Day in the Life of the Most Expensive Japanese Tea Maker

this is the day in the life of the most expensive Japanese team [Music] [Music] maker this is spooky 39 years old living in southern Japan in Fukuoka prefectures yam City and she's just waking up for work unlike most people in Japan she lives in a three-story 8-bedroom LDK house living dining and kitchen with her family it's actually where she grew up previously she had moved away to attend a culinary specialty school in fuk city and shared an apartment with her two sisters but she moved back that she prefers spending more time with her family [Music] hey your soap is so green tea soap interesting she quickly wears makeup and styles her hair which takes her about 15 to 20 minutes I guess that's pretty [Music] quick that's a badan a family altar common in many Japanese homes every morning she prays here paying respect to her grandmother who passed away the Busan is supposed to resemble a shrine where Japanese traditionally pray and it's used as a way to honor ancestors within the [Music] home oh oh her family is already having breakfast she usually drinks a protein shake for breakfast with matcha as it's full of vitamins and antioxidants considered a super food in Japan [Music] Hook's mom runs a small shop connected to their house as it's part of their family business in fact it's common practice in Japan for small mom and pop shops to run their business on the first floor while living in the same building her family though is a little different but we'll get into that at least it's convenient for her when she runs out of tea supplies and it's customary and their family to finish off every meal with te also known as [Music] OA Fuki travels to work by car but it's only a 5-minute commute her sister who we saw at breakfast also works for the family business but they take separate cars lucky for them yam city is so Rural and surrounded by Nature that there's literally never any traffic good morning everyone I'm back with another day in the life and I am super excited for this one because we are in Fukuoka and I get to show you something that a lot of people have never seen before I'm just waiting in the parking lot right now and Fuki should be coming around the corner soon good morning how did you sleep last night sounds good so she worked at Yoshi isumi n a family-owned fifth generation Japanese Tea Company crafting the most luxurious green tea in Japan yamicha for over 130 years while this remote area holds just a modest 3% share of the nation's tea production it produces the highest NT in the country known for its unparallel quality strong sweetness and [Music] Umami what are you doing first upon arrival it's typical for all employees to diligently clean the office all the way to the shop it's a common activity for traditional Japanese offices and the behavior is deeply rooted in their beliefs Buddha says cleaning not only purifies one's heart and body but others as well to start the day like this ensures that all the staff are headed in a positive direction hey you're fuky sister right what do you do here oh snap and you clean too that's great after cleaning Fuki helps talk the sales floor as it's her responsibility to manage the shops daytoday which includes the retail section inventory and even staff [Music] training and then she has a staff meeting where she's responsible for making any important announcements like deliveries customer visits Etc so she usually stays to manage the shop but today she has to visit a few places and attend a special tea ceremony now she goes to a tea auction called n satu it's held daily during the harvest season which just started and tea companies like fukis will come here every day to bid for their yearly inventory at the peak of the auction 4 to 500 te Leaf batches are up forbidding and each company must carefully inspect each batch to determine if its characteristics align with the tea Blends that the company creates and Fuki is is apprenticing under her father trying her best each and every day to soak up his 44 years of tea crafting experience so what have you learn today needed information that looks different from the others I see it's interesting to know that the green tea and matcha are made from the same kind of tea plant but how they're grown and refined is different this is pretty crazy being in this building right now only people with licenses can actually participate in this process the tea master chashi from the company is also here to inspect the tea after narrowing down their Tea Leaf selection by inspecting the texture and appearance of each they then move on to its scent and taste how is it okay apparently becoming a team Master requires many years of dedication to the craft but with fi's passion for helping carry on the family business I'm sure she'll find her way did you actually taste it all what if it tastes good but the appearance is subpar that's some [Music] skill next she goes to the ray ganji Temple where the kesai te ceremony is held and the birthplace of yamacha exactly 600 years ago Ah that's the 600-year-old a tea tree harvested by aen shui who brought back the first seeds from China to the local area oh fi's Dad is here I think the ceremony is about to start this annual tea offering Festival takes place precisely 88 nights after the beginning of Spring during the ual freshly brewed tea is offered at the altar while their Mountain teen needing chant is echoed through the temple she received an honorable invitation for the first time so she's feeling a bit nervous and excited since it's a 600th year [Music] anniversary after the ceremony the guests drink the firstly harvested tea that was presented at the temple although Japanese tea is originally from China Japan's unique climate and natural environment has uniquely