After a few years of having most activities online in 2023 we felt it was finally time to meet each other in person. The month of July was especially busy as we held not one, but two Japanese Tea Conferences: in Tokyo and Kyoto! Through these conferences we were aiming to create a space to highlight positive Japanese tea activities and to connect with each other over the shared love for Japanese tea.
The second conference – in Kyoto, took place on 29th July and was held at the Kyoto International Community House – a wonderful space for international collaborations in the city. The conference started with the address from our president Simona Suzuki, who explained the origin and the current activities of our association. What followed, was the centerpiece of this conference – the global report by the Japanese Tea Evangelists – Japanese university students who went to study abroad and organized various Japanese tea activities in their host countries. 3 tea evangelists form the 2022 class were present at the venue and 3 more, who were still abroad, presented online. We were also able to meet 16 tea evangelists from 2023 class, who will be going to study abroad this year.
After the presentations, there was also time to mingle and taste some award-winning teas form various regions of Japan, that were brewed by the Japanese tea evangelist. Filed with chatter and delicious tea, the time passed very quickly.
While it was our first time to organize such events in Japan, we were very happy many people joined. At the Japanese Tea conference in Kyoto we had about 70 participants. Among them government officials, tea producers, dessert makers, teaware sellers as well as tea lovers from Japan and around the world.
We are planning to hold the tea conferences again in 2024, so please stay tuned and we hope to see you soon!
