As global demand for Japanese tea continues to rise, the industry is strengthening efforts to protect and preserve its heritage. The Japan Tea Association has applied for Geographical Indication (GI) registration for Japanese tea, a move aimed at safeguarding authentic domestically grown and processed tea from counterfeit products in overseas markets.
At the same time, tea-producing regions across Japan are investing in the future of traditional tea-making. In Fujieda, Shizuoka – home to the prestigious Asahina Gyokuro – local authorities have launched a succession academy where aspiring producers learn hand-picking and processing techniques from veteran tea masters to ensure the continuation of one of Japan’s three premier gyokuro-growing regions.
Preservation efforts are also underway in Kochi Prefecture, where production of the rare fermented tea goishicha has begun for the season. According to one theory, the tea takes its name from its sun-dried appearance, which resembles rows of black Go stones. In March, its traditional manufacturing technique was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Today, Goishicha is produced by just two households and one company belonging to the Goishicha Cooperative. At the home of producer Koji Ogasawara, harvesting began on May 31 – about a week earlier than last year due to favorable growing conditions. After steaming the leaves for around two hours, the branches are removed before the tea undergoes a two-stage fermentation process over about a month, followed by sun-drying. “We have to make good tea again this year,” Ogasawara said.
Further south, Miyazaki Prefecture is betting on the global matcha boom by expanding production of tencha, the shaded green tea used to make matcha. To meet rising overseas demand, Miyazaki Tea Garden – a company founded by local tea farmers – has opened the prefecture’s largest tencha processing plant, a ¥1.2 billion facility that began full-scale operations in May. The centralized plant is designed to ease labor shortages, lower production costs, and help aging tea farmers by handling the entire processing operation. Previously, individual growers were responsible for processing their own harvests, a model that has become increasingly difficult as the number of tea farmers declines. Company president Takeshi Koura, who shifted his family’s business toward organic tea production and exports a decade ago, said the goal is to build production capabilities that can compete both domestically and internationally. The company currently exports tencha through trading firms, mainly to Europe and the United States, and is exploring direct exports in the future. With tea-growing acreage in Miyazaki shrinking by 20–30% over the past two decades, Koura hopes the investment will revitalize the region by creating a more profitable and sustainable future for the next generation of tea farmers, while positioning Miyazaki as a leading supplier in the increasingly competitive global matcha market.
Beyond production, tea-producing regions are also finding new ways to promote their local specialties and connect with consumers. Hamamatsu City has once again enlisted local idol groups to help promote the region’s tea as interest in Japanese tea continues to grow alongside the global matcha boom. The Hamamatsu City Tea Promotion Council has begun aging this year’s “Akibayama Aged Tea,” a specialty tea matured for about six months at Akiba Shrine, where the mountain’s stable temperature and humidity help develop a distinctive aroma and flavor. For the second consecutive year, Shizuoka-based idol group Fishbowl and trainee group Kidsbowl have been appointed as “Hamamatsu Tea Supporters.” During the appointment ceremony, Hamamatsu Mayor Yusuke Nakano highlighted the growing international interest in Japanese tea and encouraged the groups to promote Hamamatsu tea both across Japan and overseas. The idol groups pledged to share what they have learned about Hamamatsu tea and raise awareness of the region’s tea culture and specialty products, including Akibayama Aged Tea, which will be sold after the aging process is complete.
Elsewhere, communities are celebrating seasonal harvests while working to preserve long-standing tea traditions. Residents and tea producers in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, gathered for a “Kesen Tea Appreciation Event” to celebrate this year’s harvest of Kesen Tea, one of Japan’s northernmost tea varieties. Participants sampled the new tea, evaluated its aroma and flavor, and helped package the first harvest, which is expected to go on sale at local restaurants and other outlets in July. With a history dating back about 300 years to the Edo period, Kesen Tea is known for its balanced sweetness and astringency. Although many tea fields were destroyed by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, local growers formed the Kesen Tea Association to Protect the Northernmost Tea to preserve and revive the tradition. This year’s harvest totaled about 20 kilograms after tea picking began in late May. Association vice chairman Shinji Oikawa said the group hopes more people will discover the distinctive flavor created by the region’s northern climate and recognize Kesen Tea as a unique local specialty.
Other initiatives are taking a more creative approach to introducing regional teas to new audiences. Japan Post’s Kanto Branch has launched a limited-edition “Sayama New Tea Letter,” a mailer that lets people send Sayama tea – a renowned specialty of Saitama Prefecture – as a gift by post. The letter-sized package contains five single-serving sticks of powdered Sayama tea and features artwork of a teacup alongside Saitama’s mascot, Kobaton. Designed with space for a personal message, it can be mailed with a standard 110-yen stamp. The initiative was developed in partnership with Sayama tea producer Nagamine-en to promote Sayama tea, one of Japan’s three most famous tea varieties. Limited to 2,000 units, the tea letters are priced at ¥250 (tax included) and will be available at post offices across Saitama Prefecture through the end of August.
Meanwhile, preserving Japan’s unique tea heritage remains a priority in regions where traditional production methods are at risk of disappearing. In Kamikatsu, Tokushima Prefecture, producer Hiromitsu Takagi is helping preserve the tradition of Kamikatsu awa bancha, a rare fermented tea made using a centuries-old process designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Harvested from naturally growing mountain tea plants each summer, the leaves are boiled, hand-rubbed, fermented in wooden barrels through lactic acid fermentation, and then sun-dried, producing a tea known for its low caffeine content and distinctive mild acidity and sweetness. Takagi, who returned to Tokushima in 2010 after working in Tokyo, saw an opportunity to revive the labor-intensive tea despite its declining number of producers. After learning traditional techniques from veteran farmers, he built a market for awa bancha that now includes high-end restaurants in Tokyo. In 2018, he founded the Kamikatsu Awa Bancha Association, and in 2023 the tea was registered as a regional collective trademark to protect it from counterfeit products amid growing interest in its reported health benefits. With aging producers and a shortage of successors threatening the tradition, the association has also introduced a “barrel owner” program, allowing visitors to take part in the fermentation process and receive their own tea. The initiative attracts around 300 participants annually as the community works to preserve a tea that has long been an integral part of daily life in Kamikatsu.
The article is based on Japanese media articles:
Japanese tea companies apply for brand protection , Asahi Shimbun 2026.06.24
Passing on Asahina Gyokuro to future generations, Asahi Shimbun 2026.06.03
The popularity of matcha overseas has led to increased demand for the raw material “tencha,” prompting the construction of a new manufacturing plant , Yomiuri Shimbun 2026.06.28
Send Sayama New Tea by Letter… Japan Post, Limited Sale, Yomiuri Shimbun 2026.06.12
Goishicha, designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, begins production again this year in Otoyama, Kochi Prefecture, Asahi Shimbun 2026.06.02
Enjoying the new harvest of “Kesennuma Tea” in Rikuzentakata, Yomiuri Shimbun 2026.06.22
Hamamatsu tea to be promoted again this year by two idol groups from the prefecture, Yomiuri Shimbun 2026.06.26
Rare manufacturing method continued, bringing the region to life, Yomiuri Shimbun 2026.06.09