Amongst the tattoo parlors and smoke shops of St Marks, I came across a warm little hideaway, tucked away up a flight of stairs and behind a red curtain. The moment I pushed the red curtain aside and stepped into the dimly lit room, the sweet smell of matcha and vanilla greeted me. The shop itself could probably fit no more than four people at once, allowing for a truly intimate tea experience.
“Ichi-go ichi-e means that each moment is unique,” said Nanako Mizutani, the owner of this small East Village tearoom, as she explained to me the delicate balance of tranquility and care that makes up the Japanese tea culture.
Nanako grew up in Yokohama, Japan but later moved to Canada to begin her foray into the tea business. In Toronto, she had a bubble tea shop that served primarily high school students. She became disheartened with this business after a while, however, uncomfortable with the unwholesome ingredients that went into making bubble tea. “I felt guilty for serving my customers something unhealthy,” she said.
When Nanako learned from a friend that a space had opened up on St Marks Place in New York City, she decided to open Nohohon. The shop would make use of only healthy ingredients and would bring the beauty and tranquility of Japanese tea culture to the busy streets of Manhattan. The word nohohon, Nanako pointed out, actually means tranquility and is a concept that she makes central to everything she does inside her tea house.
Nanako poured a cup of "Tokyo Fog,” her favorite mixture. "It’s named after London Fog, but this is made with real matcha.” "Real matcha?" I asked. I learned that most of the matcha in the United States is not actually matcha, but something called cooking green tea powder, which is much more suitable to cooking than to drinking. She went on to explain, “They come from the same plant, but the process to make matcha is stricter. We get all our tea from a tea farmer in Japan."
Many believe that a cup of green tea a day will ward off a plethora of diseases. Whether this is true or not, sipping on a cup of Tokyo Fog can certainly help to melt away any stress that one is experiencing - at least for the moment. In a hurried, bustling city like New York, where coffee reigns supreme, it was refreshing to slow down, cherish the moment in true ichi-go ichi-e style, and wrap my hands around a fresh cup of tranquility.
