When I visited Sagata, a large Ramsar wetland in Nishi Ward, Niigata City, for cycling purposes, I happened to find a shop called 'Herbland Season'.

It was my first visit to Sagata and I found the wilderness more intact than I had imagined, and when I was exhausted, the shop suddenly appeared amidst the dense foliage.

Why is there a shop here (surrounded by nothing but tall trees, fields and lagoons)? I was a little puzzled, but decided to stop by to sit down and take a rest, and also because of my overflowing curiosity. Go up the wooden stairs. The shop can be seen at the top of the hill-like terrain about 5-6 metres up from the entrance sign.

As it claims to be a herbal brand, you can smell the delicious aroma of herbs from the time you start walking up the stairs. You approach the shop by crossing fields and plastic greenhouses where herbs are cultivated. The path leading to the shop is also pleasant to the eye, with beautiful flowers planted along the edge of the path in addition to herbs.

The shop looks like a log cabin and blends in well with the surrounding landscape, with a covered terrace facing the direction of Sagata, which I imagine must be very pleasant on a sunny day (it was cloudy on the day of the interview. Shame.) (It was cloudy on the day of the interview, unfortunately.

Finally, we enter the restaurant. There was one customer in the shop who seemed to be a regular. She was chatting happily with the female waitress. We were first asked whether we wanted to sit on the terrace or inside the restaurant, and as the wind was a little strong, we asked to sit inside. The shop is filled with the fresh aroma of herbs and has a unique atmosphere with dried herbs hanging from the ceiling.

There was nothing that looked like a menu, but they had a 'herbal tea experience' where you could enjoy your favourite blend of herbal tea for as much as you wanted for 500 yen. There was also a plate of today's cake for 300 yen, but we ordered only herbal tea for now. There were about 50 kinds of herbs to choose from. Anyway, there are a lot of them. As a herbal tea novice, I was at a loss as to what was what, but the waitress was quick to help me out and after asking me about my preferences and physical condition, she adjusted the best blend for me.

The first cup was a refreshing lemon-flavoured blend with lemongrass and lemon pearls. Everything from the aroma to the taste is already great. You can really feel the fatigue of cycling being healed. It's just delicious.

For the second and third cups, I tried my best to make it by myself, following the waiter's example, which was a lot of fun. You can make your own unique blend from a number of herbs, using the herb tea book you were lent or your intuition at the time, and after three minutes of pouring hot water into the pot, you will be impressed when the taste is close to what you imagined. I would like you to experience it for yourself. I felt while making it that it was like a chemistry experiment.

The shop also sells other dyed goods that are actually dyed in the shop, all of which are so attractive that you can't help but reach for them.

This shop is a must-visit for those who like herbal tea, but also for those who don't know what herbal tea is. The delicious herbal teas you can taste in the great outdoors are the best.



Shop information

Herbrand Season

• 5073 Akatsuka, Nishi-ku, Niigata 950-2261, Niigata, Japan
• TEL025-239-3288
• http://www.herblandseason.com/