Grain Rain

April 20th is "Grain Rain".

The soft spring rains water the grains.

The rains at this time are a blessing from heaven for the five grains.

As a Grain Rain tea, we combined Gokase Sannen-bancha tea from Miyazaki Prefecture with the branches and leaves of Kuromoji and Rosered. This blended tea has a spring-like aroma reminiscent of the lush greenery of Darjeeling. You can feel the calming flavor of fragrant wood within the refreshing herbs.

In agricultural life, grain rain also signals the start of sowing seeds and planting rice.

Furthermore, it coincides with an important period when the picking of new tea leaves begins.

During this important time of year, which marks the beginning of something new, gratitude towards nature and the invisible has been expressed in various ways.

For example, in Izumo, it is said that nights when rain is falling quietly are the days when "gods pass through," and in Tohoku and southern Kyushu, there is a custom of welcoming the rice field god down from the mountains as rice planting begins and then sending him back down the mountains when the work is finished.

In some regions, when picking tea leaves, the new leaves are offered to the Shinto altar to give thanks for the blessing of life.

If you think of it as a special time when people, plants, and gods come face to face, it may help brighten the gloomy mood of a rainy day.

When it rains, the colors and scents of the plants deepen and they become more lively.

Take this opportunity to feel nature and relax with some tea.