As tea production methods spread, centering around Uji in the Yamashiro region of southern Kyoto Prefecture, tea plantations also spread. We will introduce the current tea plantations throughout Kyoto Prefecture where the representative varieties of Japanese tea, matcha, sencha, and gyokuro, are produced.
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Kyotango City
Kyotango City is a new tea-producing region in the prefecture, where tea was first planted about 20 years ago. The city cultivates 14 varieties of tea on approximately 36 hectares of land, primarily on nationally developed farmland in four towns within the city (Omiya, Amino, Yasaka, and Kumihama). Because each tea plantation is so large, much of the work is done with a ride-on cultivator. A distinctive feature of the region is its ingenious pesticide management, allowing it to produce tea suitable for export to three regions—the EU, North America, and Taiwan—a rare sight in the prefecture. Despite the harsh natural environment, including snow and strong winds, producers and related organizations work together to further improve the quality of Uji tea, contributing to the development of attractive tea.
Fukuchiyama City
Fukuchiyama City is home to tea plantations with rich cultivated soil nurtured by the Yura River. Tea is grown in Fukuchiyama City's Oki district, Tsuchi district, and Oe town. Covered cultivation using Ryotan-style high trellises is the main method, and gyokuro and tencha are produced, with tea plantations covered in black curtains visible at the peak of May. Gyokuro is produced in private factories, and the techniques for producing excellent tea have been honed through friendly competition since ancient times. Today, Uji tea is supported as one of the top tea producing areas in the prefecture. In particular, it is highly regarded as a producer of the Kyoto variety "Houshun."
Yawata
The tea industry in Yawata City is carried out in three villages: Kozuya, Nojiri, and Iwata. Kozuya has the same name as the village on the Joyo City side, but it was originally one village and was separated when the Kizugawa River changed its course. The two villages were once connected by a ferry and are now connected by a Nagarebashi Bridge (Kozuyabashi). On the left bank of the Kizugawa River, Ohishita tea fields are run continuously from Iwata to Nojiri, and from Kozuya where Nagarebashi Bridge crosses to Kaminara, where tencha is produced. Yawata City's tea, which is grown in the soft soil mixed with sand that accumulates on the Kizugawa River riverbed, is called "hamacha" (sea tea), as opposed to "yamacha" (mountain tea) grown in mountainous areas, and is known for its deep green color like pine needles.
Joyo
Tencha, which has won first place and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award multiple times at the National Tea Competition, is grown in tea plantations within Joyo City. The tea plantations in Joyo City are concentrated along the Kizu River, with the majority of them located within the riverbed. The beautiful scenery of the riverbed tea plantations was registered as a Kyoto Prefecture Landscape Asset in 2015, and the "Nagare Bridge and Hamacha Tea on both banks of Kozuya and Hamadai" was also recognized as a Japan Heritage Site as part of the "800 Years of Japanese Tea Historical Walk." On fine days, the area is bustling with people strolling, jogging, cycling and other leisure activities along the bank, making it a popular place for local residents to relax.
Kyotanabe City
Kyotanabe City is one of Japan's leading producers of gyokuro. When the new buds emerge, the tea fields are covered to block out light, suppressing the astringency and bitterness of the tea leaves and allowing the sweetness and rich umami components to permeate each tea leaf. While other prefectures only use one layer of cover, Kyotanabe gyokuro is covered with two or more layers of cover to thoroughly block out light and concentrate the sweetness and umami.
Furthermore, while machine harvesting has become mainstream in recent years, Kyotanabe Gyokuro is carefully picked by hand, one leaf at a time, resulting in the high quality that can only be achieved with tea leaves that have been carefully selected and picked by hand. Kyotanabe Gyokuro has been awarded the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award and the Production Area Award, which is given to regions that produce excellent tea, many times at the National Tea Competition and the Kansai Tea Competition.
Ide Town
In the Taga region of Ide Town, Okuyama Shinden was opened during the Kyoho era, and tea fields were expanded deep into the mountains to meet the growing demand for tea leaves. However, due to the subsequent supply and demand balance, some farmers withdrew from tea production, and many of the tea fields returned to the forest. Today, only tea fields remain that are able to produce high-quality tea leaves precisely because they are located in the forest, and they have become "forest tea fields." This shows the shift from quantity to quality in production that took place during this time. These high-quality tea leaves are processed at tea factories to produce tencha, the raw material for matcha.
