[Wazuka Town]
The other day, I visited Wazuka Town for the first time. Located in southern Kyoto Prefecture, it's the main production area for “Uji tea,” a renowned tea-growing region. There, I encountered a beautiful, quintessential Japanese landscape that made me feel truly grateful to have been born in Japan.
Uji tea is defined as green tea made from tea leaves produced in four prefectures—Kyoto, Nara, Shiga, and Mie—and finished by Kyoto-based processors using methods originating in the Uji region. Wazuka Town produces about 40% of Kyoto's Uji tea. Tea leaf cultivation requires fertile, well-drained soil, high annual rainfall, and a gently sloping terrain that creates significant temperature differences between day and night. The area where the Uji River and Kizu River flow meets these conditions, making it a major production area for Uji tea.
Uji tea encompasses various types based on cultivation and processing methods, including tencha (powdered tea), sencha, gyokuro, hojicha, kabusecha, and genmaicha (Hourai tea). Among these, matcha—made by grinding tencha into powder—was refined and passed down alongside the tea ceremony culture established during the Warring States period, becoming the defining feature of Kyoto tea. Wazuka Town's tea, cultivated by master tea farmers and blended by skilled tea merchants, is distributed nationwide as high-quality Uji tea. This landscape, where nature, history, culture, and livelihood are integrated, truly embodies the “Teatopia.”
First, a must-visit in Wazuka Town is the “Ishidera Tea Fields.” Designated as Kyoto Prefecture's first Landscape Asset and registered as a Japan Heritage site. In Wazuka Town, tea is harvested three times a year: first flush in April, second flush in July, and third flush in October. When we visited the Ishidera Tea Fields in early October, they were harvesting the third flush, which was apparently the perfect time to see it. The lush green tea fields, completely uncovered, were truly spectacular. We gazed around in all directions, mesmerized for quite a while.
Afterwards, we had lunch at “Farmstay Atsuan,” introduced by a friend. Farmstay Atsuan is a completely private, one-group-per-day inn surrounded by tea fields, run by a wonderful couple who moved from Kyoto City to Wazuka Town. The healthy, colorful dishes made by owner Atsuko, using abundant local ingredients, drew an immediate “Wow!” from everyone. We leisurely enjoyed the delicious food in a warm atmosphere, leaving our stomachs and hearts full.
Before leaving, don't forget to pick up souvenirs at “Wazuka no Sato.” They offer a variety of teas from Wazuka Town, and I got some matcha and sencha. Matcha has been in short supply in Kyoto City lately, often hard to find, but here I had no trouble purchasing it.
I'd always thought I'd visit Wazuka Town someday, but it felt like I was guided there. Welcomed by the best season, weather, location, and people, I spent a truly wonderful day. On the train back, everything I saw and tasted felt like a dream—a strange sensation of returning to reality from the tea-growing village. In November, the annual “Teatopia Festival” is held, so if you're interested, be sure to look it up.
Wazuka Tea Fields
https://maps.app.goo.gl/seEZvbgkx1n6DUuB9
Wazuka Village
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xJssmbn67ApLoXMSA
Farmstay Atsuan
https://maps.app.goo.gl/zNSuBN4cSpHYzEtm7
Showroom Information
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/
References
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/keikaku/syokubunka/traditional-foods/menu/uzitya.html
https://www.pref.kyoto.jp/keikan-sisan/sisan001.html
https://www.ana.co.jp/ja/jp/japan-travel-planner/kyoto/0000009.html
https://atsuan-wazuka.com/
https://www.town.wazuka.lg.jp/kakukanogoannai/chiikichikarasuishinka/eventjoho/4414.html
