Page:Things Japanese (1905).djvu/466

454 rule, the seeds are planted in terraces on gentle hill slopes; but level ground may also be availed of, provided it be kept thoroughly drained. The shrub is not allowed to attain a height of more than three or four feet. It is ready for picking in the third year, but is at its best from the fifth to the tenth year. The first picking takes place at the end of April or beginning of May, and lasts three or four weeks. There is a second in June or July, and sometimes a third.

As soon as possible after being picked, the leaves are placed in a round wooden tray with a brass wire bottom over boiling water. This process of steaming, which is complete in half a minute, brings the natural oil to the surface. The next and principal operation is the firing, which is done in a wooden frame with tough Japanese paper stretched across it, charcoal well-covered with ash being the fuel employed. This first firing is done at a temperature of about 120 Fahrenheit. Meanwhile the leaf is manipulated for hours by men who roll it into balls with the palms of their hands. The final result is that each leaf becomes separately twisted, and changes its colour to dark olive purple. Two more firings at lower temperatures ensue, after which the leaf is allowed to dry until it becomes quite brittle. Sometimes—and we believe this to have been the common practice in ancient days—the leaf is not fired at all, but only sun-dried.

All genuine Japanese tea is what we should term "green." It is partaken of, not only at meal-times, but also at intervals throughout the day. The cups are very small, and no milk or sugar is added. The tea drunk in respectable Japanese house holds generally costs 25 to 50 sen a lb., while from 1 to 3 yen will be paid for a better quality fit to set before an honoured guest. The choicest Uji tea costs 10 yen per lb. We have even heard of exceptionally fine samples being charged for at the rate of 25 yen per lb.; but the so-called "best qualities" sold at most shops are only from 5 to 7 yen. At the opposite end of the scale stands the so-called bancha, the tea of the lower classes, 10 to 15 sen per lb., made out of chopped leaves, stalks, and bits of