 Lao Ban Zhang Old Trees sheng puerh (“raw puerh”)

Puerh Brooklyn is located at 174 Grand St, Brooklyn. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

T Shop

Tucked down a long corridor off of SoHo’s quiet Elizabeth Street, T Shop is one of those perfect New York “hidden gem” spots. In a relaxing, no-frills environment of small tea tables and a long tea bar, T Shop delivers what is easily some of the best Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean tea New York City has to offer. The space encourages brewing at your own pace, with simple gong fu cha set up and the option to brew one’s own teapot or gaiwan (a traditional Chinese tea brewing cup). With a strong, die-hard community of regulars but a welcoming and accessible vibe, T Shop is a great place to first enter New York City’s tea world.

Teas here are sourced by Theresa Wong and Hyun Lee, who regularly travel to Asia visiting tea farms and tea collectors to bring back teas that are of exceptional quality. While the regular menu features a highly-curated selection of teas, private tea tastings often include many rarer “off menu” teas that Wong and Hyun have procured in limited quantity. As such, a single visit will never fully reveal the depth of what T Shop has to offer. Better to go once, then again, and before you know it you may find yourself fitting in alongside the regulars.

What to drink: Old Bush Dan Cong Mi Lan Xiang Phoenix oolong from Chaozhou, China

T Shop is located at 247 Elizabeth St, New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Té Company

Taiwan has what many tea aficionados consider to be some of the world’s best teas. Best known for their intensely floral and complex-tasting high mountain oolong (which are grown at altitudes higher than 1,000 meters) and “bug-bitten” teas that bear poetic names such as “Oriental Beauty,” it is easy to get lost amidst the many levels and layers of tea this island nation presents. Luckily for New Yorkers, Té Company in Manhattan’s West Village is entirely devoted to the teas of Taiwan, from inside an elegantly appointed salon-style space in a converted historic brownstone.

At the helm of Té Company are the husband and wife team, Elena Liao and Frederico Ribeiro, with Liao sourcing the teas she grew up with while living in Taiwan and Ribeiro using his culinary acumen acquired working in such famed kitchens as Per Se to create an inspired menu of tea snacks both savory and sweet. The two bring a balance to a space that at times can feel frenetic when weekend brunch-goers pack the tiny teahouse. In addition to their regular menu of tea and food, Té Company offers table-side tea tasting flights, as well as the option to book tea tastings to learn all about Taiwanese tea. Rightly revered for its tea service, Te Company also has a dedicated following for Ribeiro’s pastry program, particularly his take on pineapple Linzer cookies, which have become something of a matter of obsession for in-the-know New Yorkers from near and far.

What to drink: A pot of “Frozen Summit” ’11 Vintage aged oolong, from Nantou County, Taiwan

Té Company is located at 163 W 10th St, New York. Visit their official website an follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Setsugekka

Nestled amidst the brownstone facades of the East Village, Setsugekka, with its tiny storefront and shoji-latticed windows, hides one of New York City’s best kept secrets: the best bowl of matcha. Stepping inside, the space is a mixture of traditional Japanese teahouse architecture, complete with a four-mat tatami platform, and old-school New York charm. Hosts and owners Souheki and Junya Mori opened the doors to Setsugekka in 2017 (profiled shortly thereafter on Sprudge). Souheki, a master in the Dai Nihon Chadō Gakkai school of Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu), expertly prepares every bowl of matcha by hand, infusing with it the warmth and intention that can only be achieved by years of practice and dedication.

With an incredibly-focused menu of matcha grown in the famed tea-producing regions of Japan on farms tended by the same families for hundreds of years, the quality of Setsugekka’s tea is second to none. To take things a step further, the Moris have installed their own traditional tea-grinding mill, with which they grind their own matcha weekly. Matcha is served either traditionally hot in a ceramic tea bowl (of which is often handcrafted by a notable Japanese ceramicist), or chilled over ice or ice cream as a twist on the affogato. In addition to tea served, Souheki regularly teaches a growing number of students the art of tea ceremony, making Setsugekka not only a place to enjoy tea but to learn the “way” of tea.

