Japanese Tea Report – February 2025

By SimonaTea Reports

In a historic shift, Kagoshima Prefecture has overtaken Shizuoka as Japan’s leading tea producer, with a total production of 27,000 tons in 2024, surpassing Shizuoka’s 25,800 tons. Shizuoka, though, kept the lead in the spring harvest volume. Nonetheless, Kagoshima’s success is attributed to its focus on summer harvest tea, widely used in bottled beverages, and, resulting higher yields, reaching 1,680 kg per 10 ares compared to Shizuoka’s 1,030 kg.

Kagoshima also has a new organic initiative. The Chiran Tea Organic Research Group was established to enhance organic farming techniques, prevent chemical contamination, and promote certification. In contrast to other parts of Kagoshima, only 102 hectares of Chiran’s 1,200 hectares are organic, with just 35 hectares fully JAS-certified for over three years. With growing interest in sustainability, organic Chiran tea is poised for expansion.

With the global interest in Japanese tea continuing to rise, Kagoshima Prefecture has also allocated 36 million yen to develop international sales channels. Shiga Prefecture is also promoting Omi tea overseas. JETRO Shiga hosted buyers from USA and Austria for farm tours and business meetings, to help promote little known Omni tea.

In different news, Uji City, Kyoto, is introducing an autumn tea-picking experience to train new pickers, supporting traditional hand-picking, primarily taking place in spring. Kyoto is also recognizing innovation in tea tourism. CEO of Matcha Tourism won the Kyoto Women’s Entrepreneur Award for offering immersive tea experiences for international visitors. In Saitama, the Sayama tea facial cleansing powder incorporating finely ground tea leaves, also won the Saitama New Product Award/

This month there were a few launches of new tea products too. A company in Shimane started blending tea with non-standard fruits like strawberries, yuzu, and cherry leaves to support local farmers and promote sustainability. A new strawberry matcha, was also developed combining sweet strawberries form Ishikawa with tea form Shizuoka and will be sold in New York from April. Mie Prefecture, on the other hand, developed Matsusaka tea for meat pairing – a lightly roasted green tea designed to complement meat dishes with local Matsugasaka beef. Furthermore, Shizuoka Prefecture will highlight its tea at the Osaka-Kansai Expo in June making a dashi out of bonito and local tea instead of kelp.

Meanwhile, the Plum Blossom Festival at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine featured an outdoor tea ceremony by geiko and maiko, celebrating both the annual tradition and seasonal beauty. Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema visited Kyoto, participating in a tea ceremony hosted by Urasenke, reinforcing cultural ties between Japan and Zambia. Then to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Baisao’s birth, a cherry tree was planted in Saga City. Baisao, was a monk who became famous for his tea shop in Kyoto, that helped to introduce sencha to a wider public.

Altogether February marked significant shifts in Japan’s tea industry, from production leadership changes to increasing global outreach and innovative new products, demonstrating how the sector continues to evolve while balancing tradition and modern demands.

 

*The article is based on Japanese media articles:

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