This picture is showed the Utsunoya Pass that led to town the of Okabe, where my grandmother was born and grew up. Okabe was the 21st station in Utagawa Hiroshige’s famous woodcut series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido (1833-1834), which depicts the rest stations along the Tokaido Road that connects eastern Japan with Kyoto.
This woodcut by Hiroshige shows a teahouse in Okabe (circa 1842).
A Family Tradition
The name of Nasuno Teahouse comes from my grandparents, last name, Nasuno who had a small farm in Shizuoka where along with fruits and vegetables, they cultivated green tea. My vivid memories of their tea field have inspired me to import he best green tea in the world and share the with discerning tea lovers.
Though I was only three years old, I still vividly remember going to my grandparents’ tea field way up the mountain in a kago (basket)on my grandma’s back. I don’t think she appreciated it, but I loved to stand up in a kago and gaze at the beautiful green field! Another unforgettable memory is the aroma of the tea leaves when my grandfather steamed and kneaded them in the old-fashion way. That refreshing scent go new-mown grass is a sure sign of the very best green tea.
When I moved to the United States, I realized how hard it is to find the green tea with the same high quality of the tea my grandparents grew in Shizuoka, Japan! How spoiled I was to have enjoyed that deep pleasure every single day!
But I am here now with my firsthand knowledge and experience, and have realized that I can build on my family’s history by importing the very finest green tea from Shizuoka Prefecture for tea lovers in the United States.
