Japanese or Chinese that is the question ! :)

Winter morning... pale white sky... I am making some chinese tea " Tie guan yin " ( autumn one ) friends just brought me back from Paris... I cut a pink camellia flower from one of my trees and some bamboo leaves... Camellia and Bamboo ( Tsubaki to Take ) are known as winter plants in Japan... And what a surprise, this tea I made in a little refined purple clay chinese teapot has the delicate flavours of camellia and jasmine... The bright white little " zhong " with plum design fits well the yellow liqueur... I liked it so much I put hot water twice in the teapot :)
At this time I feel how Japanese and Chinese way of tea are related... I feel the " wabi sabi " and the peace of mind...

Mochi Mochi Mochi !

As you already may know... I like japanese sweets ! But is difficult to find them in France, especially outside from Paris.. Since i would like to offer some of them in our guest house " Takeyama Ryokan ", aside from the ones i cook on my own, i found a place to get some easily...
This time i took a little picture before eating them lol ! from right to left : pink one is " Sakura mochi " ( sticky rice with cherry aroma, stuffed with azuki beans and covered by a steamed cherry tree leaf ... my favourite one ! ), green one is " Yomogi daifuku " ( yomogi is the name for " artemisia vulgaris " plant good against tiredness, it is stuffed with azuki beans ), black one is " Kurogoma daifuku " ( black sesame powder over this mochi stuffed with azuki beans ).