Kizugawa
Tea has been cultivated in the tea fields within Kizugawa City since ancient times. Today, the tea fields extend from the foot of the mountain to near the top of the hills, taking advantage of the undulating terrain. Tencha is cultivated in the Yamashiro-cho area in the north of the city, while kabusecha is cultivated in the Kamo-cho area in the east, with kabusecha being one of the top producers of tea in Kyoto Prefecture. Tea cultivation also became popular in the southern Yamashiro region around the end of the Edo period, and the Kamikoma district of Yamashiro-cho, which became a tea hub, was home to around 120 tea wholesalers at its peak. Even today, this area is lined with around 40 tea wholesalers, and is known as Tea Wholesaler Street.
Minamiyamashiro Village
Minamiyamashiro Village is a major producer of Uji tea, boasting the second-highest production volume in the prefecture. Since 40, tea plantations have been developed, and Takao's Shiraishi Nakatani Tea Plantation, covering approximately 30 hectares, is the largest collective tea plantation in the village. Many of the tea plantations in the village feature vertical ridges that run up the slopes, preventing late frost damage common in mountainous areas and making it easier to work with riding pickers. The main varieties of tea produced are sencha and tencha. While the village is known for its sencha, which consistently achieves high results in the sencha category at various tea tasting competitions, in recent years, tencha production has increased in line with the matcha boom. Minamiyamashiro Village continues to support Uji tea by changing the shape, location, and production methods of its tea plantations as times change.
Maizuru
It is said that the origins of Uji tea date back to the early Showa period, when a prefectural tea plantation was established in the Hatta area, due to the similar climate of the Uji River, which flows through Uji City, the home of Uji tea, and the Yura River area in Maizuru City. Tea plantations subsequently spread to Hatta, Maruta, Okadakami, Okadashita, and other areas along the Yura River, and tea was once cultivated in the Oura and Yoshisaka areas as well. The climate and soil of the Yura River basin make it ideal for tea production, and producers of Gyokuro and Tencha produced in Maizuru are committed to uniform cultivation management and only produce the first-grade tea, which produces high-quality tea. Maizuru is highly regarded within the prefecture as a producer of uniform, high-quality tea.
Ayabe City
Ayabe City is a rural city characterized by beautiful nature, lush satoyama forests, and streets steeped in history and culture. Tea is a specialty that Ayabe City is proud of. It has received high praise at national tea competitions, and has repeatedly won the Kabuse Tea Award (Covered Tea Category), given to the most outstanding municipality. The secret to the high-quality, deep flavor of Ayabe tea is its clean air and fog. The morning fog generated by the Yura River that flows through the city transforms the tea's flavor into a mellow, fragrant one. Ayabe City has evolved its tea shelves into something unique using techniques cultivated over its long history, and has developed into a producer of high-quality gyokuro and tencha tea. The city's ideal climate and meticulous techniques have supported the "Uji Tea" brand for many years.
Kyoto City
Mukojima, in Kyoto's Fushimi Ward, adjacent to Uji City, once played an important role as a major producer of Uji tea. During the Meiji period, vast tea fields spread across the area, but as times changed and urbanization progressed, the number of producers involved in the tea industry decreased. Despite this, producers continue to carefully protect Mukojima's tea fields. The cultivation method is "Oishitaen," which brings out the tea's flavor. Under cover to protect from direct sunlight, the tea is hand-picked one by one, inspected by human eyes, in the traditional way, and the tea is mainly produced as high-quality "tencha," the raw material for matcha. Tea cultivation, which connects the inherited skills and spirit to the future, is alive and well here in Mukojima.
Kumiyama Town
The banks of the Kizu River, connected by a long wooden floating bridge, are rich in sandy soil. Located on the riverbed, Sayama Hamayo's tea plantation stretches inside the Kizu River's banks and boasts a long history, said to be home to 300-year-old tea trees. The view of the floating bridge in the distance and the tea fields in the foreground evokes the idyllic, original landscape of Japan, leading to its designation as a Japan Heritage Site in 2016. Even today, local tea farmers continue to carry on the tradition of tea production, producing tencha tea from carefully hand-picked tea leaves that are then transformed into the highest-quality matcha used in the tea ceremony. In 2021, Kumiyama Town won the Japan Tea Production Area Award in the Tencha category at the 75th National Tea Appraisal, where tea producers from across the country compete to produce the best tea.
