World Tea Festival 2019 will be held between 10th and 12th May in the Tea Museum Shizuoka, Greenpia Makinohara and Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport.
The festival will provide us with various programs. I’d like to share the information and introduce some of them based on the previous festival as follows.
(1) First Flush Teas in Each Tea Estate
Japanese Tea Instructors will serve cups of first flush Sencha produced in each tea estate in Shizuoka prefecture.
Visitors can enjoy cups of specilty teas produced in each tea estate.
(2) World Tea Market
Various tea businesses will exhibit and sell their flagship products, including not only loose leaf teas but also tea-related products.
In this time, 28 companies will participate. I’d like to introduce some of them as follows.
1899
1899, a fantastic hotel business, which provide a series of sophisticated service, will serve their special matcha beer. As posted before, 1899 provides not only the matcha beer but also tea cuisines in their restaurants.
ITO EN
ITO EN has joined the World Tea Festival since the first time held in 2001. In the previous time in 2016, they serves their special goods produced in the environmental-friendly manner in addition to their loose leaf tea and bottled teas. Their activities including the re-cycling tea leaves was awarded as SDGs prize.
In the previous time of World Tea Festival in 2016, Itoen exhibited their SDGs practices and the related products, for example, papers and prastics including tea leaves after infusion.
Itoen exhibited their loose leaf teas besides bottled teas.
Ebisutei co. ltd.
A local food company Ebisutei will provide the tea Shumai fish meat ball, which consists of first flush tea and Itoyoridai perch fish. The ingredients become the most tasty in the spring season. The tea shumai is perfect to the spring season. I think the tea Shumai would go well with the matcha beer of 1899 so much!
huluwa A & C
The Korean company huluwa A & C will serve the authentic Korean green tea. In addition to the Korean green tea, they will provide the special puer tea blended with Korean ginseng, which was developed with Yunnan Province in China.
Their unique products will provide us with interesting business insights!!
(3) Walking through the Traditional Japanese Garden of “Kirei Sabi”
Tea Museum Shizuoka has a fantastic Japanese garden, which was replicated as Load Kobori Enshu constructed. We can enjoy looking the beauties of “Kirei Sabi” elegance seeked in the garden.
(4) Tea Party at Sunset Time
(5) Experience of “Temomi” Tea Hand-Rolling
Temomi Reservation Association will demonstrate the “temomi” hand-rolling of Sencha tea for visitors.
(6) World Tea Ceremony “Sekai Dai Chakai”
(7) Experiences of Worldwide Tea Cultures
We can experience tea cultures in some countries such as Chinese black tea, Tibetan butter tea, Uzbekistan’s lemon tea and Chai of India style.
(8) Walking along Tea Plantations on Makinohara Upland
In this program, visitors can enjoy walkeing with looking some historical and symbolic facilities such as water infrastructures, national tea research institute, large plantations constructed by long-time land improvement and development.
The water infrastructure on Makinohara upland.
The historical tea garden of various tea cultivars in tea research institutes.
The large and horizontal tea plantation constructed by the great efforts of land improvement and development.
(9) Exhibition of World Teawares
(10) Hand Massage with Tea Aroma
Act-For co. ltd., which is the company producing an aroma oil of Sencha captured in tea factories, will provide us with the service of hand massage using the Sencha aroma oil.
Their activity could be one of the practices of SDGs. In general, fresh fragrance of tea leaves is evaporated by the steaming process in crude tea production. It is because we can feel the fresh grassy aroma near tea factories. Act-For co. ltd., has success gathering the aroma by their special method. (I guess they use some resigns specific to sorption of tea aroma) Their tea perfumes let us feel calm and relaxed.
(11) Hand-Picking of First Flush Tea Shoots
Greenpia Makinohara provides a tea picking experince from Spring to Autumn every year. As a program of World Tea Festival 2019, the company will provide the tea experience service. Children can enjoy the experience with parents and make a great memory.
< Event Information >
- Date : 9:30 – 17:00, 10th (Fri.) – 12th (Sun.) May, 2019
- Venue : Tea Museum Shizuoka (Activities of (1) – (8)), Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport (Activities of (9) & (10)) and Greenpia Makinohara (Activity (11))
- Access : Visitors can use free shuttle buses bound to the venues from JR Kanaya station and the free parking area in Mt. Fuji Shizuoka airport. The shuttle buses are available in every 15 minutes from 8:30 to 18:30.
- Fee : Basically tasting teas are free. Each experience sets different fee, between approx. 300 and 1,000 yen.