What to drink: A bowl of freshly-ground koicha (“thick tea”) prepared by Souheki Mori, with tea sourced from Uji, Japan

Setsugekka is located at 74 E 7th St., New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Scott Norton is a freelance journalist based in New York City. Read more Scott Norton for Sprudge.

Sprudge Tea Week is Presented By Breville USA.

The post 6 Remarkable Destinations For Tea In New York City appeared first on Sprudge.

6 Remarkable Destinations For Tea In New York City published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

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6 Remarkable Destinations For Tea In New York City

New York City is often seen as a vanguard of trends, of things to come. It is said, “If you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere.” For a town that is remarkably one dominated by (sometimes excellent) coffee, by an unwavering need for speed, and for a mentality that “time is money,” tea seems to be a beverage that would not survive. But despite all that, within the last 10 years a new generation of teahouses has emerged, bucking these trends and indicating that, amidst all the urban clamor and rat race, there is not only a place but a need for spaces where people can slow down and focus on the meditative act of making tea.

To be clear: I am not talking about the onslaught of now-ubiquitous, trendy, and Instagrammable to-go matcha lattes. These new teahouses purvey directly-sourced, single-farm, hard-to-come-by teas from the far off tea-producing mountains of East Asia. Brewed mindfully and traditionally (whether whisked or steeped), these new teahouses are in themselves a reflection of a growing appreciation in America for a standard of tea that is more commonly found in Kyōto, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, or the mountains of Yunnan or Northern India.

Best of all, while some teas can range in price up to hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars per cup, these shops in New York instead curate focused menus of excellent teas that encourage price-savvy exploration before breaking one’s budget. And with their founders dedicated to educating their clientele, these listed teahouses are the perfect places to navigate the vast world of tea in NYC.

Kettl

Kettl is a tiny jewel box of Japanese tea and teaware in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. Located above the locally-renowned Japanese breakfast and ramen joint Okonomi/Yuji Ramen, a journey up a flight of stairs reveals a sparsely-furnished space filled with a wide variety of high-quality loose leaf teas from all corners of Japan. Inspired by travels throughout the Japanese archipelago, owner Zach Mangan imports teas that aren’t often available outside of the regions in which they are produced. This approach to showcasing “local varieties” means that in addition to stocking some of the best sencha, gyokuro, and matcha available in the United States, Kettl also contains exquisite examples of teas even highly versed tea drinkers might never have enjoyed, including single-varietal tamaryokucha (pan-fried, coiled tea produced in Kyūshū), kyo iribancha (late-harvest, deeply-roasted full-leaf tea with notes of pine resin and tobacco), and rare Japanese black teas from Ureshino and Yame (which often exhibit flavors of apricot, grape skin, and osmanthus).

Kettl, while mostly operating as a farm-direct online purveyor of fine Japanese teas, keeps its retail space in Williamsburg open for in-store sales, education, and sampling of any of their more than 30 distinct teas that regularly shift with the seasons. All teas here are refrigerated to ensure their freshness, and Kettl’s selection of teawares, from tea bowls for Japanese tea ceremonies to teacups and teapots for daily use, are all of excellent quality, produced both in Japan and by local New York ceramicists.

What to drink: Ayame Kabuse 10-day shaded sencha from Fukuoka, Japan

Kettl Tea is located at 150 Ainslie St., 2nd Floor, Brooklyn. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Floating Mountain Tea House

Opened in 2017, Floating Mountain Tea House is one of New York City’s most recent additions to a growing constellation of excellent tea spaces. Taking cues from classic East Asian teahouse design (with a dose of Manhattan gallery minimalism), the space is clean, meditative, and intimate. Featuring over 90 different whole leaf, single-origin teas from China’s famous tea producing regions, Floating Mountain is not only a great place to taste the depth and breadth of tea styles, but is also one of the best locations in the United States to learn about the subtle differences between different regional varieties. Here you can explore rare varietals of hong cha (“red tea”) produced in the eastern province of Fujian to new, aged pu’erh tea grown in China’s southwestern region of Yunnan, green teas from Sichuan, and single grove “Phoenix” oolong teas grown in the mountainous region of Chaozhou in China’s southern Guangdong province. Paired with Chinese porcelain and clay ceramics, guests are guided on how to brew tea by owner and founder Elina Medvedeva in the traditional gong fu cha style, where each tea is skillfully brewed to express optimal flavors.

