The end of summer is nearing and the heat should subside soon. This offers a break to look back on the tea season so far. The Kyoto tea auction, which closed on 31st July, announced that the sales revenue has been rising for 4 consecutive years, and this year for the spring tea was the highest since the opening of the auction in 1974. The volume of spring tea has also increased by 44t to 1126t.
Kyoto tea was also prominent at the Kansai Tea Competition, when it won in both gyokuro and regular sencha categories. In Shizuoka Prefecture solar energy use in producing organic tencha has gained some attention. Solar panels have been installed in 8 locations of the prefecture, and tea produced there is intended for exporting abroad. Kakegawa City in Shizuoka Prefecture has also started the Kakegawa Tea Fair Trade scheme in which tea producers and tea trading companies coordinate the quality and quantity of tea in advance and aim to trade at a fair price. 127 combinations of producers and tea trading companies made fair trade declarations, however only about 30% actually engaged in it.
Behavioral loyalty index in Japan is used to evaluate customer loyalty for each product. In the first half of 2024 ItoEn’s bottled tea Oi Ocha came at the top in the green tea category. Regarding bottled tea there was also a mystery in Matsuzaka City, Mie Prefecture. 11 boxes of bottled tea were left at 3 nurseries in the city, with the donor not revealing their information.
In Kanagawa Prefecture a new blend of tea and coffee has emerged. Local Ashigara tea is used to create unique blends, like coffee hojicha and coffee sencha. In Gunma a botanist started growing edible roses after bringing some cuttings from China, where the flower was more common. It is suitable for cakes and tempura, and can even be infused in water. Takahatsu Town in Miyazaki Prefecture has recently organized a competition to utilize local citrus fruit – tachibana. The grand prize went to a herbal blend that included tachibana tree bark among other ingredients.
On 19th August the previous Iemoto of Urasenke – Sen Genshitsu held a lecture for peace in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture. He said that we should not let the war happen again and highlighted that the spirit of tea values compromise. Omotesenke – another tea ceremony school in Kyoto, recently held a special event for high school students from several schools. This month in Fukuoka students from the tea ceremony and flower arrangement club also held an early autumn tea ceremony at the prefectural office lobby.
At the beginning of the month Kyoto had a pottery exhibition for its local pottery styles – Kyoyaki and Kiyomizuyaki and about 40 ceramic artists of these traditions participated in the event. Another pottery exhibition was held in Fukuoka, displaying tea utensils of the local Takatoriyaki style, that has about 400 years of history.
The article is based on Japanese media articles:
- Shizuoka tea distribution service provides management support to tea plantation power generation business, Nikkei Shimbun 2024.07.31
- Uji’s first flush tea transactions exceeded 4 billion yen this season, thanks to visitors to Japan and recovery in exports, Mainichi Shimbun 2024.08.01
- Kyo-yaki and Kiyomizu-yaki Exhibition” starts in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, with ceramic frames depicting the floats and dragons of the Gion Festival, Kyoto Shimbun 2024.08.02
- Kyoto prefecture producers dominate the top spots in two categories at Kansai Tea Competition, including Gyokuro, Mainichi Shimbun 2024.08.06
- Ashigara tea blended with coffee breaks new ground, Nikkei Shimbun 2024.08.06
- From cakes to tempura to red rice…the only place in Japan that produces the sweet-smelling edible rose, Yomiuri Shimbun 2024.08.12
- 200 pieces of Takatori ware on display at ACROS Fukuoka, Mainichi Shimbun 2024.08.12
- Tea made from Tachibana, a tree in Takahara Town Yamashita won the top prize in a specialty product contest, hoping it will lead to job creation, Yomiuri Shimbun 2024.08.21
- Sen Genshitsu: “The Spirit of Tea” for Peace, leading to a “War-Free Society” through mutual respect, Mainichi Shimbun 2024.08.21
- Enjoy some heartfelt tea: Kasumigaoka High School students hold early autumn tea ceremony in Fukuoka prefectural office lobby, Mainichi Shimbun 2024.08.21
- The tea ceremony club went to Omotesenke to experience a tea ceremony with students from other schools, Yomiuri Shimbun 2024.08.23
- Why is “Oi Ocha” the undisputed champion? Fighting with unchanging courage, Mainichi Shimbun 2024.08.24
- Tea from unknown sender found at nursery school, kindergarten in Matsusaka city reported as “lost property”, Mainichi Shimbun 2024.08.24
- “Kakegawa Tea Fair Trade” – Only 30% of first-season teas are implemented of 127 surveys conducted, Mainichi Shimbun 2024.08.25