Largest Producer of Green Tea in Japan

A Long Tradition

Shizuoka accounts for 45% of Japan’s overall tea production, and the prefecture is at the leading-edge of research on the benefits that can be obtained from green tea. Green tea plantations date back to 1241, when a monk named Shoichi Kokushi returned from Sung China to his native province of Shizuoka with green tea seeds, which were then planted in this area. Tea growing became economically important in Shizuoka after the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, when a former retainer of the shogun began to cultivate green tea in Makinohara for its trade potential. Shizuoka’s climate, the quality of its water, as well as its proximity to major ports all enhanced this area’s position as a major green tea producer. Green tea comes in a number of different varieties suitable for drinking on different occasions.

Tea field spreads at the foot of Mt. Fuji. (Courtesy of National Federation of Land Improvement Association)

Experience Green Tea in Shizuoka

From Tea Leaf Picking to Japanese Tea Ceremony

Shizuoka goes beyond simply producing tea and makes every effort to introduce the pleasures of tea to the world through a variety of facilities and events. The World Tea Museum, located in the well-known tea-growing area of Makinohara, offers detailed exhibits on tea, Japanese tea ceremony rooms, as well as regular events such as introductions to Chinese tea ceremony. The Kaori-no-Oka ("Fragrant Hill") Chapia also offers Japanese tea ceremony along with the chance to pick tea by hand and make it yourself. In the gardens of Kakegawa Castle, the Ninomaru Tearoom offers a traditional setting for sampling the famous local tea.

The World Tea Museum in Makinohara

World O-CHA (Tea) Festival 2010