In addition to directly sourcing all of her teas from small, single-plot farms in China, Medvedeva organizes tea educational events, private tea tastings, meditations set to tea, and even chi gong courses. Floating Mountain is typically most busy on weeknights and on the weekends, with early afternoons being the best time to grab one of the four low tables or a place at the tea bar. Floating Mountain is located just minutes away from Central Park and Lincoln Center in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, making it ideal for those seeking to fully enjoy the city—and then escape from it.

What to drink: A pot of Lao You Hua Xiang (“Old Tree Pomelo Flower Fragrance) Phoenix oolong from Chaozhou, China

Floating Mountain Tea House is located at 239 W 72nd St., 2nd Floor, New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

29b Teahouse

29b Teahouse is equal parts upscale Japanese-inspired restaurant, East Village bohemian drinking den, and full service gong fu cha tea bar, mixing an elegant straightforward presentation of whole leaf traditional teas from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and India with innovative pairings of wine, beer, soju, and sake. What first began as a private tea sourcing venture and pop-up shop begun by founder Stefen Ramirez in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood has taken full flight in lower Manhattan, as 29b is now one of the largest tea spaces in the United States. The layout incorporates a central bar where tea and tea-infused drinks are masterfully prepared, alongside ample table seating for both tea drinking and relaxed dining. While featuring stellar teas from all across East Asia, 29b features some of the nation’s best (and hardest to find) Korean green teas and tisanes, as well as thoughtful tea-infused alcoholic drinks, including a must-have matcha and rice beer, as well as a rotating menu of soju and sake-infused cocktails.

29b currently features one of New York City’s most diverse menus of teas, tisanes, and tea-infused beverages. They feature a regular calendar of tea tasting events and classes, and offer a wide selection of privately-commissioned teawares from master ceramicists. This place is heaven for late-night tea lovers, folks looking for a great date spot with plenty of non-alcoholic options, and fans of considered bar design.

What to drink: 29b’s signature matcha beer or a pot of organic Woojeon (“pre-rain”) Korean green tea from the Jiri Mountains, South Korea

29b Teahouse is located at 29 Avenue B, New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Puerh Brooklyn

Named for a distinctive style of fermented tea that comes from the mountains of Yunnan province in southwest China, Puerh Brooklyn carries well over 20 different types of puerh, as well as a diverse array of other teas, from red, black, oolong, white, yellow, and green from China, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Nepal. Located in an airy two-floored teashop in the heart of Williamsburg, co-owner and founder Gabriel Grippo has built a shop where the community comes to enjoy tea in a relaxed and casual style. Originally begun by Grippo in 2001, the current space was purpose-built to include tea alongside with his two other passions: clothing design and art. (The space includes an active clothing design atelier and gallery.)

Entering through the street-level upstairs, guests are met with rows of shining canisters full of loose leaf tea, large ceramic jars filled with stacks of aging puerh cakes, and teapots made by renowned local and international potters. Descending to the open, gallery-like lower level, stark cement walls are juxtaposed by the organic lines of wooden tea tables, carpets, and teaware set for both casual tea brewing and the occasional meditation meet-up. Set below the clamor of Williamsburg, Puerh Brooklyn’s tea space is a hidden gem and welcome respite in busy Brooklyn, a great place to find peace and explore the vast world of tea at a natural pace.

What to drink: 2015 Lao Ban Zhang Old Trees sheng puerh (“raw puerh”)

Puerh Brooklyn is located at 174 Grand St, Brooklyn. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

T Shop

Tucked down a long corridor off of SoHo’s quiet Elizabeth Street, T Shop is one of those perfect New York “hidden gem” spots. In a relaxing, no-frills environment of small tea tables and a long tea bar, T Shop delivers what is easily some of the best Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean tea New York City has to offer. The space encourages brewing at your own pace, with simple gong fu cha set up and the option to brew one’s own teapot or gaiwan (a traditional Chinese tea brewing cup). With a strong, die-hard community of regulars but a welcoming and accessible vibe, T Shop is a great place to first enter New York City’s tea world.

