Our Matcha Now Comes Direct!

We are pleased to announce that our matcha is now directly imported from the tea farm in Uji, Kyoto.  

In the past, only our matcha, though imported from Uji, Kyoto, went through a distributor before reaching us.  We are happy to say that we have finally straightened out some “technical issues” and now we get them directly from the tea farm.

Of course, there is no deterioration in quality.  In fact, we will be able to provide even more consistent quality just because we are now in control of the storage conditions. 

The matcha are now packed in 40g bags (in a can) and retail at $19.00...a better value.

BEFORE: 30g in can at $15.00

AFTER:    40g in can at $19.00

As always, we remain strongly committed to the quality of our tea.  Thank you very much for your continued patronage.

(All prices are in Canadian dollars.)

(Photo by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.)

Payment By PayPal Now Accepted

ANNOUNCEMENT: To our mail-order customers, we can now accept payments by Paypal.  We understand if you are not comfortable about giving us your credit card information.   Paypal eliminates that need.  Just let us know you want to make your purchase via Paypal and we will send you a Paypal invoice.  You don’t need a Paypal account (though it is convenient if you already have one!) to make a payment.

http://www.paypal.com

Free Castella 7/16 (Sat)

Many liked it when we had that free cookie & cupcake day last month...so we decided to do it again this month.  This time we invite you to taste castella (see below).  We timed the day to coincide with the Quinpool Cruise Day to give people that extra reason to visit Quinpool.  Enjoy a bite of castella before you go on to hear the blues and see the classic cars on parade!

Castella is a popular Japanese sponge cake made from flour, eggs and sugar.  This cake was introduced to Japan by Portuguese merchants back in the 16th century.  At that time, use of dairy products was not normal in Japan and it so happened that the Pão de Castela (the Portuguese name for this cake that means “bread from Castile”) was one of the few European cakes that did not use dairy products in its recipe.  This was the reason why this cake survived in Japan...and eventually evolved into the current Japanese version called “castella”.

(Photo by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.)

The Tanabata Wishes

We saw the stars (and a half-moon too!) last night.  The heavens must be rejoicing at the reunion of the estranged lovers.  We hope your wishes will come true!

Here is a tally of the wishes we got from our bamboo tree:

Total wishes: 32

• Altruistic (love & peace for the world, pollution begone):  14 (43.75%)
• Personal (specific wishes for specific people, friendship): 6 (18.75%)
• Material (pets, toys, money, candy, a hundred erasers!):  12 (37.50%)

Here are our top five favourites:

1. I wish I could find my old teddy bear.
2. Jennifer will find true love.
3. I wish Madalina and me would be best friends forever.
4. Joy for my Dear Husband.
5. I wish for world peace and for me & my friends to have the best summer EVER!

Thank you everyone for participating...and if you made your own secret wish and hung it on your own secret bamboo tree, that counts too!

(Photo by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.)

DIY Uchiwa Hand Fan

The uchiwa hand fan has been a centuries-old accessory to beat the summer heat in Japan.

We got some blank ones at the shop that are waiting for your child's creativity to design. They are free on Jun 24th & 25th.  (One fan per child...while supply lasts.)  Next week, $3 per fan.

(Photo by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.)

Tea Tasting Workshop 6/25 (Sat)

Join us to learn the different tastes in Japanese green tea.  We won’t be using paper cups!

Tanabata

Tanabata (七夕) is a festival celebrating the reunion of two star-crossed lovers: Altair (the Cow-herd star) and Vega (the Weaver star). There are many versions of this ancient Chinese legend, but the main gist is about how Altair and Vega were forbidden to see each other again by Vega’s father, the Heavenly King. The two are separated by the Milky Way and were allowed to meet only on the 7th day of the 7th month. On this day, a bridge would appear on the Milky Way and the two could meet. However, if it rained that day, the bridge would not appear. 

In Japan, tanabata is celebrated by writing one's wish on a small piece of paper (called "tanzaku") and hanging the wish on a bamboo branch. If on on the eve July 7th, the sky is clear and you can see the stars, then your wish will come true!

Next time you visit the shop, please make a wish and hang it on our bamboo branches. We've prepared the paper for you plus you get an origami star [while supply lasts] to remind you to watch the stars on July 7th!  (All free of charge of course...)

(All photos by the ikebana shop.  All rights reserved.)

Origami Workshop 6/11 (Sat)

Join us for another fun origami workshop on Jun 11th (Sat)!

Safe Harbour

Join us at "Safe Harbour: Celebrating Asian Heritage" at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Free admission. Miyako will be there to demonstrate and teach origami. Jun 5th (Sun) 2-4 p.m. See you there

Thank you to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic for inviting us!