transformed the tea leaves over the centuries along with developing its own tea culture blended with a subtle art of hospitality the Japanese tea Master begins with a meticulous Arrangement preparing the garden tea sets flowers and snacks leading to a ritual meant to evoke a profound sense of respect and Foster open communication oh you drink your tea like that ah Japanese te- manners in fact she learned the art of CA Japanese tea mans naturally from her family as it's been a large part of her life growing up as a daughter of a tea Master running a traditional Tea Company despite this she developed her own love for tea and even studied s Japanese tea ceremony in high school what now [Music] it's a season's virgin Harvest hooki visits a chenne a tea farm that their family usually sources from to inspect the condition of the tea leaves this year as she helps maintain relationships with the Growers as it's important for her family to know the quality of the Harvest firsthand most tea Farmers these days in Japan use heavy machinery to crop the leaves despite this it still takes about 3 hours to do a 25-hour field or 2500 m me are you only cropping the top so what's the most challenging thing about harvesting wow it's amazing that you can do that with a machine how long have you been doing this Dam what do you need to pay attention to when you're growing tea so which season do you like the best cool and how long have you been doing this how's business these days she explains that a surge in the popularity of Japanese tea sold in plastic bottles resulted in a decrease in demand for premium tea which has led to a drop in its prices however the production of their high-grade tea still requires a great deal of care attention and effort which has forced many of the farmers in their industry to leave so much so that the two are even taking over neighboring Fields wow that's amazing with today's crop harvested let me explain what happens afterwards the tea leaves are immediately taken to the adaa unrefined tea Factory which is located near the field to prevent fermentation as mentioned earlier green tea black tea ulong tea all use the same tea te leaves what differs is their level of fermentation so it's critical for green tea which is non-fermented to be quickly steamed in order to preserve its freshness this smells so fresh it's so unbelievable the loaded leaves are quickly cooled with moist air and then the delicate art of steaming Begins the Precision required to execute this step is rather important as it fundamentally shapes a te flavor Aroma and color next the leaves undergo a meticulous kneading at varying degrees to ensure a uniform water content throughout finally the leaves are needed on a heated plate forming them into a distinctive needle shape which are then dried becoming Yummy's Exquisite green tea destined for [Music] auction nice fookie Dad is here I guess you want to check out the conditions as well now she has lunch with the farmers what are you is eating looks good during these visits it's customary to find farmers and tea companies having lunch together outside on the field they engage in conversation about the nuances of the past year discussing weather patterns pest challenges and various farming techniques as well as simply enjoying each other's company forming bonds that last their [Music] lifetime oh I guess Fuki and her dad are going to inspect the Yoko Garden as well Yoko is the most premium type of green tea produced making up only 0.3% of the overall tea production in Japan and here The Artisans craft the highest end Yoko green tea the Yum traditional hon Yuro it's born through a traditional cultivation technique where the tea bushes are nurtured under straw screens shading out 95% of light increasing the leaves chlorophyll content to temper the kakin bitterness forming a distinct sweetness and Umami character what are you guys talking about for sure using a rare blend of four different types of handpicked tea leaves the blend undergos a 10-hour cold water extraction process which forms a complex and refined flavor profile resulting in one of the most expensive teas in the world so how much is it oh [Music] my now Fuki is back in the shop she focuses on taking care of their customers everyone having completely different preferences it's her job to skillfully tailor recommendations especially since the shop offers such a wide selection of tea she says that it's more challenging than it may seem but when she sees a customer smile it truly brings her joy and motivates her even more oh she's seeing off a customer a common practice in Japanese retail to Express gratitude to the customers for spending time at their shop so it looks like Fuki is going to be helping customers for just a little bit longer so while she's doing that let's see what's going down in this [Music] place excuse me what are you doing you got a lot how many are there today F [Music] this okay let's go see what's going on over here oh it's the tea Master what are you doing the company has an inore Factory just behind the shop and he's also the factory manager so let me quickly explain what they're doing here all the purchase adaa te from the auction is gathered and separated into stems leaves and powder so they can later be Blended more precisely into the company's various desired taste and flavor profiles the stems and pattern will even be processed in the dependently to create different types of green tea called Kuka and konacha next tea leaves are chosen carefully and cut to a uniform length which then undergo a heat drying process Guided by the tea master and finally the dry tea is bladed into their signature products so what's the most challenging part of this process he says that he needs to make adjustments based on the grade of tea its water