Teas here are sourced by Theresa Wong and Hyun Lee, who regularly travel to Asia visiting tea farms and tea collectors to bring back teas that are of exceptional quality. While the regular menu features a highly-curated selection of teas, private tea tastings often include many rarer “off menu” teas that Wong and Hyun have procured in limited quantity. As such, a single visit will never fully reveal the depth of what T Shop has to offer. Better to go once, then again, and before you know it you may find yourself fitting in alongside the regulars.

What to drink: Old Bush Dan Cong Mi Lan Xiang Phoenix oolong from Chaozhou, China

T Shop is located at 247 Elizabeth St, New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Té Company

Taiwan has what many tea aficionados consider to be some of the world’s best teas. Best known for their intensely floral and complex-tasting high mountain oolong (which are grown at altitudes higher than 1,000 meters) and “bug-bitten” teas that bear poetic names such as “Oriental Beauty,” it is easy to get lost amidst the many levels and layers of tea this island nation presents. Luckily for New Yorkers, Té Company in Manhattan’s West Village is entirely devoted to the teas of Taiwan, from inside an elegantly appointed salon-style space in a converted historic brownstone.

At the helm of Té Company are the husband and wife team, Elena Liao and Frederico Ribeiro, with Liao sourcing the teas she grew up with while living in Taiwan and Ribeiro using his culinary acumen acquired working in such famed kitchens as Per Se to create an inspired menu of tea snacks both savory and sweet. The two bring a balance to a space that at times can feel frenetic when weekend brunch-goers pack the tiny teahouse. In addition to their regular menu of tea and food, Té Company offers table-side tea tasting flights, as well as the option to book tea tastings to learn all about Taiwanese tea. Rightly revered for its tea service, Te Company also has a dedicated following for Ribeiro’s pastry program, particularly his take on pineapple Linzer cookies, which have become something of a matter of obsession for in-the-know New Yorkers from near and far.

What to drink: A pot of “Frozen Summit” ’11 Vintage aged oolong, from Nantou County, Taiwan

Té Company is located at 163 W 10th St, New York. Visit their official website an follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Setsugekka

Nestled amidst the brownstone facades of the East Village, Setsugekka, with its tiny storefront and shoji-latticed windows, hides one of New York City’s best kept secrets: the best bowl of matcha. Stepping inside, the space is a mixture of traditional Japanese teahouse architecture, complete with a four-mat tatami platform, and old-school New York charm. Hosts and owners Souheki and Junya Mori opened the doors to Setsugekka in 2017 (profiled shortly thereafter on Sprudge). Souheki, a master in the Dai Nihon Chadō Gakkai school of Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu), expertly prepares every bowl of matcha by hand, infusing with it the warmth and intention that can only be achieved by years of practice and dedication.

With an incredibly-focused menu of matcha grown in the famed tea-producing regions of Japan on farms tended by the same families for hundreds of years, the quality of Setsugekka’s tea is second to none. To take things a step further, the Moris have installed their own traditional tea-grinding mill, with which they grind their own matcha weekly. Matcha is served either traditionally hot in a ceramic tea bowl (of which is often handcrafted by a notable Japanese ceramicist), or chilled over ice or ice cream as a twist on the affogato. In addition to tea served, Souheki regularly teaches a growing number of students the art of tea ceremony, making Setsugekka not only a place to enjoy tea but to learn the “way” of tea.

What to drink: A bowl of freshly-ground koicha (“thick tea”) prepared by Souheki Mori, with tea sourced from Uji, Japan

Setsugekka is located at 74 E 7th St., New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Scott Norton is a freelance journalist based in New York City. Read more Scott Norton for Sprudge.

Sprudge Tea Week is Presented By Breville USA.

The post 6 Remarkable Destinations For Tea In New York City appeared first on Sprudge.

seen 1st on http://sprudge.com

[itspneu]

since we're stopping at 6 potential partners here's my personal ranking top6 of them that no one asked for:

1. ureshino ; she's my daughter.

2. arashiyama ; she's so real. her lack of confidence being covered with overconfidence is too real. she's also so extra i think of all the girls she's the one i hope to see getting more screentime she's such a delight to see.

3. himekawa ; like gero said, im glad she was the first one. i miss her she's underrated. she's an empath (like the ttk trend) she's such a kinda soul it's heartwarming.

