The town of Wazuka in southern Kyoto Prefecture has recently been in the spotlight as a producer of quality tea leaves. It produces around 40 percent of renowned Uji tea and 20 percent of choice Tencha leaves used in matcha nationally. The vista of the mountain tea plantations attracts many tourists. Discover how farmers running a popular guesthouse, housemakers tackling the challenges of a sustainable lifestyle, and other villagers strive to ensure their fragrant tea culture remains relevant.
Core Kyoto.
The popularity of matcha spread as the tea ceremony evolved.
Spring, harvest time in Kyoto.
Farmers in Wazuka have perpetuated traditional tea-growing skills for generations.
Each farmer is focused on producing good tea
that drinkers will instantly find delicious.
That's Wazuka's strength.
The meticulously produced tea has depth and a rich aroma.
The taste even appeals to younger generations.
There's no edge. Drinking it
leaves you calm and serene.
I really wanted to learn about tea production, so I love drinking tea.
And I wanted to learn more about what it was like to produce the tea and grow the tea.
Um, and it's so beautiful here.
Great place to learn.
The tea produced in this mountain town attracts tea aficionados from around the world.
Core Kyoto explores the aspirations of residents in one of Japan's premier tea producing areas.
Wazuka in the very south of Kyoto Prefecture.
In April, the mountains are a verdant green with the tea plantations almost ready to harvest.
The town is the main producer of top grade, aromatic green tea which is part of the Uji tea brand.
Today it accounts for around 45 percent of the tea grown in Kyoto Prefecture.
Tea cultivation in the area first began at nearby Kaijusen-ji.
Tea cultivation, which originated in China, arrived in Wazuka in the 13th century with the first bushes being planted here in the foothills.
Today about 260 households work the surrounding fields.
Leaves harvested in spring are referred to as "new tea."
They are highly aromatic and of excellent quality.
The bushes are rounded, allowing the sun to evenly reach all the leaves.
Minato Kenichiro is the sixth generation to tend this plantation since it was established in the mid-19th century.
Today it stretches over 10 locations within the town and the tea he produces is acclaimed for its quality.
Wazuka has many inclines.
As you can see, we work
even the very steep slopes.
The daytime and nighttime
temperatures differ greatly.
And the fog diffuses the sun
to produce nice, soft tea.
The fields are located on the mountainsides to limit the amount of time the bushes are exposed to direct sunshine,
so the contrast in temperatures is great.
Farmers over the centuries developed methods that suit the local climate and geography to produce fine tea.
Tea leaves contain a type of amino acid called theanine.
The more they contain the sweeter and higher in umami they are.
However, if the leaves are exposed to too much sunshine, theanine converts into catechin causing them to become astringent and bitter.
Therefore, the amount of sunlight needs to be controlled as they grow.
The Minato family's busiest time of year starts in late April and lasts around a month.
They spread black sheets over the tea plants just before the spring harvest.
The covering blocks 75 percent of the sunlight.
This style of cultivation became popular 50 years ago.
Manually controlling the amount of sunlight suppresses the amount of catechin produced and nurtures tea leaves rich in umami.
The weather plays a large role.
If it's too cold,
the plants grow slowly.
We are watchful and ask the tea
if it needs to be covered.
And the more you check on the fields,
the more the plants to respond.
I've judged that it's good timing
to cover the leaves today.
Tea infuses all aspects of the work.
Let's take a break.
A Japanese phrase for taking a break means "to take a cup."
Minato's wife has prepared tea with room-temperature water.
This tea was covered for 17 days,
so it has a strong umami.
I drink it often like this because
it's sweeter when steeped in cold water.
Delicious.
A cup of tea is a nice diversion for this family of tea farmers.
I strive to produce
delicious, smile-inducing tea.
For us, it's quality over quantity.
Harvest time draws near.
One week later.
The Minatos roll back the covers and begin the harvest.
The length of time the trees are covered - between one to three weeks - dictates the type of tea produced and its flavor.
These leaves are destined to become the most popular type of tea, "sencha."
We harvest the bushes
three times a year in Wazuka.
