In order to consider the further development of Japanese tea industry, I’d like to list the top 10 topics in this year related to Japanese tea industry as I did last year.
(1) New Technologies for Tea Industry
New technologies have been applied to the tea industry on Makinohara upland successively. I’d like to share new technologies implemented on Makinohara upland in this year.
Practical use of the sequential withering machine
Katsumata Pioneers Tea Production Cooperative has tried to produce “Aromatic Sencha” and launched the test product in 2018, which produced by using the machine for sequential withering in the open-laboratory of Shizuoka Prefectural Tea Research Center. In this year, the cooperative has started producing the “Aromatic Sencha” by operating the sequential withering machine introduced into its own factory. The leader of the cooperative, Mr. Yamamoto, is a descendant of Samurai warriors who started tea cultivation on Makinohara upland at the beginning of Meiji era. It could be fate! In any era, highly motivated people can challenge something new!
Trial of Smart Tea Marming
Charm Charm Land Co. Ltd., Eco Green Katsumata Co. Ltd. and Harada Tea Garden Co. Ltd. (the subsidiary of Harada Tea Processing Co. Ltd.) have started to try new tools of Smart Farming as one of the MAFF projects. They use 4 new technologies; Sensing using on-site sensors and drones, network system “LoRa”, management software and automatic machine for tea cultivation, based on the description published on the NARO website. Some tech companies joined the project, for example, Makinoalabo Co. Ltd., NEC solution innovator Co. Ltd., Kawasaki Kiko Co. Ltd. and Agri Open Innovation Organization. This project aims to reduce the working hours of tea farmers especially in their peak period, the season of 1st and 2nd flush. Especially I’m impressed with the image analysis of tea shoots by using on-site camera.
According to JETRO, smart agriculture is one of the most attractive sector for investment in Japan. I hope their trial will be fruitful and more tea farmers can get to practice the smart tea farming based on their efforts. The acceleration of developments in smart tea farming will improve the tea industry in Japan.
(2) 150th anniversary of tea industry on Makinohara upland
Makinohara upland is a symbol of successful development of tea estates in Japan. Children learn the development of Makinohara upland as tea estate, which is written in the textbook of Japanese history.
The tea plantation settlement was started from 1869, the beginning of Meiji period. The military reform consequent to the Meiji Restoration forces many Samurai warriors belonging to Tokugawa Shogunate to lose their job. And the industrial development enable to construct the big bridge over the Oi River, resulting in many unemployed people who worked as “Kawagoshi Ninsoku” – the labors for transport of traveler over the Oi River.
The Captain Chujo, the Samurai master belonging to Tokugawa Shogunate, commanded the unemployed people to cultivate tea plants on the wasteland on Makinohara upland.
In various events, the 150th anniversary of Makinohara tea industry was celebrated.
(3) 7th World Tea Festival was held in the United Tea Estates of Shizuoka
Over 160 thousand people visited the World Tea Festival 2019 held in the United Tea Estates of Shizuoka. I’d like to emphasize hot discussions among scientists, including Dr. Hackman from UC-Davis, in the Shizuoka Forum on Health and Longevity.
(4) Tea Pairing Getting Hot
Tea pairing is gaining its popularity and significance.
The Japanese Association of Tea Production held a series of business matching event related to tea pairing. At the first seminar held in Tsuji Culinary School in Osaka prefecture, the owner Chef of MAVO presented his art of tea pairing. In the meeting held in the Hotel Associa Shizuoka, the chef in the hotel served original dishes pairing with various Japanese tea and blended tea, based on the concept of tea pairing theory; synchronizing, subliming and synergy.
In the events, the possibility of tea pairing was discussed among various business persons. French chef, tea merchants, tea scientists, bartender, etc. A bartender, who provides various tea liquors in his bar, said that lately foreign bartenders visit his bar to learn tea liquors from Asian countries, such as Singapore and Korea. Liquor using Japanese tea could gain worldwide popularity.
Pairing Japanese tea with various stuff is also significant aspect. In a tea event “Le The Je T’aime” held by French tea lovers living in Shizuoka prefecture, Ms. Ishizuka provided her original blend tea, which is made by blending green tea with various herb and edible plants. Not only selling the teas, she also instruct those who are interested in tea pairing, tea itself and health benefits of tea.
(5) 100th anniversary of Kanaya Tea Research Station of NARO
National research institute for tea research was built on Kanaya region on Makinohara upland in 1919. So this year is 100th anniversary for the long-established national research institute – Kanaya Tea Research Station of NARO; National Agriculture and food Research Organization. On the anniversary event, visitors enjoyed various exhibitions of new technologies, tasting tea infusion of up-to-date cultivars, learning the history of Kanaya Tea Research Station of NARO.
Especially the machine for organic tea farming is interesting for me. The machine can remove pests by blasting air and water mist, allowing tea farmers protect their tea plantation from pests without agrichemicals.