Uji city
In Uji city, the "under cover cultivation" method, in which the tea fields are covered during the "first tea" season, and the "hand-picking" method, in which tea pickers carefully pick each new bud one leaf at a time, are still practiced.
The main varieties produced here are Tencha and Gyokuro, and by blocking sunlight with a cover, the umami component theanine is prevented from converting into the astringent component catechin. Furthermore, by hand-picking, the amount of old leaves and branches mixed in is significantly reduced compared to machine-picked tea, resulting in a quality worthy of being called high-quality tea. Uji City and producers within the city have won many prestigious awards at national tea tasting competitions. This is the result of the efforts of producers who have worked hard every day to hone the techniques passed down from their predecessors.
Ujitawara Town
Ujitawara Town is located in the southeastern part of Kyoto Prefecture, a rural village nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. In 1738, Nagatani Soen, a tea farmer from Yuyadani, Ujitawara, improved upon the tea-making methods of the time and invented the "Aosei Sencha Method," which became the basis for the current Sencha and Gyokuro manufacturing methods. This led to the town being called the "Birthplace of Japanese Green Tea." The town is a major producer of Uji tea, with a tea cultivation area of 260 hectares and 80 tea farming households. Furthermore, to improve productivity, the town completed the construction of the town's largest collective tea plantation (15 hectares) in 21, and will also complete the redevelopment of an existing collective tea plantation (13 hectares) in 4, promoting a sustainable tea industry.
Wazuka Town
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, Wazuka Town is Kyoto Prefecture's largest tea-producing region. Making clever use of the topography of the fault basin created by the Wazuka Valley Fault, Wazuka has been the main producer of Uji tea since the early modern period. Wazuka tea farmers are involved in all aspects of tea production, from cultivating and harvesting tea to processing it into crude tea. The main house and tea factory are built side by side on the property, forming a residential community where work and living are integrated. Each tea farmer adjusts their tea harvest to an amount that can be processed into tea by themselves, taking advantage of the variety, location, and elevation, and by having scattered tea fields, they stagger the picking season. As a result, a diverse, mosaic-like landscape has been created, where each farm has its own unique cultivation method, while maintaining a cohesive tea plantation.
Kyotango City
Kyotango City is a new tea-producing region in the prefecture, where tea was first planted about 20 years ago. The city cultivates 14 varieties of tea on approximately 36 hectares of land, primarily on nationally developed farmland in four towns within the city (Omiya, Amino, Yasaka, and Kumihama). Because each tea plantation is so large, much of the work is done with a ride-on cultivator. A distinctive feature of the region is its ingenious pesticide management, allowing it to produce tea suitable for export to three regions—the EU, North America, and Taiwan—a rare sight in the prefecture. Despite the harsh natural environment, including snow and strong winds, producers and related organizations work together to further improve the quality of Uji tea, contributing to the development of attractive tea.
Fukuchiyama City
Fukuchiyama City is home to tea plantations with rich cultivated soil nurtured by the Yura River. Tea is grown in Fukuchiyama City's Oki district, Tsuchi district, and Oe town. Covered cultivation using Ryotan-style high trellises is the main method, and gyokuro and tencha are produced, with tea plantations covered in black curtains visible at the peak of May. Gyokuro is produced in private factories, and the techniques for producing excellent tea have been honed through friendly competition since ancient times. Today, Uji tea is supported as one of the top tea producing areas in the prefecture. In particular, it is highly regarded as a producer of the Kyoto variety "Houshun."
Yawata
The tea industry in Yawata City is carried out in three villages: Kozuya, Nojiri, and Iwata. Kozuya has the same name as the village on the Joyo City side, but it was originally one village and was separated when the Kizugawa River changed its course. The two villages were once connected by a ferry and are now connected by a Nagarebashi Bridge (Kozuyabashi). On the left bank of the Kizugawa River, Ohishita tea fields are run continuously from Iwata to Nojiri, and from Kozuya where Nagarebashi Bridge crosses to Kaminara, where tencha is produced. Yawata City's tea, which is grown in the soft soil mixed with sand that accumulates on the Kizugawa River riverbed, is called "hamacha" (sea tea), as opposed to "yamacha" (mountain tea) grown in mountainous areas, and is known for its deep green color like pine needles.