4. ushio ; although it was done too fast to my liking her and geros "rivals to (potential) lovers" was so fun to see. i love strong women i want to be punched by her. comedy being her fav thing feels so random and i love it it does suit her.

5. himi ; i understand her passive aggressive behaviour with gero but when we know gero is truly genuinely a nice guy it gets on my nerves a bit :p she's still iconic tho hope to see more of her (next appearance she's dating ureshino- WHA WHO SAID THAT (spreading the urehimi agenda)) her arc with her dad lord have mercy on me that hurt i hope they get close again.

6. chinatsu ; i dont dislike her but i feel compared to the others her characterization was a bit weaker ik she had to share her arc with erina but i personally feel this share was 70/30 the 70 being to erina. didnt really like she being compatible with gero's toxin right away literally but did like the parallel.

[mrwilliamcharley]

6 Remarkable Destinations For Tea In New York City

New York City is often seen as a vanguard of trends, of things to come. It is said, “If you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere.” For a town that is remarkably one dominated by (sometimes excellent) coffee, by an unwavering need for speed, and for a mentality that “time is money,” tea seems to be a beverage that would not survive. But despite all that, within the last 10 years a new generation of teahouses has emerged, bucking these trends and indicating that, amidst all the urban clamor and rat race, there is not only a place but a need for spaces where people can slow down and focus on the meditative act of making tea.

To be clear: I am not talking about the onslaught of now-ubiquitous, trendy, and Instagrammable to-go matcha lattes. These new teahouses purvey directly-sourced, single-farm, hard-to-come-by teas from the far off tea-producing mountains of East Asia. Brewed mindfully and traditionally (whether whisked or steeped), these new teahouses are in themselves a reflection of a growing appreciation in America for a standard of tea that is more commonly found in Kyōto, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, or the mountains of Yunnan or Northern India.

Best of all, while some teas can range in price up to hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars per cup, these shops in New York instead curate focused menus of excellent teas that encourage price-savvy exploration before breaking one’s budget. And with their founders dedicated to educating their clientele, these listed teahouses are the perfect places to navigate the vast world of tea in NYC.

Kettl

Kettl is a tiny jewel box of Japanese tea and teaware in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. Located above the locally-renowned Japanese breakfast and ramen joint Okonomi/Yuji Ramen, a journey up a flight of stairs reveals a sparsely-furnished space filled with a wide variety of high-quality loose leaf teas from all corners of Japan. Inspired by travels throughout the Japanese archipelago, owner Zach Mangan imports teas that aren’t often available outside of the regions in which they are produced. This approach to showcasing “local varieties” means that in addition to stocking some of the best sencha, gyokuro, and matcha available in the United States, Kettl also contains exquisite examples of teas even highly versed tea drinkers might never have enjoyed, including single-varietal tamaryokucha (pan-fried, coiled tea produced in Kyūshū), kyo iribancha (late-harvest, deeply-roasted full-leaf tea with notes of pine resin and tobacco), and rare Japanese black teas from Ureshino and Yame (which often exhibit flavors of apricot, grape skin, and osmanthus).

Kettl, while mostly operating as a farm-direct online purveyor of fine Japanese teas, keeps its retail space in Williamsburg open for in-store sales, education, and sampling of any of their more than 30 distinct teas that regularly shift with the seasons. All teas here are refrigerated to ensure their freshness, and Kettl’s selection of teawares, from tea bowls for Japanese tea ceremonies to teacups and teapots for daily use, are all of excellent quality, produced both in Japan and by local New York ceramicists.

What to drink: Ayame Kabuse 10-day shaded sencha from Fukuoka, Japan

Kettl Tea is located at 150 Ainslie St., 2nd Floor, Brooklyn. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Floating Mountain Tea House

Opened in 2017, Floating Mountain Tea House is one of New York City’s most recent additions to a growing constellation of excellent tea spaces. Taking cues from classic East Asian teahouse design (with a dose of Manhattan gallery minimalism), the space is clean, meditative, and intimate. Featuring over 90 different whole leaf, single-origin teas from China’s famous tea producing regions, Floating Mountain is not only a great place to taste the depth and breadth of tea styles, but is also one of the best locations in the United States to learn about the subtle differences between different regional varieties. Here you can explore rare varietals of hong cha (“red tea”) produced in the eastern province of Fujian to new, aged pu’erh tea grown in China’s southwestern region of Yunnan, green teas from Sichuan, and single grove “Phoenix” oolong teas grown in the mountainous region of Chaozhou in China’s southern Guangdong province. Paired with Chinese porcelain and clay ceramics, guests are guided on how to brew tea by owner and founder Elina Medvedeva in the traditional gong fu cha style, where each tea is skillfully brewed to express optimal flavors.

