Kyoto Main Store
I plan free, monthly Japanese tea tasting events called “Ajimi no Hi” (Tasting days) at our main store.
What utensil do you recommend?
What do you like about it?
I bought our Ippodo Carafe last year, and it really comes in handy during the hot summer months. I like it because it has a cool, refreshing look to it, and its simple shape makes it easy to wash. It’s great for making a litre of chilled water when I want to prepare a batch of cold-brewed tea. The carafe somehow looks great just standing in the refrigerator, and it gets me motivated to prepare delicious Japanese tea.
How do you use it with Japanese tea?
I use the carafe all the time to prepare tea using Ippodo’s One-Pot Teabags! For example, I like to prepare batches of tea to drink with meals or snacks when family or friends visit us at home. And, the carafe is heat resistant, so I can use it to prepare either hot or cold tea.
Department store in the Kansai area
I help to create an upbeat atmosphere that encourages communication.
What utensil do you recommend?
Small White Porcelain Kyusu Teapot (Hasami-yaki)
What do you like about it?
I like the kyusu’s large opening, which makes it easy to see the tea leaves and the colour of the tea, as well as the large Ippodo seal on the beautiful white porcelain lid. Simply preparing tea in this kyusu somehow makes me sit up straighter and put more care and thought into serving the people I prepare tea for. I feel as if I can make even our normal, everyday tea taste much better when I prepare it with this kyusu.
How do you use it with Japanese tea?
It’s also the trusty utensil that I use for enjoying luxurious times when I relax by myself. I like to take my time, preparing Hosen sencha with great care, and watching the tea leaves slowly unravel. I love the relaxing feeling I get when the tea is ready and I take the lid off, letting the wonderful fragrance rise up into the air.
Kyoto Main Store
I serve customers at stores in the Kyoto area, mainly at our Kyoto Main Store.
What utensil do you recommend?
Small White Porcelain Kyusu Teapot (Hasami-yaki)
What do you like about it?
As someone with roots in Nagasaki, I’d like to recommend this kyusu from Hasami, a Nagasaki pottery town near the more widely-known Arita. It’s hard to find a good kyusu for preparing gyokuro for just one person, but this is great for times like that, and its design makes it easy for anyone to hold. Unlike some kyusu teapots designed for gyokuro, it has a proper handle! I definitely think this is a utensil everyone should try out.
How do you use it with Japanese tea?
I use it when I want to enjoy some Japanese tea by myself, particularly gyokuro.