The tea master

Eichi Honda, known as Mohei, is the heir to a family tradition spanning five generations and a master of tea. At the foot of Mount Fuji, he cultivates green tea in the Shizuoka region, renowned as the best in Japan for this crop. A purist, he is learning the ancestral art of sado, the tea preparation and tasting ceremony, which has nearly fallen into obscurity. Aware that large industrial operations are taking over the cultivation of this precious plant at the expense of small family farms, Mohei is committed to preserving this craft, which is deeply infused with artistic and spiritual significance.

As president of the Association of the 100 Best Teas of Shizuoka, he strives to make the art of tea cultivation more accessible by attempting to bridge tradition and modernity. As the pandemic has worsened the situation for small producers, he takes to the streets of Tokyo in a truck converted into a « tea truck, » seeking to win over city dwellers.