Matcha Green Tea Experience

Kaseda Town

The trip started off right away with sun shines and match green tea. A professional tea master who was originally lived in Yokohama city, next to Tokyo, moved to Kagoshima to devote her time became a tea master in Japan. Tea is an extremely exquisite delicacy that people train all of their lives to master how to make it, serve it, and present it. This time around, our tea master, originally from Yokohoma city, has been studying the art of tea for over 30 years.

If you haven’t had real matcha green tea, I highly recommend it! There is nothing more balanced in life than a bitter tea taste with a sweet snack to follow. It’s like a roller-coaster of various tastes in your mouth. Make sure to hold on!

Samurai Festival

Takeda Shrine

Minami-Satsuma city is known for its samurai festival that takes place every Autumn. Kagoshima prefecture’s samurai culture is still very present with all of its festivals and cultural experiences dedicated to introducing the samurai culture to visitors.

One of the more well-known local events is The Samurai Festival. A mix of the local men and young boys who pose as samurai, devoting time to do a ceremonial parade in Takeda shrine.

Satsuma City still has historical remnants of Lord Jisshin presence. Originally part of the Izaku branch of the Shimadzu family line, his mother remarried into the Izaku branch. This made him heir of both clans for years to come. There was a eventually a civil war within the family which caused Jisshin to become a Buddhist monk. He then moved to Kaseda, where he started a new life, conducting ceremonies for both allies and enemies who lost their lives to the war.

Eventually Lord Jisshin created a series of 47 short poems that focused on moral behavior appropriate for warriors which then later shaped the education of Kagoshima. Lord Jisshin teachings are still relevant to this day. His 47 short poems were later turned into a famous Japanese game called Karuta.

A Popular Japanese Card Game

Karuta

Karuta is a well-known Japanese game that focuses on speed, agility, and hearing. Karuta test the how quick you connect words to phrases. The process is simple. A person is selected to read a set of Lord Jisshin’s poems. Before the person finishes reading the poem, the person who slaps the card that corresponds to the poem wins that round. Be careful though, as you may get slapped many times because karuta can get pretty competitive. The game finishes by the number of cards one has collected at the end of the game. Whoever has the most cards in their possession wins.

Wait, there is more! Within Satsuma city lies Kaseda town, full of well-preserved buildings during Lord Jisshin’s, the perfect stroll to end your journey in this lovely city. Want to know more information about what you are seeing, the city provides English and Japanese guided tours! Make your way to Satsuma City for a culturally delicious and rich experience.