Right now, the shoots are budding
and the leaves are opening.
Tea made with one bud and
two or three leaves is delicious.
As they get larger, the tea takes on
an odd flavor and is less tasty, so I prefer to cut them
the same size if I can.
They work in pairs holding the machinery that cuts only the shoots.
If older leaves are also cut, there is a loss of flavor and the tea will taste peculiar, so the farmers must concentrate.
It's a gentle bouquet.
We're finally harvesting after
tending them for so long.
This is the product of living
with the tea for a year.
The leaves are then transported to a shared factory for steaming.
Minato controls the entire production process.
This step decides the leaves' firmness.
If they're not steamed enough,
they smell grassy.
Their growth differs depending on
whether the fields face north or south.
I listen to the tea, but it's still hard
after all these years.
The leaves are kneaded as they dry.
Even though the process is automated, Minato keeps watch.
Excess moisture is removed
for evenness.
Pressure is applied to press and crush
the leaves to release the moisture.
In the final kneading process, the moisture is evaporated as the leaves are straightened.
A sweet aroma slowly emerges.
Minato monitors the aroma and texture to judge when to move onto the next step.
The tea leaves gradually take on a vivid hue.
Around five hours later, the new tea is ready.
The tea sliding down and
the mountain collapsing - is proof that the buds are
fine and of a good quality.
The tea has the ideal astringency and sweetness, and a nice aroma.
To make the perfect cup of "sencha," Minato suggests pouring hot water heated to 70 degrees Celcius into a pot and letting it stand for 90 seconds.
Family custom dictates that all members try the new tea.
It has good flavor.
Delicious, as expected.
There is a sweetness in
the sencha's astringency.
I love the aroma of new tea.
"Kabusecha," which means "shaded tea," is covered 10 days longer than "sencha."
It is high in umami and has a strong taste.
"Hojicha" is "sencha" roasted to heighten its aroma, and it is low in caffeine and catechin.
The type of tea depends on how the bushes are cultivated and leaves processed.
Now that the Minatos have enjoyed a break with a brew of "new tea," they are ready to start harvesting anew.
One farming household, which specializes in a type of tea called "tencha," has tea fields in 39 locations in Wazuka.
They also have a side business.
Fourth-generation farmer Kita Noriko wants more people to learn diverse ways to enjoy tea.
In 2017, she renovated her parents' home into a hands-on, experience-based pension.
Stays at the 60-year-old traditional farmhouse are limited to one group per night to allow a personalized experience.
Kita has finally reopened the pension after temporarily closing it during the pandemic.
Newlyweds from Osaka stay on this day.
"Konnichi wa."
"Irasshaimase."
- "Osewa ni narimasu."
- "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu."
First, Kita welcomes them, of course, with a cup of "tencha" - tea which is grown shaded from the sun longer than any other type.
She brews it using room-temperature water and leaves it to steep for five minutes.
The tea's umami is best enjoyed
when it's cold brewed, so today I used
room-temperature water.
On hotter days, I recommend
an ice brew using just ice.
- "Itadakimasu."
- "Hai, dozo."
Tasty.
Delicious. It's flavorful.
It has umami. It's mild.
- You rarely get to taste tea like this.
- No, not often.
It makes me happy when guests feel
the importance of treasuring time spent - with someone special
over a cup of tea.
Next, the guests are taken to the tea fields.
One section left unharvested by machine is saved exclusively for harvesting by hand.
Kita hopes that giving her visitors the opportunity to handpick tea leaves will heighten their interest in Wazuka and tea.
New buds will sprout from
where you've just plucked.
Tea is harvested three times a year.
The leaves now are the softest and
full of nutrition, so they are delicious.
I'm totally absorbed.
There are few places for kids today
to actually learn - that the green tea everyone drinks
comes from plants like this.
I think it's important
they experience that firsthand.
The freshly picked leaves will be used as ingredients.
Kita studied cooking before opening the pension.
These are the leaves from
the "tencha" they drank earlier.
This is "namafu" gluten topped
with a matcha-miso sauce.
Using new tea leaves as an ingredient in tempura is a local, seasonal favorite.
