Today we only had one excursion, which was to a tea plantation. Here’s a view from the bus. Tea as far as the eye can see!

See the fans? They’re switched on whenever frost is expected, to protect the delicate new leaves from being ruined.

Another of Ben’s funny sayings: “ A tea ceremony is like a tea party in slow motion.”

Ben and the farmer standing among the tea plants. We’d ask questions, Ben would translate to the farmer and we’d get the translated answer back from Ben.

Here’s some of what I managed to glean:
4 harvests per year.

Small leaves grow on the tops of the plants after they’re cut, then 1 month later they’re ready for harvest.

The plants are 30 years old. They grow a maximum of 50 years before they’re replaced.

Cut by two people like a hedge trimmer.

3 lines of te plants = 5 kgs of harvested leaves.

Matcha is made from bushes covered with a black tent to keep it from sunshine. It takes a long time, so it’s more expensive. This makes it taste like umami. 

Rainfall is enough to irrigate.

They stop spraying for insects two weeks before the harvest.

7 years before new plants are ready to harvest.

Harvest to finished product takes only 2 days.

Green tea is the number one drink in Japan.

I bought matcha powder, green tea lollies and a panel of material with a cross samurai printed on it.

Then we drove to a petrol stop, where I had lunch with these two cuties, and was reunited with an old friend…

I had lunch looking at the south side of Mt Fuji.

Afterwords, I stood at a fence and waited for 15 minutes for the clouds to move away.

Nearly…

Finally, I realised that this was the closest I was going to get.
Isn’t she utterly beautiful?

As we were leaving, Ben said, “I can’t believe it. Most trips we see the two sides of the Fuji and both are covered in clouds. You get to see the Fuji on a clear day… twice!”

”It’s because you have Fortunate Frogdancer on the bus!” I said.

When we got to the hotel, I went clothes shopping for an outfit to wear to my ex brother-in-law’s funeral on Friday. I bought a dress first, then thought to google what the weather will be in Melbourne that day.
26C and sunny. The dress I bought is more for winter wear.

So I bought this outfit, then once I got back to my room I spent half an hour working out how to fit 3 more articles of clothes, plus all my matcha stuff, into my carryon suitcase along with everything else.

I think I’ll be able to zip it closed for my flight home tomorrow night.

I really don’t have the space for any more souvenirs.

Dad Joke of the Day: