Matcha green tea goes well with a view of a dry landscape garden. Its bitter and slightly sweet taste fits a rustic atmosphere of the garden. In fact, both were brought to Japan by Zen Buddhist monks who had suffered from Mongol’s conquest of the Song Dynasty and settled in Japan in the 13th century.

Photos were taken at Jyomyoji, a Zen temple in Kamakura. At KISEN-AN, a teahouse on the precincts, you can enjoy Matcha and Wagashi (a traditional Japanese sweet), viewing a dry landscape garden.

Wagashi on the above photo is NAMAGASHI, a wet confectionary of sweetened red beans sandwiched by rice cake, flavored with sweet soybean powder.

By Jin Shibata

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