Kakegawa tea estate has performed a series of cultural program “Kakegawa Chaennale Art Festival”, which involves local agriculture, modern and traditional arts, activities of various personalities etc.

The art of silver grass bundles is exhibited in the Higashiyama region as one of the programs of Kakegawa Chaennale Art Festival.

Tiny pyramids of silver grasses bundles on the slope around tea plantations in Higashiyama region in Kakegawa tea estate.

In some nights, some artists projected fantastic visions on the big bundles of silver grasses.

The bundles of dried silver grasses are often observed in Kakegawa tea estate.

Tea farmers has applied the dried silver grasses onto soil in tea farm traditionally as shown in the following pictures.

The action provide various beneficial effects on the soil in tea farms such as adjustment of soil temperature, improvement of soil physical properties because of promotion of soil aggregation due to higher content of organic matter, increase in nutrient retention due to higher cation exchange capacity of organic matter etc. Besides annual management of grassland around tea plantation also results in the wealth of biodiversity. These ecological benefits derived from the traditional management was certificated as one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems(GIAHS) by FAO.

The traditional cultivation coupled with surrounding grassland management is named as “Traditional Tea-Grass Integrated System”, which has been conducted traditionally in Kakegawa tea estate and the surrounding tea estates, including Makinohara upland, Shimada, Kikugawa and Kawane.

Especially Higashiyama region in Kakegawa tea estate is famous for the tea farm management using tea-grass. In the autumn season, we can observe many bundles of silver grasses around tea plantations in Higashiyama region on Mt. Awagatake in Kakegawa tea estate.

Silver grasses grow naturally around tea plantations.

At first, tea farmers cut grasses on grassland around or near their tea plantations. Cut grasses are partially dried on the land.

Semi-dried silver grasses are bundled and dried.

The bundles of silver grasses are dried on the land.

Other attractive programs of Kakegawa Chaennale still events still go on till 19th November. People and beautiful landscapes will welcome you to Kakegawa tea estate!

Fantastic landscapes and big Kanji character of tea will welcome you!