Green Japan

 

The thing that never ceases to amaze me is how green Japan is. Coming from a country where deforestation and nude hills are the norm, it is really pleasing to the eye to see huge swathes of the country side, specially the hills, covered with forests. Hills covered by mixed forests is what I dream for Nepal too. Perhaps one day it will happen.

I believe that teas grown in such bio-diverse surroundings will definitely and intrinsically be much better than the ones grown in large mono-culture plantations that is common in South Asia. For me, this is the way to go forward. Indeed, in the long run, it is the only way.

Image: (Top) A farmer's tea plot surrounded by thick forest in Shizuoka.
(Middle and Bottom) Muramatsu san's tea plots at Mariko 鞠子 surrounded by thick forest and bamboo cover. From these plots he makes excellent teas without making much fuss unlike many of us in this part of the world.