"Green Tea Living" by Toshimi A. Kayaki

Although my tea interests usually lean to the girly, frilly, English-Afternoon-Tea style of things, I can easily be drawn into learning about tea culture in other parts of the globe. I just read an intriguing book inspired by Japan, "Green Tea Living," which opened my eyes to a lot more than just green tea.

The author, Toshimi Kayaki, now lives in the U.S. but grew up in Japan. There she observed her mother and grandmother both living what we would probably consider a very "thrifty" lifestyle and which she calls a "green tea life." In addition to drinking green tea for health and to maintain body weight, they also re-used the leaves of green tea for everything from cosmetics (as a facial mask) to garden care (as a fertilizer) and home cleaning (as a tool to help you "power clean" the floors). On the topic of weight, I was intrigued by the author's comment that in Japan, many people recommend eating only until you're 80 percent full and then leaving some space for green tea at the end of the meal. I've lost weight over the past year by focusing on eating only when I'm physically hungry, so this advice definitely resonated with me.

I also enjoyed reading Kayaki's observations about how much the elderly walk in Japan. One day she was in Japan on vacation and came across five elderly neighbor ladies at a local train station. They all got off at the same station, and though the ladies all took the long flight of stairs to the top, Kayaki took the escalator. One of the ladies told her, "You are still young. You have to use your legs, otherwise you will have a miserable old age." I read that quote at lunch one day (while drinking green tea, let me add!), and then I made a point of *walking* the three blocks to the post office instead of driving as I often do in winter!

Many of these Japanese ways of living can (and perhaps should) be incorporated into our lives, and a few of the suggestions I "westernized" so they will be applicable to my own way of life. I'm not a fan of tofu, for instance, yet I definitely feel better when I eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. And while the author mentioned burning incense and going to the Buddhist temple, I like to light candles in my home, and I find solace in going to a Christian church. Overall I found this simple and quickly-read volume encourages healthier ways of eating, cleaning, working and living—and the icing on the cake is that so very many of them are inspired by green tea. Kayaki also has a charming style of writing, and I imagine if any of us ever had a chance to meet her we would have much in common and would enjoy many pleasant cups of tea together!