News Kagoshima surpasses Shizuoka as Japan’s leading green tea producer

[thomas]

Kagoshima has surpassed Shizuoka in green tea production, claiming the top spot in Japan due to differences in cultivation techniques between the two regions and changing consumer preferences. According to data released in March by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Kagoshima's green tea output in 2019 was valued at 25.2 billion yen ($2.32 million), slightly exceeding Shizuoka's 25.1 billion yen. This marks the first time since 1967 when records began, that Shizuoka has lost its position as Japan's leading tea-producing prefecture.

Tea plantation in Kakekawa, Shizuoka (photo credit: Kyodo)​

Output in Shizuoka has decreased more than 40 per cent over the past decade, while Kagoshima's has remained constant. As Kagoshima has extensive areas of flat land as compared to the rest of Japan, local tea farmers have promoted large-scale cultivation and capitalized on the growing demand for bottled tea. In contrast, Shizuoka has continued to focus on high-grade tea. [...] More than 97 per ent of tea farms in Kagoshima have adopted large-scale machinery, compared to the national average of less than 60 percent. Technology-streamlined work processes enable farmers to harvest the second and third tea crops to ensure profitability. Tea farms are often on steep hillsides in Shizuoka, making it difficult for growers to introduce large machinery. "Efforts to streamline operations and consolidate farmland haven't gone our way," said an official in the tea promotion division of the Shizuoka prefectural government.

Changes in consumer behaviour have favoured Kagoshima:

Spending on tea-based beverages, such as bottled tea, amounted to 7,676 yen per household in 2020, up 34 per cent from a decade earlier, while the consumption of loose leaf tea, brewed in teapots, fell 16 per cent to 3,817 yen. Growers in Japan's central prefecture of Shizuoka prioritize the production of high-priced "ichibancha" (first tea crop) that is brewed in teapots. But its consumption has been on the decline. To create new demand for loose leaf tea, a "tea pairing" campaign to promote the drinking of tea with complementary meals is underway in Shizuoka. "We would like to propose new ways of drinking that make the best use of the goodness of Shizuoka tea," said Norihisa Ito, an executive director at the Chamber of Tea Association of Shizuoka Prefecture.

FOCUS: Kagoshima overtakes Shizuoka in green tea output for Japan's top spot

Kagoshima has overtaken Shizuoka in output equivalent to green tea sales, gaining the top spot in Japan, with differences in cultivation methods between the two prefectures and changes in consumer tastes behind the shift.

english.kyodonews.net

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Shizuoka has always been tea. It's so strange to hear that any other prefecture has beaten it out, although it does make sense, given that people are drinking tea made from loose leaves less in favor of bottled tea. It just goes to show that the only constant in life is change.

 

[thomas]

In terms of quality, Shizuoka will probably remain the undisputed leader.

Example: gyokuro

Gyokuro: The Most Expensive and Rarest Tea in the World

Gyokuro is one of the most expensive and rarest teas in the world. It has a uniquely sweet taste and refreshing aroma. Read this article to learn how to brew it like a Japanese tea master.

www.shizuokatea.com

 

[salyavin]

• Yame Gyokuro
  Won the Best Prize in the All Japan Green Tea Competition for 12 consecutive years from 2001 to 2012, and again in 2014 and 2015
  
  
• Minami Kyushu City
  Won the production area award in the 10 kg sencha category in the 77th National Tea Competition
  

Yame tea

• Yame tea is known for its award-winning dento hon gyokuro, which is considered the King of green tea
  
  
• Yame tea is produced in the mountains of Fukuoka, north of Kyushu
  
  
• Yame tea is praised for its strong umami taste, round and full taste, sweetness, deep color, and lingering taste

 

[thomas]

Asahi followed up on Kagoshima's dethroning of Shizuoka, Japan's former top tea producer. Unsurprisingly, two big issues played against Shizuoka: the topography and a lack of successors.

Shizuoka loses top tea producer title for the first time since 1959 | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis