Shizuoka tea | Japanese Tea from Shizuoka

Italian French German
| Inquiry | Link |
Top » Shizuoka tea

Shizuoka tea

History of Shizuoka Tea

Mt. Fuji
Shizuoka has the best view of Mt. Fuji which is the highest mountain in Japan.
At the foot of Mt. Fuji, you can see dark green spots here and there. They are all tea plantations.
Shizuoka Prefecture is about 40% of the entire tea production in Japan.
Shizuoka has established its position as the top distribution point in Japan.

It was about 800 years ago when tea plantations were started in Shizuoka.
It is said that Shoichi Kokushi was the first person who started tea plantations in Japan. He brought tea seeds from China and planted the seeds in his hometown, Shizuoka.
After that, tea plantation spread especially among buddhist temples.
Shoichi Kokushi

Shizuoka tea the most liked in the world

trading with foreign countries
In the mid 19th century when samurai’s age was over, Japan was re-born as a modern society. As trading with foreign countries became active, Shizuoka tea gained a high reputation as a quality item and the exports to Europe and the United States expanded.
Shimizu Port in Shizuoka City
Over 30,000 tons of Japanese tea was exported every year to the United States and other countries until the 1930's.
Most of the exported tea was sent from Shimizu Port in Shizuoka City which has a wonderful view of beautiful Mt. Fuji can be seen from the port.

Sencha manufacturing was done by the workmen’s hand work in those days.
During the time when Japanese tea export was active, foreign tea dealers had their liaison offices and factories inside Shizuoka to buy Japanese tea.
These foreign buyers set up their houses in Shizuoka, and cultivated a relationship with people in Shizuoka.
the tea workmen in Shizuoka
Under this situation, tea manufacture machines have been developed based on the skills and technologies of the tea workmen in Shizuoka. Tea manufacturing machines with high technologies have their base of operations in Shizuoka.
Now Shizuoka has become the center of a nationwide market of Sencha, and its handles dose to 70% of the entire country.

High quality Sencha is grown on a ravine ground. Hon-yama is especially famous for Sencha production.
To make more delicious tea, the leaves are sometimes protected with thin covers.
Quality tea leaves are handpicked one by one so as not to be hurt.
By handpicking, a person can pick only about 10kg of crude leaves a day.
The amount of tea leaves processed from 10kg crude leaves is only about 2kg.
handpicking
The hand rolling process has been mechanized.
Harvested tea leaves are processed into Aracha at a factory.
First, the tea leaves are steamed.
By steaming the tea leaves, they are prevented from being damaged by oxidizing enzyme so as to keep the clear green water color of Japanese green tea unchanged.
The steaming period is different depending on the kind of tea. Recommended steaming period is about 30 to 40 seconds for mountain teas and about 100 to 130 seconds for Fukamushicha.

Next, the tea leaves are rolled and dried.
If tea leaves are rolled by hands, they are heated on Hoiro. If tea leaves are rolled by machines, they are dried by the hot wind.

The tea leaves are made long and slender like a needle while the moisture is taken away little by little.
Meanwhile, the temperature of the tea leaves is kept at human temperature. At last, the moisture is adjusted at about 5% with a dryer.

Shizuoka tea is produced only through such an elaborate process.
japanese tea picker
| Dealing with the personal Information | Inquiry | Link |
Copyright (c) 2010 静岡商工会議所 All Rights Reserved.