Golden Week is almost here, and May 2 marks “Hachiju-hachiya” — the 88th night counted from the first day of spring in the traditional Japanese calendar.
There’s a famous song in Japan that begins, “Summer is drawing near, Hachiju-hachiya…” It was part of every school music curriculum, and most of us have sung it at least once. The day has long been regarded as the peak of Japan’s tea-picking season.
New tea leaves picked on Hachiju-hachiya are said to bring longevity and good health — drink a cup made from them, the tradition goes, and you’ll stay well for the whole year. Whether that’s literally true or not, this really is the season when new-season green tea is at its most fragrant. As a company that handles tableware every day, it’s a moment we can’t help paying attention to.
Some Seasons Just Call for New Tools on the Table
From a wholesaler’s point of view, there are a handful of “tool seasons” each year.
Year-end, New Year, the start of the new school year in spring, and the new tea in May. These are the moments when people refresh their everyday tableware and teacups. From now through early summer, the honest wish to “make a nice cup of tea at home” comes out most naturally.
This week’s new arrivals fit that mood beautifully.
Seiyu Kinnagashi Matcha Bowl — A Mino Landscape in Glaze
This week’s highlight is the “Seiyu Kinnagashi” Matcha Bowl (paulownia wood box included), from Mino — one of Japan’s most prominent pottery regions.
A deep blue glaze (seiyu) is fired, then a secondary glaze called unofu is poured across the top. The result is the unpredictable kiln-born scenery that pottery lovers call youhen — transformation inside the kiln. No two pieces are ever the same. Every bowl carries its own pattern, its own flow of color.
It works beautifully for formal matcha, but also feels right holding a rice bowl of ochazuke or a generous dessert. The paulownia box makes it a natural gift for Mother’s Day or any small occasion.
Tsubame-Sanjo Handled Tea Strainers — Three Sizes
Alongside the matcha bowl, another new arrival we’d like to introduce are the Tsubame-Sanjo Handled Tea Strainers.
Three sizes — 62 mm, 74 mm, and 82 mm in diameter — each with a cross-reinforced mesh at the center. They sift matcha powder beautifully.
A quick sift before whisking matcha removes the lumps, and the taste becomes visibly different — smoother, cleaner, more even. They also work as everyday green tea strainers, or in the kitchen when you’re dusting powdered sugar or cocoa.
A piece from Tsubame-Sanjo, Japan’s renowned region for fine metalworking. It’s the season when “investing a little in your tools” starts to sound fun.
11 Mino Ware Factory-Second Specials Also in Stock
Together with the above, we’ve added 11 Mino ware factory-second (B-grade) items.
- 9 cm sometsuke square plates — three patterns: karakusa, asanoha, blue-wave
- 21 cm cha-irabo square grill plate
- 16 cm kushimemon white shallow bowl
- 21 cm fuun donburi / red hakeme donburi
- Oribe tall yunomi
- Ai-hakeme straight-sided small bowl
- 8.5 cm / 9 cm ame-glaze cocotte
“B-grade” here means items our own team judged still fully fit for use — maybe a small glaze irregularity, maybe a very slight distortion in the form. Nothing that affects daily use. Perfect for those who want their personal everyday dishes to feel a little more generous, not necessarily their guest tableware.
Tea, Tools, and the Quiet Hours of Golden Week
Japan’s Golden Week is, every year, somehow both busy and quiet at once. Whether you spend it with family or reading alone with a cup in hand, taking the time to brew a single proper cup of tea seems to lift the whole quality of the holiday.
“Good tools lift the quality of the work.” It’s something we’ve felt throughout our years as a tableware wholesaler, and it applies just as well to a single cup of tea at home.
The memory of glaze in a Mino matcha bowl, the metal of Tsubame-Sanjo — both carry the time the maker poured into them. Around Hachiju-hachiya, it might be worth adding one small piece to your own table.
The new arrivals are gradually going live across our EC channels.
Please enjoy them together with this year’s first tea.
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