Joyo
Tencha, which has won first place and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award multiple times at the National Tea Competition, is grown in tea plantations within Joyo City. The tea plantations in Joyo City are concentrated along the Kizu River, with the majority of them located within the riverbed. The beautiful scenery of the riverbed tea plantations was registered as a Kyoto Prefecture Landscape Asset in 2015, and the "Nagare Bridge and Hamacha Tea on both banks of Kozuya and Hamadai" was also recognized as a Japan Heritage Site as part of the "800 Years of Japanese Tea Historical Walk." On fine days, the area is bustling with people strolling, jogging, cycling and other leisure activities along the bank, making it a popular place for local residents to relax.
Kyotanabe City
Kyotanabe City is one of Japan's leading producers of gyokuro. When the new buds emerge, the tea fields are covered to block out light, suppressing the astringency and bitterness of the tea leaves and allowing the sweetness and rich umami components to permeate each tea leaf. While other prefectures only use one layer of cover, Kyotanabe gyokuro is covered with two or more layers of cover to thoroughly block out light and concentrate the sweetness and umami.
Although machine harvesting has become mainstream in recent years, Kyotanabe Gyokuro is carefully picked by hand, one leaf at a time, resulting in the high quality that can only be achieved with tea leaves that have been carefully selected and picked by hand. Kyotanabe Gyokuro has won the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award and the Production Area Award, which is given to regions that produce excellent tea, many times at the National Tea Competition and the Kansai Tea Competition.
Ide Town
In the Taga region of Ide Town, Okuyama Shinden was opened during the Kyoho era, and tea fields were expanded deep into the mountains to meet the growing demand for tea leaves. However, due to the subsequent supply and demand balance, some farmers withdrew from tea production, and many of the tea fields returned to the forest. Today, only tea fields remain that are able to produce high-quality tea leaves precisely because they are located in the forest, and they have become "forest tea fields." This shows the shift from quantity to quality in production that took place during this time. These high-quality tea leaves are processed at tea factories to produce tencha, the raw material for matcha.
Kizugawa
Tea has been cultivated in the tea fields within Kizugawa City since ancient times. Today, the tea fields extend from the foot of the mountain to near the top of the hills, taking advantage of the undulating terrain. Tencha is cultivated in the Yamashiro-cho area in the north of the city, while kabusecha is cultivated in the Kamo-cho area in the east, with kabusecha being one of the top producers of tea in Kyoto Prefecture. Tea cultivation also became popular in the southern Yamashiro region around the end of the Edo period, and the Kamikoma district of Yamashiro-cho, which became a tea hub, was home to around 120 tea wholesalers at its peak. Even today, this area is lined with around 40 tea wholesalers, and is known as Tea Wholesaler Street.
Minamiyamashiro Village
Minamiyamashiro Village is a major producer of Uji tea, boasting the second-highest production volume in the prefecture. Since 40, tea plantations have been developed, and Takao's Shiraishi Nakatani Tea Plantation, covering approximately 30 hectares, is the largest collective tea plantation in the village. Many of the tea plantations in the village feature vertical ridges that run up the slopes, preventing late frost damage common in mountainous areas and making it easier to work with riding pickers. The main varieties of tea produced are sencha and tencha. While the village is known for its sencha, which consistently achieves high results in the sencha category at various tea tasting competitions, in recent years, tencha production has increased in line with the matcha boom. Minamiyamashiro Village continues to support Uji tea by changing the shape, location, and production methods of its tea plantations as times change.
Maizuru
It is said that the origins of Uji tea date back to the early Showa period, when a prefectural tea plantation was established in the Hatta area, due to the similar climate of the Uji River, which flows through Uji City, the home of Uji tea, and the Yura River area in Maizuru City. Tea plantations subsequently spread to Hatta, Maruta, Okadakami, Okadashita, and other areas along the Yura River, and tea was once cultivated in the Oura and Yoshisaka areas as well. The climate and soil of the Yura River basin make it ideal for tea production, and producers of Gyokuro and Tencha produced in Maizuru are committed to uniform cultivation management and only produce the first-grade tea, which produces high-quality tea. Maizuru is highly regarded within the prefecture as a producer of uniform, high-quality tea.
