Kawane-Honcho — Japan
Kenji and Kaori welcomed me to their family tea farm in Kawane-Honcho, about 230 km south-west of Tokyo. Kenji’s father established the farm over 50 years ago. In recent years, Kenji has taken over management of the farm, as his father is ageing.
Kenji grows tea leaves for the production of green, black and oolong tea. As he explained to me, all these teas are made from the same or similar plants. The difference comes from the processing. Tea also has many hybrids, which can be more or less suitable for different teas.
Black tea and green tea start with the leaves! The leaves of green tea are heated to halt oxidation and keep the leaves green. Black tea is fully oxidized, allowing the leaves to turn brown or black.
The tea factory was like an industrial museum. Most of the equipment was about 50 years old, showcasing Japan’s industrial prowess at the time.
Kaori very kindly prepared the tea for my tasting, while Kenji chatted thanks to Google translate. The tea, together with some Japanese snacks, were delicious.
Kenji and Kaori’s tea farm is a very modest, family operation. Like many Japanese farmers these days, Kenji has a second job to make ends meet, and diversify his income sources. Thus, in winter he works on road construction.
After leaving Kenji and Kaori, my driver and I called into a Japanese tea house to partake in Japanese tea ceremony!