It’s been a long while and many cups ago, that I’ve put words down here, but returns are returns and that is perhaps what matters most.
This year has been one of returns to Japan, and in particular to a small village tucked into a valley that is home to one of the most coveted teas (no matcha…this has to be said) made by the latest incarnation of a famed house and name.
The master’s life, his approach to living, and his very special teas, are the focus of a documentary that I’m filming with a wonderful team of people. As much as the eternal leaf is the focus, it is very much an effort to document the context and efforts that surround the tea. Struggles, tradition, and intuition all are imparted into the leaves themselves.
It has been a collective immersion into the leaves and life of a modern master of the leaf. Like with many of the true masters, this little moniker of ‘master’ is one that I give to him. He recoils at the title but it does need to be used, particularly in a time when the use of the word master, seems to be thrown around almost casually.
Very much looking forward to sharing more and moving forward.
Nothing without the collective – left to right: Martin, Joseph, Jeff, Dee
About JeffFuchs
Having lived for a decade in Yunnan, Fuchs’ work has centred on indigenous mountain cultures, oral histories along with an obsessive interest in tea.
Fuchs is the author of 'The Ancient Tea Horse Road' (Viking-Penguin) and he was the subject of 'The Tea Explorer' documentary based on his exploration of the Tea Horse Road.
His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in publications such as Kyoto Journal, TRVL, and Outpost Magazine, as well as The Spanish Expedition Society, The Earth, Silkroad Foundation, The China Post Newspaper, The Toronto Star, The South China Morning Post, and UNESCO amongst others. Various pieces of his work are part of private collections in Europe, North America, and Asia. Fuchs served as Asian Editor at Large for five years at award-winning Outpost magazine.
Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks on both the importance of oral traditions, tea and mountain cultures.
His recently released book ‘The Ancient Tea Horse Road’ (Penguin-Viking Publishers) details his 8-month groundbreaking journey traveling and chronicling one of the world’s great trade routes, The Tea Horse Road. Fuchs is the first westerner to have completed the entire route stretching almost six thousand kilometers through the Himalayas a dozen cultures.
Fuchs partnered with Wild China to create a journey along the Tea Horse Road which National Geographic Traveler called one of the "50 Trips of a Lifetime".
He is co-founder of Akahiao Nature Institute on the island of Hawai'i along with his wife, Julie Rogers.