Ayabe City
Ayabe City is a rural city characterized by beautiful nature, lush satoyama forests, and streets steeped in history and culture. Tea is a specialty that Ayabe City is proud of. It has received high praise at national tea competitions, and has repeatedly won the Kabuse Tea Award (Covered Tea Category), given to the most outstanding municipality. The secret to the high-quality, deep flavor of Ayabe tea is its clean air and fog. The morning fog generated by the Yura River that flows through the city transforms the tea's flavor into a mellow, fragrant one. Ayabe City has evolved its tea shelves into something unique using techniques cultivated over its long history, and has developed into a producer of high-quality gyokuro and tencha tea. The city's ideal climate and meticulous techniques have supported the "Uji Tea" brand for many years.
Kyoto City
Mukojima, in Kyoto's Fushimi Ward, adjacent to Uji City, once played an important role as a major producer of Uji tea. During the Meiji period, vast tea fields spread across the area, but as times changed and urbanization progressed, the number of producers involved in the tea industry decreased. Despite this, producers continue to carefully protect Mukojima's tea fields. The cultivation method is "Oishitaen," which brings out the tea's flavor. Under cover to protect from direct sunlight, the tea is hand-picked one by one, inspected by human eyes, in the traditional way, and the tea is mainly produced as high-quality "tencha," the raw material for matcha. Tea cultivation, which connects the inherited skills and spirit to the future, is alive and well here in Mukojima.
Kumiyama Town
The banks of the Kizu River, connected by a long wooden floating bridge, are rich in sandy soil. Located on the riverbed, Sayama Hamayo's tea plantation stretches inside the Kizu River's banks and boasts a long history, said to be home to 300-year-old tea trees. The view of the floating bridge in the distance and the tea fields in the foreground evokes the idyllic, original landscape of Japan, leading to its designation as a Japan Heritage Site in 2016. Even today, local tea farmers continue to carry on the tradition of tea production, producing tencha tea from carefully hand-picked tea leaves that are then transformed into the highest-quality matcha used in the tea ceremony. In 2021, Kumiyama Town won the Japan Tea Production Area Award in the Tencha category at the 75th National Tea Appraisal, where tea producers from across the country compete to produce the best tea.
Uji city
In Uji city, the "under cover cultivation" method, in which the tea fields are covered during the "first tea" season, and the "hand-picking" method, in which tea pickers carefully pick each new bud one leaf at a time, are still practiced.
The main varieties produced here are Tencha and Gyokuro, and by blocking sunlight with a cover, the umami component theanine is prevented from converting into the astringent component catechin. Furthermore, by hand-picking, the amount of old leaves and branches mixed in is significantly reduced compared to machine-picked tea, resulting in a quality worthy of being called high-quality tea. Uji City and producers within the city have won many prestigious awards at national tea tasting competitions. This is the result of the efforts of producers who have worked hard every day to hone the techniques passed down from their predecessors.
Ujitawara Town
Ujitawara Town is located in the southeastern part of Kyoto Prefecture, a rural village nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. In 1738, Nagatani Soen, a tea farmer from Yuyadani, Ujitawara, improved upon the tea-making methods of the time and invented the "Aosei Sencha Method," which became the basis for the current Sencha and Gyokuro manufacturing methods. This led to the town being called the "Birthplace of Japanese Green Tea." The town is a major producer of Uji tea, with a tea cultivation area of 260 hectares and 80 tea farming households. Furthermore, to improve productivity, the town completed the construction of the town's largest collective tea plantation (15 hectares) in 21, and will also complete the redevelopment of an existing collective tea plantation (13 hectares) in 4, promoting a sustainable tea industry.
Wazuka Town
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, Wazuka Town is Kyoto Prefecture's largest tea-producing region. Making clever use of the topography of the fault basin created by the Wazuka Valley Fault, Wazuka has been the main producer of Uji tea since the early modern period. Wazuka tea farmers are involved in all aspects of tea production, from cultivating and harvesting tea to processing it into crude tea. The main house and tea factory are built side by side on the property, forming a residential community where work and living are integrated. Each tea farmer adjusts their tea harvest to an amount that can be processed into tea by themselves, taking advantage of the variety, location, and elevation, and by having scattered tea fields, they stagger the picking season. As a result, a diverse, mosaic-like landscape has been created, where each farm has its own unique cultivation method, while maintaining a cohesive tea plantation.