Tea garden in April 2021

Factory processing:
Cooling organic fresh tea leaves in a container → Steaming fresh leaves at around 100℃ by machine (蒸熱 Jonetsu) → Scattering and drying tea leaves (葉打ち Hauchi) → Primary rolling and drying tea leaves by machine (粗揉 soju) → Rolling by machine tea leaves (揉捻 Junen) → Secondary rolling and drying tea leaves (中揉 chujo) → Final rolling tea leaves by machine (精揉 seiju) → Drying tea leaves by machine (乾燥) → Sieving tea leaves by machine (篩い分け Furuiwake) →  Storing tea leaves in the refrigerator → Firing and refining tea leaves by machine (火入れ hiire) → Inspecting, measuring, packing and shipping

Tea processing in May 2021

Producers of tea:
A family-run tea garden that manages the production of tea from cultivation through processing.
The family is cultivating tea upstream.  There are clear streams and rivers, and fog is generated often in their region. The temperature difference between day and night is extreme. This contributes to producing a good tea.

Plucking tea leaves in May 2021

Spring water comes out from the mountain at the location. Their philosophy is “Don’t pollute water, conserve the mountains” and it is a responsibility as a farmer who cultivates tea upstream.

The spring water near the tea garden in February 2020

Production place: Shizuoka City, Shizuoka, Japan
Shizuoka Prefecture is a representative tea production area of Japan, located in the center of the main island of Japan. Shizuoka Prefecture has a warm climate with many rivers and is often foggy. These conditions are suitable for tea cultivation. Shiuoka City is one of the major tea production cities in Shizuoka Prefecture.
There are many facilities related to tea such as tea museums, a hotel with a tea theme, etc. in Shizuoka Prefecture.

How to use Sencha:
There are various ways of enjoying Sencha.
Sencha is good to drink as it can also be enjoyed with dried fruit or mint leaves added too.
Moreover, the used tea leaves of sencha can be used for cooking with eggs, cheese, pasta, etc.

Pizza using the used tea leaves of sencha

Shizuoka’s Chagusaba farming method (Traditional Tea-grass Integrated System in Shizuoka)
静冈的茶草场农耕法/靜岡的茶草場耕法
The Chagusaba farming method is a farming method traditionally practiced in Shizuoka Prefecture using grass mulch.  It is an example of circular agriculture that harmonizes humans’ relationship with nature to preserve the environment and protect biodiversity.
Shizuoka’s Chagusaba farming method, which is conducted in 4 cities and 1 town including Kakegawa City, has been recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2013.*
Cha (茶) means tea, Gusa/Kusa (草) means grass, and Ba (場) means place. Chagusaba (茶草場) refers to the semi-natural grasslands around tea fields. The Chagusaba farming method makes use of natural resources by cutting pampas or bamboo grasses that grow around the tea fields and laying them in the furrows between the tea fields. These grasses used in the tea fields are called Chagusa (茶草).

Young tea plants with Chagusa in December 2021

For more information on the Chagusaba farming method, please see the link below.
https://chamart.jp/en/archives/learn_heritage/shizuoka_chagusaba/
FAO, GIAHS Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, Traditional Tea-grass Integrated System in Shizuoka　
https://www.fao.org/giahs/giahsaroundtheworld/designated-sites/asia-and-the-pacific/traditional-tea-grass-integrated-system-in-shizuoka/en/

*Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
全球重要农业文化遗产/全球重要農業文化遺產
Systèmes Ingénieux du Patrimoine Agricole Mondial (SIPAM)
GIAHS are traditional agroecosystems made up of communities that have lived in an intricate relationship with their territory across generations while adapting to changes in society and the environment. They are recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Additionally, the systems are resilient, characterized by remarkable agrobiodiversity, traditional knowledge, invaluable cultures and landscapes, sustainably managed by farmers, herders, fisherfolk, and forest people in ways that contribute to their livelihoods and food security.
FAO has designated a GIAHS related to tea in 3 sites in China, 1 site in Japan and 1 site in South Korea.

*Tea leaves contain caffeine. The diuretic, stimulant and anticancer effects of caffeine intake are clinically recognized. On the other hand, excessive intake of caffeine may have a damaging effect on health. Especially, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children should be careful with the amount of caffeine they intake.