Tea farms

Shizuoka prefecture is the first producer of Green tea in Japan therefore it’s a great place to be if you are a tea lover. We wanted to see theses farms from our eyes. We drink that tea every day but we don’t even know about it. This trip is turning into a tea trip. Let’s get lost a few days in the “tea valley”. We are going to Shimizu district now.

Meeting “Camellia Sinensis” , our really good friend.

This area of Shizuoka is so quiet and everyone knows each others. Very local.

One of the rare small shop in the area. Don’t expect to find convenient store here. They sell delicious dried sweet potatoe , a great snack !

Rural landscapes. Another pace of life.

Our house for one night. We experienced a traditional house stay for just 1000 yen each (7 euro). We met people really easily here and ended up in many interesting situations. The whole house was for us. It was really cold at night and quite scary on the way to the toilet but a great experience !

Tea farms and shops all over.

Tea factory. We got lucky to get inside and take a look.

Tea factory entrance.

Many machines inside are used to dry and separate the different leaves. Today only one woman was working inside. In winter season it is not a busy place but during harvest time in April all the machines are working. All the tea farmers from the area are gathering their tea to create the final product. In this area they mostly make Sencha.

Silhouette.

We had a break in a local restaurant.

Rice omelet , simple but nice food. Inside this restaurant we met the owner of the local Steel factory. He showed us his factory later on .

Making some dangerous show time (after drinking many sake)

Interesting people. This man lost his driving license on that day and had to bicycle for one month till he can drive again. He planned to sleep in his car for most days. He is also thanks to him that we could visit the tea factory because he knew the farmers.

It was time for us to explore these tea farms. We choosed to go on a hike in the mountains to see that from our eyes.

Getting higher and higher , such a serein area.

Tea tree and Fuji san.

Scenic place to work.

Railway system to gather the tea leaves.
Countless tea plantations all around. These belong to different farmers.

We also got lucky to met the farmers from Suisen , a famous farm in the area.
Two of the family members had their degree as Tea master. The owner prepared some really interesting tea for us. This was the first time we got to try such a high quality tea.

Tea tasting with the cat.

We could make 5 brews with this tea which is a lot. The taste was really strong and Umami. With time the taste changed and gave different flavors. Really amazing tea.
And also very expensive , for just 10 gram it cost 800 yen (around 5 euro). We bought a small packet each to drink for special occasions. The farmers were so sweet and very humble.

The main owners. I might come back here in April to work with some tea farmers. They knew some farmers that needed help. I’m very lucky to find this opportunity.

Tea adventure in Shizuoka area.

We spend 4 days in the area and had a relaxing and fun time. The tea culture in Japan is very strong and we could see that. Nowadays the younger generation are forgetting about it. In fact many young people only drink green tea in bottles from the vending machines. Coffee is becoming more and more a trend and as a result many knowledges are getting forgotten.

My love for Green tea has became stronger after this stop in Shimizu area. I would love to share this passion with others. Green tea is a drink that can cure and prevent many diseases. A drink that gives power and stamina. Drinking tea is also a ritual where you stop and connect with nature and others , in the most simple way. Tea culture is strongly part of the Japanese culture and that’s how it should stay. It is just like sharing cheese plate and wine for French people.

We now going back to civilization, to Shizuoka city.