My name is Sumie Nakamura and I am from Japan and I have been living in Malta since 1999.  Japan being so far away from here, most people do not know about the country or the culture so much.  There are also so many ‘good things’ in Japan which you cannot find here.  I would like to introduce some ‘good things’ which you will find unique, traditional, sophisticated, practical and delicious as much as possible.

 

j-okini means ‘j’ for Japan and ‘okini’ comes from Ookini meaning ‘thank you’ in dialect of Kyoto – my home town.  The motto of j-okini is to introduce ‘good things’ from Japan and to please customers.

 

Through j-okini, we are not only selling the products from Japan, but also introducing Japanese culture and tradition to Europe.  Even the Japanese Kimono maker which we are getting scarves from, they would like to show the world their beautiful woven fabrics.  I’m very glad to have become a bridge to Europe for them.

 

It was my father who suggested to me that we should sell Matcha Cappuccino to Europe.  He likes to stroll around with his bicycle in Kyoto and discover small yet traditional shops.  This is how he found a tea shop which produces Matcha Cappuccino – now it has become his favourite drink.  The shop is established in 1859 and they are proud of their tea products and assure us their quality.

 

Soon after, I dived into the Matcha world and Japanese green tea.  I didn’t know that Japanese green teas were so special and we’ve started to drink it every day.  I started to notice right away that it gives me calm alert and long lasting energy.  They also have strengthen our immunity.  Not only the health benefits but it also gives us some relaxing time.   I’ve also learned the history of craftsmanship that tea farmers have spent their lives to achieve and even now.  I would like people to know goodness of Japanese green tea and I would like to see more of our customers healthier with our teas!

 

I am a mother of 3 and I am very into healthy life style especially food since the first child was born.  We are not vegetarian or vegan but we follow balanced diet with a bit of treats.  I am posting some recipes of Matcha desserts that I make for kids in our blog.  It’s not sugary if there is sugar in the recipe.

 

This photo was taken by a talented Glen Slattery at Casa Natura in Sliema where I do tea tasting monthly.  I have a dream to open Japanese cafe in the future but until then come try our tea at our tea tasting – you can check our facebook event page for more details.

Tea tasting
Tea tasting

Check out our update from our facebook page or Instagram!

Instagram: @jokiniproductsfromjapan