Jonathan Peizer is the owner of one of the web’s best content and shopping site for green tea. Jonathan has been running his web site for several years and already has the top five google search items for Green Tea with 40,000-50,000 visitors a month. I recently interviewd him about his passion of Japanese Green tea.

Your site has lots of great content and lots of tea and related products. Can you tell us a little about your website greentealovers.com?

Its as much an informational site about healthy teas, their history, properties, preparations and effects as it is a purveyor of fine green tea — tea that I would add we drink ourselves. We started drinking these teas long before we began selling them.

What are the benefits of drinking green tea?

Since its discovery, green tea has become renowned for its pharmacological properties. While green tea is not classified as a medicine, it does contain medicinal substances. It is ranked as a leading health-giving substance in traditional Chinese medicine. Scientific research is now proving these benefits are due to the antioxidants present in green tea which have shown to be effective in preventing cancer and improving general health.

Is green tea an acquired taste?

That’s also hard to answer — it really depends on personal preference and I would argue that so many don’t prepare it optimally with the right water temperature or filtered water that the real question may be “Is badly prepared green tea an acquired taste?”. Fresh green tea prepared well is actually quite refreshing, calming and tasty — and teas like Jasmine Green or the stronger Chinese Greens really have quite unique tastes… Some might ask in the American Coffee Culture — if tea (and I don’t mean Chai Latte’s) is an acquired taste…

How many varieties of green tea are there?

Well, all tea comes form one bush Camellia Sinensis and the difference between white (steamed), green (steamed or pan fired), black (fermented) and Oolong teas (semi-fermented) is simply the processing. Types of tea are commonly graded depending on the quality and the parts of the plant used. There are large variations in both price and quality within these broad categories, and there are many specialty green teas that fall outside this spectrum. The very best Japanese green tea is said to be that from the Uji region of Kyoto.

What kind of green tea do you recommend for first time drinkers?

For straight green tea drinkers I would recommend Gyokuro or Sencha.

Gyokuro

Gyokuro tea is generally sweet and delicate in flavor. Selected from a grade of green tea known as tencha, Gyokuro is regarded as the highest grade of tea made in Japan. Gyokuro’s name refers to the pale green color of the infusion.

Sencha

The most common type of green tea in Japan. It is made from the young leaves of uncovered plants. Over three quarters of all tea produced in Japanese tea gardens is sencha. The earliest season (first month’s sencha harvest) is called shincha. Later harvests of sencha have more astringent qualities, a more robust flavor and generally less aroma.

Health Problems

If drinking for a chronic health problem I would recommend our Catechin product with a high concentration of the active ingredient in Green Tea (Catechin). People with food allergies to Catechin products like red wine, cocoa (as in dark chocolate), cherries, apples or cranberries should consult a physician before using this. However, if that isn’t an issue this really does provide a high concentration of catechin easily absorbable in ones body. Its not as tasty as our other teas because Catechin is a Tannin and Tannin is what produces astringency in tea. To learn more click here

I would also suggest for the flavor conscious — the exquisite Madame Butterfly Jasmine Green also on that page. It’s a personal favorite. For first time drinkers who needed the more robust black tea or blend tastes at an economical price I’d recommend our flavor blends which also have a jasmine blend in addition to mint, cherry, lime, Irish Breakfast etc.
How do you prepare green tea?

Well, that depends on the green tea. The primary issue is to use fresh leaves, use filtered water, boil it, let it cool down to the appropriate temperature and then infuse the leaves. When you pour boiling water directly on green tea leaves you actually burn the leaves – this bleeds out the tanin, which makes the taste more astringent, rather than allowing the tastier and sweeter amino acids to dominate the taste when using cooler (but still very hot) water. Water with different chemical contents can also radically alter the taste which is why using filtered water is recommended.

Boil water and wait for it to cool slightly by pouring it into a tea pot and then into cups to warm them and to re-measure the water. Place tea leaves and hot water in pot. Brew tea and water in teapot for a few minutes. Pour equal measures of brewed tea into cups until last drop is poured (It is said that the last drop of tea decides its taste on the whole).

Unlike serving coffee, tea needs to be served from a pot by pouring a little into each cup once. Pour some from the last cup to the first to make the amount and density the same. Do not leave water in the pot after pouring the first brew. You can enjoy the second brew by adding some more fresh hot water to the pot. When brewing tea the second time, 1/3 brewing time is adequate because water has already penetrated into the leaves.

How many cups a day do you recommend drinking?

I drink 3-5 cups a day myself. One is supposed to drink at least that much water and I alternate.

Visit Jonathan Peizer at http://www.greentealovers.com

After living in Japan for 10 years now I have come to the final realization and understanding that the majority of Japanese don’t or can’t love. This is a generalization, but I do believe it is true and very real. I used to believe that Japanese just had trouble expressing love. Japanese certainly have great difficulty expressing deep personal feelings. I am often amazed from personal experiences and from what I see on TV at how socially and emotionally challenged Japanese are. Silence seems to cover an inability to express feelings with social conditioning and a shame mentality seem to be the logical explanation.