In addition to directly sourcing all of her teas from small, single-plot farms in China, Medvedeva organizes tea educational events, private tea tastings, meditations set to tea, and even chi gong courses. Floating Mountain is typically most busy on weeknights and on the weekends, with early afternoons being the best time to grab one of the four low tables or a place at the tea bar. Floating Mountain is located just minutes away from Central Park and Lincoln Center in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, making it ideal for those seeking to fully enjoy the city—and then escape from it.

What to drink: A pot of Lao You Hua Xiang (“Old Tree Pomelo Flower Fragrance) Phoenix oolong from Chaozhou, China

Floating Mountain Tea House is located at 239 W 72nd St., 2nd Floor, New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

29b Teahouse

29b Teahouse is equal parts upscale Japanese-inspired restaurant, East Village bohemian drinking den, and full service gong fu cha tea bar, mixing an elegant straightforward presentation of whole leaf traditional teas from Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and India with innovative pairings of wine, beer, soju, and sake. What first began as a private tea sourcing venture and pop-up shop begun by founder Stefen Ramirez in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood has taken full flight in lower Manhattan, as 29b is now one of the largest tea spaces in the United States. The layout incorporates a central bar where tea and tea-infused drinks are masterfully prepared, alongside ample table seating for both tea drinking and relaxed dining. While featuring stellar teas from all across East Asia, 29b features some of the nation’s best (and hardest to find) Korean green teas and tisanes, as well as thoughtful tea-infused alcoholic drinks, including a must-have matcha and rice beer, as well as a rotating menu of soju and sake-infused cocktails.

29b currently features one of New York City’s most diverse menus of teas, tisanes, and tea-infused beverages. They feature a regular calendar of tea tasting events and classes, and offer a wide selection of privately-commissioned teawares from master ceramicists. This place is heaven for late-night tea lovers, folks looking for a great date spot with plenty of non-alcoholic options, and fans of considered bar design.

What to drink: 29b’s signature matcha beer or a pot of organic Woojeon (“pre-rain”) Korean green tea from the Jiri Mountains, South Korea

29b Teahouse is located at 29 Avenue B, New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Puerh Brooklyn

Named for a distinctive style of fermented tea that comes from the mountains of Yunnan province in southwest China, Puerh Brooklyn carries well over 20 different types of puerh, as well as a diverse array of other teas, from red, black, oolong, white, yellow, and green from China, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Nepal. Located in an airy two-floored teashop in the heart of Williamsburg, co-owner and founder Gabriel Grippo has built a shop where the community comes to enjoy tea in a relaxed and casual style. Originally begun by Grippo in 2001, the current space was purpose-built to include tea alongside with his two other passions: clothing design and art. (The space includes an active clothing design atelier and gallery.)

Entering through the street-level upstairs, guests are met with rows of shining canisters full of loose leaf tea, large ceramic jars filled with stacks of aging puerh cakes, and teapots made by renowned local and international potters. Descending to the open, gallery-like lower level, stark cement walls are juxtaposed by the organic lines of wooden tea tables, carpets, and teaware set for both casual tea brewing and the occasional meditation meet-up. Set below the clamor of Williamsburg, Puerh Brooklyn’s tea space is a hidden gem and welcome respite in busy Brooklyn, a great place to find peace and explore the vast world of tea at a natural pace.

