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Kyushu - Japan's Green Tea Plantations

July 2, 2015

Can Kazuo Watanbe withstand the increasing competitive pressure at the Kogoshima Tea Exchange in Japan? He has devoted his whole life to tea. His dream is to produce the best tea in Japan.

https://p.dw.com/p/1Fjjc

In the spring, the whole of Japan waits for the 'first flush' - the first pick of fine Sencha tea. Green tea is much more than just a beverage in Japan; it is regarded as the very art of living, even as a form of meditation. How you prepare a cup of tea reflects how you want to live. The philosophy of tea is at the heart Qi, the vital energy that flows through all things.

Like his father and grandfather before him, 60-year-old organic farmer Kazuo Watanabe has devoted his whole life to this noble beverage. To produce Japan’s best tea, he relies on careful production processes and avoids using pesticides. His plantations are surrounded by the island of Kyuchu’s spectacular volcanic landscape, which are ideal for tea growing. Its nutrient-rich soil, clean spring water and subtropical climate create the ideal conditions for the tea bushes.

01.07.2015 Doku Grüner Tee2
One can hardly believe that these teas can be so different in taste, but there is a huge selection of them. Bitter, sweet, grassy, or fresh - the taste of Sencha teas varies greatly depending on their provenance and quality.


But the competitive pressure among tea farmers at the Kagoshima tea exchange, which is probably Japan’s most important trading center for green tea, appears to be increasing by the year. Taste and demand determine the value of each variety at the auction. A lot is at stake: During the first spring harvest, 50 percent of the total annual yield passes through Kagoshima. Most of it stays in the country, because green tea is an indispensable feature of Japanese everyday life. Will Kazuo Watanabe’s tea bring the high prices he is hoping for?

01.07.2015 Doku Grüner Tee1
Unlike black tea, green tea is not fermented but briefly roasted in wood-fired pans.



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