Hello, this is Yachirin.
Today, I’d like to take a brief detour from matcha, if I may…
Let me share seven small stories about something I dearly love: the color green.

1. Until Moss Takes Root

In the corners of shrine grounds, in the crevices of old stone walls, moss quietly weaves itself into the world.
It doesn’t demand attention—yet it gently wears the passage of time.
To me, moss green isn’t just a color.
It’s a soft kindness held within the very air.

2. The Whisper of Fresh Maple

Before they blush red in autumn, maple leaves shimmer in a translucent green from spring to early summer.
When sunlight filters through them, their clarity feels pure and untainted—
like the heart of someone who has yet to be colored by the world.

3. The Gem Called Jade

“Jade” might sound noble, distant, perhaps even cold.
But it’s really a quiet miracle—formed by sea, mountain, and time.
Cool to the eye, warm to the touch.
I even wear a small jade piece on my obi clip, you know.

4. The Soaked-Through Colors of Vegetables

The pale green of cucumbers. The dusky green of fava beans. The deep green of peppers.
Each one carries its own “taste memory”—
scents and textures preserved in the mind.
Green, in food, becomes a seasonal journal of flavor.

5. Bamboo Leaves Lit by Lantern Light

At a nighttime tea gathering, I once placed a lantern beside a bamboo grove.
Its gentle glow flickered through the leaves,
creating a stillness too beautiful for words.
Of all the greens I’ve ever seen,
perhaps the most calming was that fleeting shadow of bamboo in the dark.

6. A Story of Fabric That Never Fades

In the lining of an old juban, green threads quietly remain, their color unfaded.
Though the fabric has worn over time, this part alone stays vivid.
Hidden where no one could see, it kept its beauty intact.
Isn’t that just like a person with quiet strength?

7. The Color of My Hair

Oh, and—yes, my hair is green too.
Maybe it’s the sum of all these stories—moss, maple, vegetables, jade, cloth, bamboo.
Not just one of them, but all of them, gently woven together.
That’s why I love this color so much.

Hehe. Green is a curious color, isn’t it?
Quiet, deep, and somehow warm.
If, the next time you encounter something green,
you remember just one of these little stories—
then I’ll be very happy indeed.