Currently viewing the category: "Social Contributions"

Serving tea at TEDxKyotoChange

On 2012/04/09 By

This past Saturday intern Elyse served Obubu tea at TEDxKyotoChange. TEDxKyoto is a newly formed group in Japan that seeks to become a hub for ideas worth spreading in Kyoto. This is naturally the perfect place for Obubu to serve tea and share our idea of connecting tea farmers with tea lovers around the world. [...]

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Problems of Rural Communities in Developed Nations

On 2012/04/06 By

While our business is to sell tea, we are also very concerned about social issues related to tea farming. This concern begins on our front porch. Wazuka, like similar rural communities in developed nations, faces many problems in an urbanizing and aging society. The aging population and long-term trend for descendants to move to the [...]

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Tea Tree Planting with Wazuka Middle School

On 2012/03/22 By

Yesterday we invited a group of energetic middle school students to help us plant baby tea trees in a new field. About 25 students marched to the field with smiles on their faces and clean white gloves on their hands. Akky-san gave a brief introduction to how the baby trees were started in the nursery [...]

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Obubu Leaps in 2012

On 2012/03/01 By

I had the great fortune of hosting a Leap Day Meetup at Akky-san’s home last night. The meetup is connected to a project developed by American Victor Saad called The Leapyear Project. Victor is using the Leap Year as a way to encourage people to think about the risks they can take to make the [...]

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Tohoku Caravan Closing Event

On 2012/01/26 By

On January 21, 2012, Matsu-san and the Tohoku Tea Relief Caravan team members were in Tokyo for the closing of the charity project. The team just came back from a trip to a tea plantation in Minami Ashigara city in Kanagawa Prefecture. Continuing with their busy schedule, they presented a summary of their activities during [...]

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Tohoku Caravan Day 12: “All You Need is Love”

On 2012/01/15 By

Onsen and Lunch at Natorishi no Yuriage Today was a BIG day. After breakfast our large group took the caravan towards Sendai, stopping by more tsunami affected areas. We made our destination at Natorishi no yuriage, a hotel with onsen (public bath). We invited a large group of tsunami survivors that are now in temporary [...]

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Tohoku Caravan Day 11: Unity and Rebuilding in the Cold

On 2012/01/14 By

Article by Elyse Petersen (Obubu intern from Hawaii). Click on photos to enlarge. Continuing Our Tour Around Ishinomaki Matsumoto and our volunteer driver “Arizona” went alone to today’s activities. The rest of us spent the day playing tourist as we were guided to a large and beautiful shrine in Ishinomaki and more of the tsunami [...]

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Tohoku Caravan Day 10: Touring around Ishinomaki, events at Watanoha & Inokawa

On 2012/01/13 By

Ōkawa Elementary School We got an early start today to tour some more affected areas from the tsunami. Town after town we drove past as people continued their efforts to clean up and create an environment that can be rebuilt. One of the most touching communities that we visited was Ookawa, a small community with [...]

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Tohoku Caravan Day 9: Ōshima Island, City of Minami Sanriku – Bringing Smiles Through Tea and Entertainment

On 2012/01/12 By

Article by Elyse Petersen (Obubu intern from Hawaii). Click on photos to enlarge. Starting the day at Ōshima Island We started Day 9 of the Tohoku Tea Relief Caravan on Ooshima Island in Kessenuma. After a short ferry ride to the mainland we headed to the Soleil no Oka retirement home where we were greeted [...]

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Tohoku Caravan Day 4: Town of Yamada & E-commerce Seminar in Kamaishi

On 2012/01/11 By

Toward an economic revival Visiting the Mr. Osugi, head of the tourism bureau in the Town of Yamada, we discovered that he is in the process of launching a new industry for this small town that was nearly wiped out. Discovering that a certain type of wine allows him to make a pretty delicious soy [...]

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KYOTO ECO FARMER

eco farmerKyoto Obubu Tea Plantations is a certified "Eco Farmer" of Kyoto Prefecture granted as a result of our low impact agricultural practices. Kyoto Pref website (JP only)

FOOD ACTION NIPPON

Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations is a member of Food Action Nippon (JP only), a government-organized effort to increase Japan's food self-sufficiency.