Going back to my realization that Japanese don’t love. I believe Japan or Japanese doesn’t have a love culture. What I mean is love isn’t valued as much as pride or “doing one’s best. I want to make myself clear. I am not talking about a “boy meets girl and falls in love” kind of love. Japanese do fall in love and have the feelings romance or “being in love”. I am talking about family love, or a love for friends and a love for people in general.  I am not saying Japanese don’t care or feel things for people or family. They certainly do care and have feelings despite having great difficultly expressing them.

What I have seen and believe is that Japanese people just don’t love each other in the sense that love is something that you do or show. Love is a  verb – love it is something you do, not just feel.  Japanese families are ….loveless.  Their culture to a large degree doesn’t allow them to love. Up until the late 70’s arranged marriages were standard with the husband’s occupation, educational background and earning potenial being the most important things to the marriage. Many parents, especially fathers, don’t ever develop friendships with there children. In fact many father’s don’t even know their children because they are never home.

When I take my own son to kinder everyday I never see any parent kiss or hug their child to express love. This really blows my mind. I am talking about 3 and 4 year olds. Even when parents pick their children up there is nothing that you could call loving going on. A smile and a pat on the head at most. Parents may pick up there child and hug or hold them, but not for an expression of love, usually to satisfy a desire for attention from the child or a dependency. In fact, I never see parents kiss or hug there children anytime. Think about. Never expressing love to your own children.

What I do see and hear are parents wanting their 3 or 4  year old children to do their best and NOT CAUSE TROUBLE. The closet a parent will come to saying “I love you” is say “Do your best” (Gambatte). This is the last thing parents will say when dropping of their children at kinder or school. Or, a wonderful playful exchange will happen between two children which might be a little bit funny or strange. Then either one of both of the parents of the children will apologize for “trouble”caused and then openly scold the their children. This is something that really astounds me  - parents warning their children not to cause any trouble for their teachers or friends every morning. Remember these are 3 or 4 year olds learning about life and just beginning to develop their social skills. The pressure begins very early at school to conform to social standards and be perfect.

I feel that Japanese have it pretty hard. It is not easy being Japanese.  I have meet many Japanese who have never experienced love. They are extremely lonely and socially awkward people leading unhappy lives. Outside of their work they have nothing or nobody to share their lives with.

Holding Back

Watching when Japanese meet Japanese for the first time in Japan appears to be an uncomfortable experience for all involved. It is most certainly uncomfortable for Japanese when meeting foreigners for the first time. Westerners being frank and sometimes a little aggressive intimidate Japanese. For me, meeting Japanese can be an annoying experience. It is something similar to meeting a very shy child. There is usually no eye contact and not much is said. In Japanese this is called “Enryo” – Holding back.

Japanese Politness
Enryo is a form of politeness, a device for maintaining a certain distance from those one does not know well or one considers as one’s superiors. When Japanese meet someone for the first time, they tend to avoid close contact, such as a hand shake or embrace. A polite bow is the usual greeting. The distance does not necessarily mean unfriendliness, but it can certainly come across that way to new comers to Japan.

Enryo can be a somewhat time wasting and confusing social custom to foreigners. In the Westerners mindset it is Japanese being unnecessarily polite. For example, when offered a drink or food, it is courteous for Japanese to refuse what is offered at least once in order to show that they are holding back. This is being polite in Japan. What is important is show that you are not really declining the the offer, but just trying to show that you are being polite. So rather than saying a flat “no”, Japanese say something like “that would be troubling you to much”. The person making the offer will not take the response at face value . He or she will repeat the offer, saying, “please don’t hold back” with the result of the offer finally being accepted.

Most young Japanese would agree that the logic behind “enryo” at times doesn’t really add up. More and more Japanese are finding the subtle exchanges of courtesy, the art of holding back, too difficult to perform perfectly . However, enryo is still a integral part of social behavior in which Japanese take extreme pride. In casual social encounters, holding back, is highly prized and praised.

Enryo can cause a multitude of problems in the world of international relations and business. Japanese business men are acutely aware that their custom of holding back is the exactly opposed to the Western way of “holding forth”. Depending on where and how business is being done “enryo” can benefit or handicap Japanese. What Westerners should know that if they are playing by Japanese rules, then being too forward and forthright is putting yourself at a disadvantage. Japanese are more impressed with people who talk the least and who make their point by manner rather than their mouth.

Silent Communication

Silence is sometimes considered golden. In Japan silence is communication. Speech is often considered unnecessary and sometimes even seems to obstruct harmonious interpersonal relationships. Accepting silence as an alternative to saying what you want to express can be a frustrating ordeal for non-Japanese living in Japan. As it is considered illogical not to express yourself with words it can takes years getting accustomed to the Japanese way of silent communication.

