Mie Prefecture's Tea Plantation!

There are many tea plantations around Japan.
In this article, we'll introduce the tea plantations of Mie prefecture alongside a 4K video.
The video, titled "Mie Green Tea Fields - 4K Ultra HD," was created by "TokyoStreetView – Japan The Beautiful."

The video introduces a famous tea called "Isecha" (伊勢茶), that's produced in Mie prefecture.
The Kamize tea plantation by the Miyagawa river in the Odai Sankei area of Mie prefecture's Taki district is famous for producing high quality Japanese tea.
Don't miss out on the beautiful scenery of the paddy fields and green tea plantations in this video!

The History and Types of Tea Plantations in the Video

Photo：A tea plantation in spring

Isecha is thought to have been grown in Mie Prefecture for over 1,000 years.
It's said that from the Muromachi period (1336-1573 AD) to the Edo period (1603-1863), priests and merchants carried Isecha to all corners of Japan.

Japanese tea leaves are picked from shrubs, such as those seen at 0:41 in the video.
The Japanese tea leaves harvested from the tea plantations are sorted into a variety of types, depending on how they were cultivated and processed.
These varieties include teas such as Sencha (煎茶), Kabusecha (かぶせ茶) and Gyokuro (玉露).

When Is Japanese Tea Harvested and How Can You Purchase It?

Photo：Tea plantation・Tea picking

Tea farmers in Japan pick the first tea of the year around May.

An event is held at the Kamize tea plantation (introduced in the video) where leaves are picked to be used as an offering to Ise Grand Shrine. Japanese tea can be purchased at either tea shops in the area or online. There are also many cafés where you can try a variety of Japanese teas and traditional sweets.

The Top Tea Producing Areas in Japan!

Photo：Green tea and tea leaves

Areas famous for tea production in Japan include the Mount Fuji area of Shizuoka prefecture, Kyoto prefecture, Miyazaki prefecture, and Kagoshima prefecture.
The Kamize and Suizawa (水沢) tea plantations of Mie prefecture are also known for producing high quality Japanese tea.

The largest producers of tea in Japan (based on production volume, production cost, and cultivation area) are ranked as follows:
No.1 – Shizuoka prefecture
No.2 – Kagoshima prefecture
No.3 – Mie prefecture

Summary of Mie Prefecture's Tea Plantation

Photo：Tea plantation

We hope you enjoyed the view of the beautiful tea plantations introduced in the video.

During the peak of the tea growing season, the tea plantations in Mie prefecture, in areas such as Suzuka Yokkaichi, Oku Ise Odai, and Suizawa, create some incredible scenery.
At 2:17 in the video, you can see the beautiful scenery of the tea plantations surrounded by mountains.
In the Ise-Shima area you can also see the amazing single cherry blossom tree known as "Iwatozakura" (岩戸桜).

If watching this video has sparked your interest in Japanese tea, we highly recommend visiting a tea plantation during the height of the tea season to enjoy some amazing sightseeing and delicious tea!