A letter to my Kago Compatriots

My Dear Kagoshima Farmily-Extended-Family,

I cannot think of a better way to spend a four-hour layover than to express my deepest gratitude to you all. These past five days, you have each affected me profoundly. As I sit here now at the back of this Haneda lounge in near solitude, I reflect back on the experiences we shared and I see your beautiful faces floating through my mind. In this moment, my heart is very full. 

In a world that is undergoing so much turbulence and division, your collective eagerness to turn strangers into friends fills me with the greatest of hope for humanity. We were plucked from all corners of the globe, thrown together in a cozy joy-ride under the guise of a common goal. I say the word "guise" not to belittle our common purpose in tea. But I say this word because I have always believed that for me at least, our vocation in tea is not the end goal, but rather a segue to something even greater. Perhaps you may agree the bond we created in such a short time is testament to this theory.

Each of you have indeed given me that "something greater". I will start with Clare, the first person I met in our group. Clare, thank you for your candour, your inclusivity, and your humour. I will always remember the giggling fit at the tea fair and how the absurdity of the moment just kept piling on like hot sand being shovelled over a group of unsuspecting tea merchants. I will never know why Michael didn’t just hand you that tea cake like a normal person but decided to get down on one knee and propose with it. Then Oliver tried to keep a straight face, pretending to earnestly leaf through that stupid catalogue in front of the TV crew, only to make the laughing fits way worse. Oh my God.

Speaking of Oliver, you are one over-achieving young man aren't you? A worldly polyglot, I admire your courage to persistently immerse yourself in the worlds of others. Nothing seems beyond you, you are adventurous and bold. Throughout the trip you kept us enthralled by your tales of the exotic and often bizarre – from eating dog to gutting fish in your hotel bathtub. Thank you for being the glue to our group and more often than once, the comic relief with all your bumbling obsessions.

On the flipside of course is captain of the ship, steady-as-she-goes, Michael – or so we thought haha. Thank you for sharing your experiences about the tea trade and being so collegial throughout the trip. You are like a calm and collected big brother, but of course, like most such people, there is indeed another side. The party animal definitely came out, I will remember the laughs, the songs, the smokes the “rokuyom”style of shoju drinking as we bonded with our brother farmers.

Just as I looked to Michael as my senpai if only by a mere few years, so too did Suyi ascribe the senpai title to me. I think we can all agree, there are not many people we meet that will ever be quite as sweet, caring and thoughtful as Ms Suyi. Thank you for all our Taiwanese treats, thank you for all the wonderful Mando-Anglo-Canto mash-up conversations as we attempted to connect with each other. Brewing tea alongside you at Shimokubo was an honour – your oolong preparation was 非常好! I will forever remember you running all the way from Tenmonkan just before departure to give me the proper Kagoshima treat I had been meaning to get, only to then have to immediately dash all the way back to make it in time.  I am so touched.

Our dear Katarina will be a force to be reckoned with. I admire your inquisitive nature and your dedication to learning. It is with this attitude that I am sure will continue to lend credibility to your endeavours. Curiosity is a great virtue and with your thirst for knowledge I am sure you will have the power to steer the market in a better direction. I think you will be one of this upcoming generation’s great custodians of matcha. I wish you much success and my regards to hubby and of course baby Leticia.

And of course, last but definitely not least, the great talent that is Manae san. You are one of the brightest, most capable young people I have ever met. You need not prove anything to anybody, the moment we all met you, your talent was palpable. You have great ability to navigate between generations and across cultures. We would be a pack of lost foreign sheep without your help. You volunteered at every turn to translate things for others and always the first to help serve and lend a hand to our hosts as we see you proudly carry the weight of your culture so effortlessly, so willingly and so kindly. It was nice to hear you tell me you have found a purpose in life and there is no question in my mind you will be a great success. Thank you so much for your hospitality.

So my dears, I eagerly look forward to the next time we meet. Should any of you ever make your way to the land Downunder, you know who to call. I will cherish our bond and please know you will always have a friend in me.

Yours,

Arthur