What to drink: 2015 Lao Ban Zhang Old Trees sheng puerh (“raw puerh”)

Puerh Brooklyn is located at 174 Grand St, Brooklyn. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

T Shop

Tucked down a long corridor off of SoHo’s quiet Elizabeth Street, T Shop is one of those perfect New York “hidden gem” spots. In a relaxing, no-frills environment of small tea tables and a long tea bar, T Shop delivers what is easily some of the best Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean tea New York City has to offer. The space encourages brewing at your own pace, with simple gong fu cha set up and the option to brew one’s own teapot or gaiwan (a traditional Chinese tea brewing cup). With a strong, die-hard community of regulars but a welcoming and accessible vibe, T Shop is a great place to first enter New York City’s tea world.

Teas here are sourced by Theresa Wong and Hyun Lee, who regularly travel to Asia visiting tea farms and tea collectors to bring back teas that are of exceptional quality. While the regular menu features a highly-curated selection of teas, private tea tastings often include many rarer “off menu” teas that Wong and Hyun have procured in limited quantity. As such, a single visit will never fully reveal the depth of what T Shop has to offer. Better to go once, then again, and before you know it you may find yourself fitting in alongside the regulars.

What to drink: Old Bush Dan Cong Mi Lan Xiang Phoenix oolong from Chaozhou, China

T Shop is located at 247 Elizabeth St, New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Té Company

Taiwan has what many tea aficionados consider to be some of the world’s best teas. Best known for their intensely floral and complex-tasting high mountain oolong (which are grown at altitudes higher than 1,000 meters) and “bug-bitten” teas that bear poetic names such as “Oriental Beauty,” it is easy to get lost amidst the many levels and layers of tea this island nation presents. Luckily for New Yorkers, Té Company in Manhattan’s West Village is entirely devoted to the teas of Taiwan, from inside an elegantly appointed salon-style space in a converted historic brownstone.

At the helm of Té Company are the husband and wife team, Elena Liao and Frederico Ribeiro, with Liao sourcing the teas she grew up with while living in Taiwan and Ribeiro using his culinary acumen acquired working in such famed kitchens as Per Se to create an inspired menu of tea snacks both savory and sweet. The two bring a balance to a space that at times can feel frenetic when weekend brunch-goers pack the tiny teahouse. In addition to their regular menu of tea and food, Té Company offers table-side tea tasting flights, as well as the option to book tea tastings to learn all about Taiwanese tea. Rightly revered for its tea service, Te Company also has a dedicated following for Ribeiro’s pastry program, particularly his take on pineapple Linzer cookies, which have become something of a matter of obsession for in-the-know New Yorkers from near and far.

What to drink: A pot of “Frozen Summit” ’11 Vintage aged oolong, from Nantou County, Taiwan

Té Company is located at 163 W 10th St, New York. Visit their official website an follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Setsugekka

Nestled amidst the brownstone facades of the East Village, Setsugekka, with its tiny storefront and shoji-latticed windows, hides one of New York City’s best kept secrets: the best bowl of matcha. Stepping inside, the space is a mixture of traditional Japanese teahouse architecture, complete with a four-mat tatami platform, and old-school New York charm. Hosts and owners Souheki and Junya Mori opened the doors to Setsugekka in 2017 (profiled shortly thereafter on Sprudge). Souheki, a master in the Dai Nihon Chadō Gakkai school of Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu), expertly prepares every bowl of matcha by hand, infusing with it the warmth and intention that can only be achieved by years of practice and dedication.

With an incredibly-focused menu of matcha grown in the famed tea-producing regions of Japan on farms tended by the same families for hundreds of years, the quality of Setsugekka’s tea is second to none. To take things a step further, the Moris have installed their own traditional tea-grinding mill, with which they grind their own matcha weekly. Matcha is served either traditionally hot in a ceramic tea bowl (of which is often handcrafted by a notable Japanese ceramicist), or chilled over ice or ice cream as a twist on the affogato. In addition to tea served, Souheki regularly teaches a growing number of students the art of tea ceremony, making Setsugekka not only a place to enjoy tea but to learn the “way” of tea.

What to drink: A bowl of freshly-ground koicha (“thick tea”) prepared by Souheki Mori, with tea sourced from Uji, Japan

Setsugekka is located at 74 E 7th St., New York. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Scott Norton is a freelance journalist based in New York City. Read more Scott Norton for Sprudge.

Sprudge Tea Week is Presented By Breville USA.

The post 6 Remarkable Destinations For Tea In New York City appeared first on Sprudge.

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