content humidity and have you ever made a mistake before okay let's see what's going on in this room they also have a packaging room inside of the factory all the tea sold by the company is packaged here H looks like just their regular meeting room here see what's around the corner hello is this your office what are you doing so what's important for you as the president cool what did you do before this I see can you tell me anything else about t thank you this thing looks like a refrigerator let's go see what's inside wow the tea smell here is so strong I think there's another door right here wow I think it's even getting colder in here it's another one apparently the store uses a ceramic refrigerator to store their airtight package tea to maximize freshness which is also the ideal environment for maturing it is a freezing in here I am going back the other way it is too cold in here oh there's Spooky's dad again what are you up to now [Music] awesome after the directly purchased raw green tea arrives at the company it's the team Master's responsibility to reinspect it meticulously re-evaluating its appearance scent texture and taste in order to decide how each batch is going to be refined and Blended in their Factory the ability to fully understand the subtleties and varying characteristics of each tea is a mark of a true tea Master which is only achieved through a lifetime of study and dedication he emphasizes the importance of treating each tea like a cherished child cultivated With Love by dedicated Farmers now it's his so responsibility to employ all his wisdom experience and techniques to make them shine so which one is the most expensive a million yen can I see it wa that's it yami's traditional hokuro has won the gyokuro category at the annual Japanese tea competition for the last 7 years straight only 4 kg 8.8 lb of this goo is produced in total each year which is why it's so exclusive I see your picture here wow just look around this room I see so much family and Company history here this is the factory back then and this is his parents truck thanks what are you doing now now she takes a quick rest in their break [Music] [Applause] room nice the tea Master brought a brand new blend she often gets to try their new tea products or even wear teas during her break as a tea lover herself she says that it's one of the perks of her job by the way how long have you been doing this wow 20 years no way what advice would you give to someone newly starting I love your heart ah they're snacking with a G Aroma chocolate with her [Music] tea what's that Japan's tea industry holds a distinctive Allure even for Japanese people as it's steeped in numerous unknown traditions and Customs among these is the practice of inviting esteemed guest to partake in the experience of exceptionally valuable tea today the tea master is preparing one of their luxury guoko teas which only about 19 kg about 42 LB are produced annually it's so high in that is not even available on the market and only patrons with close ties to the local tea industry will ever get to taste it and fi's role is to assist and serve the customers in this unique custom all the while studying and paying close attention as one day it will be her responsibility to lead the subtle art of hospitality the shop is starting to slow down so she makes use of this time to do some office work filling out order sheets and preparing deliveries as it's busier than usual due to the start of the harvesting season today she's responsible for closing the shop and the whole entire office where are you going now [Music] nice her older sister's family is back in town so they're all having a family dinner at one of their ikit a restaurant they often go to evidently at the onset of each harvest season the entire family comes together to commemorate the significant time of year for their Tea Company marking it with a joyous celebration oh snap they're opening their traditional H Yuro bottle tea yum this celebrate the new season and yamcha's 600y year anniversary apparently this is a rare and limited bottle with only 100 crafted this year how was the tea interesting so are you the other sister apparently she's responsible for their company's e-commerce business their dad must be so proud that his three daughters are all running the family business together okay so looks like fuk is going to be here with the family hanging out until probably around 9:00 and then after that she'll probably just go home take a bath and then probably talk to some friends be on our Instagram and then go to sleep at around 12:00 midnight but that's pretty much a day in the life of a Japanese team maker before I go though I couldn't leave without trying this myself it's a Once in a-lifetime opportunity right wow it has a unique sweetness and deep Umami this literally is like no tea I've ever had before it's amazing all right there you go cheers to everyone thank you guys so much for watching this video If you guys liked it help me out and hit that like button if you guys want to see more videos like this or anything related to Japan hit that subscribe button and the bell button I'll catch you guys in the next one

Channel: Paolo fromTOKYO

Views: 1,261,482

Keywords: Paolo, Japan, Japan guide, japanese green tea, japanese tea, green tea, japanese tea ceremony, japan day in the life, a day in the life, life in japan, business insider, japan working hours, day in the life, working hours in japan, japan work culture, japanese worker, japan life documentary, day in the life japan, life in japan documentary, japanese worker day in life, japanese workers, working japan, japan work life documentary, japan tea making, japan tea growing

Id: sdqFeQ3x3XY

Length: 24min 13sec (1453 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 09 2024