Kita's full-course dinner using tea is popular.
Before the pandemic, people found it difficult to make reservations at her pension due to its popularity with overseas tourists.
This is tempura using the buds you
plucked earlier and creeping saxifrage.
Eating tea like this is unique to here.
I never knew about it.
The slight bitterness of the tea leaves and their umami are balanced in different ways depending on the dish.
I've enjoyed exploring
different aspects of tea.
You're right.
As the last course, sencha is poured over rice.
The tea's astringency refreshes the palate.
I've only known tea to be drunk, or used
in sweets, so I was surprised and impressed.
I prepared various courses today,
but there are other ways to enjoy tea.
I've prepared a tea bath for you today.
If you come up with ideas on different ways
to use tea in your daily life, please try them.
Tea is being used in original ways to revitalize the township.
This specialty store only sells Wazuka tea products.
The approximately 140 items include locally grown tea and products made with tea.
One of the best-sellers is tea "tsukudani," a salty-sweet preserve made by simmering tea leaves, Japanese mountain pepper,
and whitebait in soy sauce, mirin and sugar.
The recipe was conceived by a volunteer group of non-farming, local homemakers, organized in 2005.
They gather twice a week to brainstorm ideas about tea specialty products, experiment, and bring them to fruition.
The "tsukudani" was one of their early successes.
You steep the tea in a pot and drink it,
but 65% of the nutrients remain in the leaves.
When we heard that,
we thought it such a waste.
We tried simmering them in "tsukudani,"
and it was surprisingly tasty.
Now we proudly offer it
as a regular item.
On this day, they make sweet tea-dumplings.
Three batches of dough, made with rice flour, are each kneaded with "sencha," "hojicha," and matcha, rolled into balls, and steamed.
The potential of tea leaves knows no boundary.
One Wazuka farming organization promotes the local tea internationally.
A wall in the entrance to its offices is plastered with photographs.
Pictured are all the people from around the world who have participated in its internship program.
The program was put on hold during the pandemic, but it was restarted in April 2022 when four interns from abroad arrived for three months' training in tea production.
It's just a different flavor that I'm used to back home.
Ah, one of my favorite flavors is umami, so it's nice that green tea have got so many different varieties.
Ah, for example, you have your "sencha."
I like it cold, personally.
I love tea and Japan.
So, I've really loved Japanese tea.
In fact, I've been drinking matcha for maybe over 10 years, almost every day.
And, I wanted to learn more about Japanese teas.
I love being to be out here harvesting in the fields and listen to the sounds of the birds in the background and just look at the deep blue sky and beyond the mountains.
It's just something.
It's a really special experience, and so I'm really happy to be an intern here.
Kita Akihiro considers the interns as tea ambassadors; they are the key to having more people around the world enjoying Wazuka tea.
We work hard to promote tea
across the globe, not just how it's produced but also
general knowledge and how to enjoy it.
We want more people
around the world to drink our tea.
Mid-May, and the Minato family are harvesting a different variety of tea.
These will become "gyokuro."
The bushes have space above them
so the cover doesn't touch the leaves.
The ground is cooler and
the bushes grow very slowly - to produce the sweetness and richness
in "gyokuro," so the leaves go a dark green.
These are the final days of the spring harvest.
We were blessed with
good weather this year.
March was not cold,
and the shoots thrived.
Overall, we harvested a good,
healthy crop. It's perfect.
Top-grade "gyokuro," grown with much tender loving care, is packed with sweetness and umami.
"Tencha," which is used to make matcha, is covered and not kneaded during processing, much like "gyokuro."
Today, Wazuka is one of the top domestic producers of "tencha" in terms of output.
After the "tencha" is shipped, preparations start for the summer harvest.
I strive to make Japan's most
delicious tea, here in Wazuka, and in time I want people abroad
to drink it too.
I'd be thrilled if my tea puts
smiles on faces.
Tea farmers work with an eye on the weather and an ear to the thriving tea leaves.
Keeping up with the times, they continue to refine their methods.
Unchanged is their passion and the pride they take in their work.