We dropped into the tranquil Temple of the Western Paradise, and refreshed ourselves at a small tea house, sitting under a wisteria trellis on wooden trestles covered with bright red drapes. The sign advertised amazake, but we decided instead to fortify ourselves with bowls of matcha.
Mine came with small sweets called rakugan, fashioned from premium wasanbon sugar. Intense but short-lived sweetness on the tongue, to pave the way for the jade bitterness of the powdered tea.
Flavors to elevate the consciousness.
