Suwada Blog
What Is a Chasen? The Bamboo Whisk Used for Matcha
A chasen is the fine bamboo whisk used to prepare matcha. Learn how Takayama chasen are made, why tine count varies, which bamboo materials are used, how tea-school traditions affect form, and how to use, clean and replace a bamboo whisk.
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What Is a Chawan? The Japanese Tea Bowl Used for Matcha
A chawan is the Japanese tea bowl used to prepare and drink matcha. Learn its main parts, why the foot and front matter, how tea-bowl forms differ, which ceramic traditions are important, and what makes a bowl practical for whisking.
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How to Make Matcha at Home: A Practical Usucha Guide
Learn a reliable everyday method for making matcha at home: 2 g matcha, 60 ml water at about 80°C and roughly 15 seconds of whisking, plus guidance on sifting, bowl warming, chasen technique, foam, clumps and the difference between home preparation and formal chanoyu.
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Japanese Tea Saucers Explained: Chakutaku, Yunomi & Guest Tea Service
Chakutaku is the small Japanese saucer used under a yunomi when serving tea to guests. Learn its practical role, materials, cup pairing, serving etiquette and how it differs from a Western saucer or coaster.
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Chabudai Explained: Japan’s Low Dining Table & the Shift from Trays to Family Dining
Chabudai is the low shared dining table associated with modern Japanese family life. Learn when it spread, how it differed from individual ozen and hakozen trays, why folding legs mattered, and how floor dining changed.
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Japanese Ohitsu Explained: Wooden Rice Keepers, Moisture & Serving
What is an ohitsu? Learn how Japanese rice keepers sit between the cooking pot and rice bowl, why traditional wooden versions manage moisture, how magewappa and stave-built forms differ, and how to choose one.
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What Is an Unryu-gama? The Dragon Cylinder Kettle in Japanese Tea
An Unryū-gama is a cylindrical Japanese tea kettle cast with a dragon rising through clouds. Learn what defines the form, why traditional sources recognize several sizes, how it relates to hishaku proportions, and why the kettle name should be kept separate from support systems such as tsurigama.
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What Is Tsurigama? The Hanging Kama of Spring in Japanese Tea
Tsurigama is a hanging-kettle arrangement in which the kama is suspended by chain from a ceiling fitting instead of resting on a gotoku. Learn why Urasenke associates it with spring, how the chain and jizai are handled, and how it differs structurally from sukigi and kirikake.
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What Is a Hagama? The Winged Kama in Japanese Tea
A hagama is a tea kettle with a projecting wing or flange around its body. Learn why that wing matters structurally, why a sukigi-gama must be a hagama, how it differs from kirikake-gama, and how kettle morphology determines the support system.
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Japanese Serving Chopsticks Explained: Toribashi, Saibashi & Shared Dining
Toribashi are Japanese serving chopsticks used for shared dishes. Learn how they differ from eating chopsticks, cooking saibashi and plating moribashi, and why separate chopsticks matter for communal dining and raw meat.
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Oshibori Explained: Japanese Wet Towels, Trays & Restaurant Etiquette
What is an oshibori? Learn how Japanese restaurant wet towels are used, why trays are provided, what not to wipe, how cloth and paper versions differ, and where the towel fits into table etiquette.
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Japanese Pickles at the Table: Tsukemono, Kōnomono, Takuan & Serving Dishes
Tsukemono are Japanese pickles, while kōnomono is the traditional meal term for pickles served with rice. Learn where they fit in ichiju sansai, which small dishes hold them, and how takuan, narazuke and Kyoto pickles differ.
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