In a new series for Outpost, explorer and editor-at-large JEFF FUCHS reflects on the fascinating people and indelible moments of his extraordinary expeditions, and the role tea has played along the way. In this installment, he writes about the ceremonial, almost transformational act of partaking in tea in Japan.
Story and Photos by Jeff Fuchs | Outpost Travel Media.
Where: Kyōtanabe City, Kyoto Prefecture. The Tea: Yamashita’s Gyokuro (Maiko Tea)
The Puerh cake remains as it always does: tucked carefully into my satchel, which is slung around my neck. It is the “just-in-case” go-to for the rare moment when I have need of a quick splash of reliable and dependable tea.
Such a thing exists in my world — when a tea on offer doesn’t quite sate the necessary spots on the palate or in the blood. It is faintly obscene in a way, as I am tucked into one of the most tea-obsessed little pockets of leaf growth that exist. Near Uji and Kyoto, in Japan, I’m surrounded by meticulous makers of great teas (as well as the odd charlatan)…