The biggest highlight of our Japan trip this year was a visit to Wazuka, for a tour of the tencha tea farms. We were in the very heart of where tencha (which are the tea leaves that are eventually turned into matcha) is grown, and  I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Wazuka used to be the tea-growing playground of sorts for the royals back in the day, this was the very heart of Japanese tea production, and I can’t begin to explain how much that excited me!

Our tour guide and host – Greg- goes by the Instagram handle @matcha_man_tea.  We purchased the tour as an AirBnB experience for around 60 USD per person, if I remember correctly, and it was an absolute steal.

The first time we set off for our Wazuka tea farm tour -as scheduled- the Osaka earthquake hit. We were staying in Osaka and planned on taking the 1 hour JR train ride to Wazuka, and as we were walking to the train station, I felt a giant wave under my feet, followed by very loud rumbling of buildings. It was a 6.2 magnitude quake, which was major enough for all train services to be suspended for the entire day. Greg was understanding enough to let us reschedule for the following day, because I really did not want to miss out on this experience and opportunity.

The next morning, we took the JR train from our nearest train station, straight to Kamo station in Wazuka, where Greg picked us up from. I’d like to take a moment to comment on how absolutely massive Japan’s railway coverage is- it’s truly phenomenal. In less than an hour you can get from a bustling city like Osaka, to the mountains and valleys of Wazuka, and not even feel the commute.

The scenery on the ride to train ride to Kamo station was so serene and calming, but the car ride to Greg’s place was simply on the next level. The windows were rolled down, the breeze was cool, a light drizzle was pitter-pattering on the roof of the car, and we were surrounded by greenery and we passed by the Kizugawa river.Back in the day, all tea leaving Wazuka used to leave via this river.

Greg’s cute little Minka (Japanese house) was a priceless experience. There isn’t a more fitting term to describe how we felt there, than “zen”.

We took out shoes off before stepping into the genkan (hallway) had a small aquarium containing some earthquake-detecting fish (I forget what they’re called but apparently they usually swim close to the bottom of the aquarium but they stick their tails up vertically and stand still whenever a natural disaster is on its way) and a very large mock-up of a bamboo whisk, as well as a pair of drumsticks. I immediately knew that Greg might just be my spirit animal.

The main living room/tea room had a tatami mat flooring, a very low table, and a burner with the most characteristic vintage kettle, thermos, and other tea and matcha brewing accessories, and I mentally clicking my heels with joy. I would have physically done so too, if only I were limber enough.

Greg whisked us up the frothiest, richest, velvety bowls of matcha and I’ve never seen them come greener than that.

It wasn’t a tea ceremony by Japanese standards at all, it was far more relaxed and not at all ritualistic, but it was an equally priceless experience in a more modern and unpretentious way while still embracing elements from the olden days that actually add tangible value to the tea (e.g. the equipment used).

We then headed out for a trek through the Tencha valleys. I really can’t put the experience into words, so I’ll let the following pictures do the talking.

At the start of our Trek, Greg showed us the Wazuka “irrigation system quality control method”. It was a coy fish pond, that was being fed water from all the irrigation pipes. The fish go towards the cleanest water input, and that then allows the farmers to identify if one of the pipes/sources needs to be examined or paid attention to. How cool are the Japanese?

There was beauty at every turn.

Fun facts:

• What makes Japanese tea in general very special, is that it grows in cold temperatures
• Japan has only two types of tea: green and brown
• Green tea is 0-8% oxidized, while black tea is 85-100% oxidized
• Farmers are very competitive in Wazuka. You’ll see that some fields are round and some are flat, that’s because each farmer has his own perception of what will lead to a better yield
• They use sesame husk as a fertilizer for organic tea, and fish emulsion for nitrogen
• Stay away from Chinese matcha because it often contains heavy metals, and with matcha you consume the whole leaf

Greg explained to us that the youngest leaves, which are grown in share for a few weeks before harvest are Tencha leaves, and that’s what is eventually processed into matcha. Covering the leaves in shade for a few weeks prior to the harvest increases the levels of chlorophyl in them and leads to a very bright, vibrant and green leaf that also has a subtle, well-rounded flavor.

One of Greg’s trademarks is his “pocket tea”. Throughout the trek, he encourages you to pick the perfect tea leaves (always in trios, with a young, medium and mature leaf), and put them in your pocket. By the time you get home, the fresh tea leaves have gone through an ideal level of oxidization, warmth and humidity and are actually to dried up and brewed!

We also saw the raw version of umeboshi, and shimeji leaves (which look like marijuana but aren’t).

It started to drizzle as we reached the peak of our trek and were heading down. Greg told me not to run downhill, and to mouth our sticks with every step into those rows/depressions you can see in the picture below, I didn’t listen, and nearly slipped and fell really badly on this slope. Thank God M grabbed my arm like a ninja and saved me from slipping to my death amidst matcha fields (although, it wouldn’t such a bad way to go….)

Then we saw this ADORABLE little old farmer lady who tried inviting us over to have some warm tea at her place since it was raining (I LOVE how big tea is in the Japanese culture), but Greg assured her he’ll take care of us, haha!

He kept his word. Fun fact: in Japan there are only two types of tea: green and black. Incidentally, those are my two favorite kinds.

He also fed us a vegan bento lunch (which is incredibly thoughtful on his part considering there are so many people with various dietary restrictions), and he even asked us if we had any allergies he should be aware of. The bento comprised of three kinds of Onigiri and I swear to you I’ve never had rice and pickles so delicious before or after in my entire life.

Which we washed down with several cups and types of tea ranging from Hojicha through Sencha to some of Greg’s own Pocket Teas”.

We ended up hanging around for at least an hour after lunch because it was so incredibly cosy and comfortable there, and we were enjoying the company of both Greg and the Daimaru vegan wagashi (premium Japanese sweets made with a seaweed gelatin) and tea that he was spoiling us with. He was then kind enough to oblige us with a ride the Farmers’ Union Coop to buy tea and matcha from the source itself, because lucky for us he was free that day.

We bought an entire carry-on luggage full of tea, matcha and wagashi from here, and I thought it would be enough to last us 3 generations but it only really lasted 3 months because this was the best tea I’ve ever had in my life and I simply could not get enough. Greg then drove us back to Kamo Station, and we couldn’t help but feel a little heavy-hearted, longing to stay, vowing to come back. 

On the JR ride back (to Kyoto this time because we were completely done with Osaka before we even got to truly experience it, thank you, Earthquake), we munched on the matcha flavored fresh mochi we got from the Coop. This was after we enjoyed some matcha ice-cream with Greg.

I would highly, highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Japan, whether or not they’re matcha enthusiasts, and I can’t wait to do it all over again. You can book your experience with him on AirBnB or -better- hit him up directly on Instagram.