French connoisseur looks to stir Japanese interest in native teas english.kyodonews.net

As a university student, she was only interested in studying Japanese after reading manga and watching anime as a teen.
She decided then and there to reorient herself toward studying Japanese tea.
She references the Japanese term "ichigo ichie," which describes the cultural concept of treasuring meetings with people and is closely associated with Japanese tea ceremonies.
Japanese tea leaves go through a process of being steamed, rolled and dried, although hojicha leaves go through an extra step of being roasted.
Now she is studying to pass an exam to become a "Japanese tea advisor" and reads books on tea.