The Kanaya Tea Research Station will lead further improvement of tea farming and development of technologies for sustainable tea production.
(6) Tea Tasting Game Getting its Popularity
“Cha-Kabuki” is a traditional game of tea tasting, which has been played since 14th century. In the 14th century, the game was limited for nobles and Samurai warriors because of the high expense of tea. As tea getting familiar to ordinary people, the tea tasting competition so-called “Cha-Kabuki” has got general interest.
Although the traditional games has been replaced to computer games on the past decades, tea tasting competition has been gaining its popularity. For example, T-1 grand-prix organized by Yoshimura co. ltd. are held in various cities in Japan. Of course, several cities in the United Tea Estates of Shizuoka hold T-1 grand-prix for children in elementary schools.
In this year, the Committee of Shizuoka Tea Industry held the official competition of tea tasting in the Tea Museum Shizuoka, which is symbolic and implies the gaining popularity of tea tasting event.
Hopefully these events could provide more people with opportunities to enjoy tasting different teas.
(7) Japanese Tea Award Growing Worldwide
Japanese Tea Award and its election event have been annually held since 2014 by the Association of Japanese Tea Instructors. Anyone who wants can participate the election. This is characteristic to Japanese Tea Award in comparison with general tea audition, where tea experts evaluate teas and select the best one.
The Association of Japanese Tea Instructors has tried to hold this “consumer-participation” style selection of Japanese in Europe since 2018. In 2018, the selection event was held in Paris. In addition, the association arranged the event for the international VIPs as a special tour of Japanese Tea Award.
In addition to France in 2018, the selection event was held in Berlin in this year.
Furthermore, it seems like the number of European and American participants in Tokyo Tea Party has increased.
(8) New Products related to Japanese Tea
Various business persons has created diverse products related to Japanese tea.
Especially I was impressed with following products.
1. Teplo
Maruyama Tea Company and Load & Road Inc. has developed a smart teapot, which can optimize the brewing condition corresponding to the tea type and the mental state of users by sensing his or her heat rate.
2. Kyusu-no-Potan
Mr. Kobata, a young craftsman of Japanese lacquerware, created this stylish apparatus for Kyusu teapot dryer and has launched since January 2019. I got it as a reward of cloud funding of a documentary film of Japanese tea.
3. Matcha Protein produced by Nakane Seicha Co. Ltd.
As an amateur triathlete loving tea, Matcha Protein is a long awaited product!!
Nakane Seicha Co. Ltd. has launched the Soy Protein of Matcha Latte Flavor, which was developed with a local medicine company and a local sports club, at the end of 2019 and held a test tasting event on 23rd December.
I regret I could not participate the event and got no photo of it.
I’m looking forward to trying the Matcha Soy Protein after training of triathlon.
(9) Progress in Dietary Education in Shizuoka
In my opinion, it is not an overstatement to say Japan is the most advanced country in terms of dietary education. The reason is the effort of “Nutrition Teachers”.
In Japan, public elementary schools have the teachers specialized in dietary education, so-called “Nutrition Teacher” and “School Nutrition Staff”, who prepare recipes of dairy school meals and teach children how to control their health by adjusting dairy diet and nutrition. In 2005, Japan government modified the School Education Act and newly described the role of “Nutrition Teacher” and “School Nutrition Staff” in the Act, in order to enable domestic children to control their health in terms of dairy meals by themselves.
Shizuoka prefectural committee of education has promote usage of local foods in school lunch. As one of the promotion activity, the committee selected model schools and tried to construct a model case of cooperation between elementary school and tea business.
In the model schools in Susono city in Shizuoka pref., nutrition teachers cooperated with tea farmers and parents of students for dietary education using tea.
The nutrition teachers arranged some seminars for the parents to learn about Japanese tea, including health benefits and local history of tea industry, under the instruction of the local tea farmers. And then the parents helped the nutrition teachers to instruct children on Japanese tea. The cooperation is simple but very effective and efficient. Children can learn dietary knowledge and skill at home from their parents. This model can be applied to other aspects.
The good relation among family, school and local business could construct further better education in this hectic society.
(10) Sugimoto Seicha Co. Ltd. was awarded as a valuable company in local society
The committee of experts in various sectors selected Sugimoto Seicha Co. Ltd., the headquarter of Sugimoto Tea Company in USA, as one of the treasure companies which can lead positively influence the rural society in Japan.
The advanced activities of Sugimoto Seicha could be in high esteem.
The company has improved their tea production to guarantee the food safety and got various certificates to prove their food safety. In addition, I hope their advanced effort for environment protection could be evaluated more. Sugimoto America use bio-degradable material for tea bag before gaining concern about micro-plastic.
Hopefully this award positively stimulate other tea companies in Shizuoka prefecture to establish more sustainable development of tea industry.