The Japanese are very cautious not to hurt the feelings of others, nor do they wish to cause trouble for others. They tend to surmise other people’s possible reactions before giving opinions or taking some sort of action. This can result in Japanese doing things they don’t want to do. For example, not leaving a job they are unhappy with because they don’t want to cause trouble for their co-workers. Japanese like to achieve mutual understanding by nonverbal cues rather than by blunt or outright questions or heated discussions. It is all about avoiding confrontation and conflict.

Mind to Heart To Communication

To the Japanese, silence in conversation ( if there is such a thing) can often convey a far more profound meaning than just…let’s say…eloquence. Western society would see this non-verbal communication as more of a social problem of the Japanese in general. Japanese traditionalists see this silent communication as a highly prized skill. The Japanese language has many proverbial expressions concerning the effectiveness and wisdom of nonverbal communication. “Ishin-denshin” can be taken to mean “Using cultural telepathy” or “mind to heart communication”. “Haragei” is other meaning “art of the belly”. By the unique technique of “haragei” a person makes the other party understand his real intentions without verbal interaction. This ability is regarded as indispensable to influential figures, particularly in political circles.

Unlike most other nations, Japan is a highly homogeneous society, where nonverbal forms of communication can be easily developed and conveniently used in various situations. As Japanese have traditionally depended on “ishin denshin” for much of their communication they are generally turned off by people who, by their standards, talk excessively. In contrast to the Japanese, Westerners, particularly Americans, are noted for being big talkers, with the result that these two widely differing modes of behavior often clash. And believe me they do clash.

In this internationalized world, more and more Japanese think it urgently necessary to change their tendency to implicitness and silence which can cause misunderstanding in inter-cultural communication. Likewise, it does pay for foreign businessmen and politicians to make a point of letting their Japanese counterparts know that they are aware of the “ishin deshin” method of communicating, and that they want to have a mind-to-heart understanding with them.

In order to speak like a Japanese native you have to learn, at times, not to speak at all. This requires a certain amount of patience and faith. “Ishin Denshin” is something you can really only experience by living with Japanese in Japan. When I lived with my wife’s family there was very little converstion between family members. I found it quite challenging to sit through meals and not talk. It took a long time to feel comfortable in a shared state of silence. So, if you want to speak like a Japanese keep in mind that less said will often resonate more than blurting out what you think or feel.

Japanese are highly regarded for their commitment to work. Often putting work before family few Japanese take the paid holidays which they are legally entitled to. In my 10 years of living in Japan I have never known any of my Japanese friends to take more than a weeks holiday. Most Japanese will never use all their paid holidays and believe it is wrong to do so as it will cause trouble for fellow co-workers and so on.  Japanese may not take many personal holidays, but Japan celebrates many national holidays. Below is a list of the many national holidays Japanese take each year. Some of them sound a bit wacky like “Marie Day” or “Green Day”. However, most of these holidays are culturally significant in Japan. Some are in fact festival days. Setsubun and Hanabata are two very popular festivals widely celebrated in Japan  These days represent the few times most people can take a day off work without having to worry about what their co-workers are doing. Guilt free holidays! It would definitely impress Japanese if you were able to talk or ask questions about national holidays.

National Holidays

One of the most frustrating things foreigners go through when trying to get settled in Japan is hoshonin. Hoshonin is the system of having a guarantor. As individuals are not often fully recognized as independent entities who are responsible for their own obligations a guarantor is required for just about everything.  Under this system, people who are willing to be held responsible for the actions of a second party can be become guarantors. The problem for foreigners  is finding someone willing to do this. Lets face it Japanese aren’t very trusting of  foreigners.

Even Japanese

Hoshonin also effects all Japanese and are required regardless of the position, character, or financial ability of the individual concerned. Some of the the situations that require hoshonin include buying something on credit, renting a house or an apartment, applying for visa or memberships in various organizations. Japan’s grouping syndrome impacts on every level of life in the country, in both personal and business matters. Trust and loyalty are primarily reserved for members of one’s own group. Whenever possible, members associate and do business only with members of their own group. This can make life very difficult if you are a foreigner.

Most foreigners requiring  official hoshonin depend on employers, the schools they want to attend, Japanese friends or contacts they have . Hoshonin documentation is extremely confusing and difficult to read ( if you can read Japanese) – extremely foreigner unfriendly. Having a middle name can also complicate things greatly. Establishing contacts and asking for help is about the only way to get around the hoshonin problem.

Despite being an innovator of technology Japan still has very old and almost backward systems for banking, public services or immigration . All these services are still paper based. Something as simple as changing and address can be very time consuming requiring an incredible amount of identification and documentation and Japanese “Inkan” seal. Getting a seal is an other story.

In an amazing quirk of fate that could only happen in Japan it has taken me weeks to have my private insurance canceled in Japan. I had to provide more identification and sign and stamp more documentation that I did when I applied for an insurance plan in the first place.