Shizuoka tea, new challenges and further development - Part 1

Shizuoka, home of tea, in trouble

How many cups of tea (Japanese tea) do you drink per day?

I was born and raised in Shizuoka, so it was natural for me to have tea (green tea) in my daily meals ever since I was a child.
Even now as an adult, the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is have a cup of cold-brewed green tea made in a bottle. I also have cold-brewed green tea with lunch. I often drink tea, including bottled tea, to stay hydrated during the day, and it's my daily habit to brew tea in a teapot at dinner. Then, after the meal, I have another cup of tea that I've brewed again. I worry about caffeine interfering with my sleep after dinner, but cold-brewed green tea doesn't extract as much caffeine, so I drink a few cups before I go to bed.
As a tea lover, I may drink it more often than average, but I thought that everyone living in Shizuoka, the home of tea, drinks tea in the same way.
However, this time, before starting my research on tea, I asked the people around me as a casual conversation and was surprised.
"I drink bottled tea, but I've never bought tea leaves," "I've already gotten rid of my teapot," "I only drink water, barley tea, or oolong tea with meals," etc. There were a lot of people who don't drink Japanese tea.

As someone from Shizuoka, the tea capital, I have friends and acquaintances who work in the tea industry, and it's been covered in the news, so I knew that Japanese tea wasn't selling as well as it used to. I had heard that the price of tea leaves was falling, and that many tea farmers were going out of business due to aging.
However, it somehow felt like something that didn't concern me. I never imagined that people around me were moving away from Japanese tea so much.
I decided on the theme of focusing on farmers who are sincerely working hard to produce tea, and the new challenges of the younger generation, and finding hope, even in the tea industry that is said to be a declining industry. However, my research began when I was confronted with the shockingly negative current situation.

Tea is a plant, a crop and a beverage.
Some people take great care to cultivate tea trees, and others steam, roll, and dry the harvested tea leaves to turn them into crude tea. Others process the crude tea further to turn it into finished tea, or blend tea from different regions and varieties to standardize the flavor. Some people seek new possibilities for tea and aim to develop products other than tea leaves. In this way, the tea leaves that were once plants pass through the hands of many people before reaching us, the consumers, as a "product."

I thought it was like the flow of a river.
The source is the tea tree. The effort and passion of many people flow into it like a tributary, transforming into various forms before reaching the mouth of the river where consumers await.

As I write this article, I have a cup of cold-brewed tea made from tea leaves I received at the location I visited for an interview nearby.
This lightly steamed tea from Kawane has a refreshing taste and a subtle sweetness.

Yes, tea is delicious after all.

That is why I sincerely wanted everyone to know about the people involved in the tea industry who have not given up on the declining industry and continue to take on various challenges. So, this time I would like to invite you on a journey along the river called "Shizuoka tea".

"Decisive" decision to steer toward Japanese black tea

The first place we visited was the Ryogouchi area of ​​Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City. It was about a 20-minute drive from the nearest Shimizu Station. We climbed steadily along a mountain road brimming with greenery and arrived at "Green Eight," whose name comes from the fact that eight local farms came together to start a business. Although there are no longer eight farms, the company has inherited the original name and aspirations, and as a tea farm, they not only cultivate, process, and wholesale crude tea, but also sell their own tea.
In recent years, they have been focusing on the manufacture and sale of Japanese black tea. They are an agricultural corporation that has attracted attention for their unique strategies, such as setting up a cafe in their tea factory and opening a store in a train station building.

I had the impression that Ryogouchi tea, which is grown in the quiet mountain village upstream of the Okitsu River, fetches the highest price at the first trading of the new tea at the Shizuoka tea market and is chosen as tea to present to the Imperial Family, so I thought it was a tea-producing region since ancient times.

"Tea fields in valleys deep in the mountains, with rivers flowing and mist forming, are a characteristic of tea-producing areas in central Shizuoka, and are not limited to this area. Compared to Honyama tea, which is also home to the legend of Shoichi Kokushi, the history of tea production here in Ryogochi and Wadajima is short. One of the characteristics of the tea leaves from this area is the 'power of the people'.
It is precisely because we are still in the early stages that we have made the effort and dedication we have gained to not only cultivate and process tea, but also to improve our branding and sales methods.

That's what Green Eight's CEO, Hojo Hiroki, had to say.

After explaining to us the characteristics of Ryogouchi tea, such as the softness of the tea leaves grown in the mountains, which means the tea is steamed for a short period of time, he declared that its greatest feature is "people power." His words conveyed respect for the hardships and efforts of his predecessors, as well as his confidence and hope for what they are currently doing.

When asked about the time when he took over the family business,

"Looking back, it was still better than it is now. At the time, tea prices were falling rapidly. Producers couldn't survive by just making tea and selling it to wholesalers. So we started selling tea directly to customers. Even back then, we started making Japanese black tea as well as green tea. I trained in Maruko (Shizuoka City), the birthplace of black tea in Japan. We started out using three types of tea leaves."

They started selling the products around 2012. They have participated in events and markets in the prefecture, as well as pop-up stalls in urban areas, where they have been able to hear customer feedback directly and get ideas for creating products.

"While interacting directly with customers at markets and pop-up stores, I realized that there were still many people who didn't drink Japanese tea at home or when they were out, but did drink black tea. I realized that there was still a demand for black tea. No matter how good the tea leaves we made, there was no point competing with green tea. I decided to focus on black tea, which I felt was delicious and had a promising market potential."

In 2015, the Green Eight Cafe was opened next to the tea factory.
As they didn't want the cafe's exterior and interior to be limited to Japanese tea, they deliberately aimed for an atmosphere that would make customers mistakenly come in and ask for coffee.

I ordered the popular Japanese black tea parfait and Japanese black tea (straight), but decided to enjoy my meal on the terrace in the tea fields, about a 10-minute walk away, as it was also popular.
With a set of drinks placed in a special bag and a map given to us, we strolled along in a picnic mood, when we came across a strange sight!

The sight of the huge bridges of the Shin-Tomei Expressway standing in the midst of the nature unique to this land, with mountains on both sides and a narrow sky, gives a strange feeling that you can experience the unchanging flow of time from the past and a sense of the near future at the same time. However, surprisingly, there is no noise of cars. All you can hear is the sound of a nearby stream and the peaceful calls of birds.
The sweetness and coolness of Japanese black tea will soothe your mind and body.

The parfait is filled with original Japanese black tea soft serve ice cream, Japanese black tea jelly, and plenty of fruit, making every bite a different taste. The crunchy flakes add a fun texture and a fragrant flavor that makes it impossible to tire of eating. They said they arrived at this deliciousness through repeated trial and error, such as the combination of ingredients and the balance of portions, and it's easy to see why.
The ice used for the iced tea is made from the same tea frozen, so that the flavor does not get diluted even when the ice melts. As a tea lover, I was pleased to see the effort that is spared to help customers enjoy delicious tea.

The birth of the bitter teacher

Hojo-san says he has made a "decisive" decision to make a change in his Japanese black tea line, and now the company produces 16 varieties at all times (sometimes up to 18-20 varieties when limited editions are included). While the varieties are listed, such as "Tsuyuhikari," "Yabukita," "Benifuki," and "Okumidori," they are presented in a visually easy-to-understand chart ranging from sweet to bitter.
In fact, this too reflects Hojo's pragmatic way of thinking.

"Those who are knowledgeable about tea will be interested in the variety, but for the average person, it's the impression they get when they drink it and whether they like it or not. There's no need for a complicated chart, so I made a chart with just parallel lines ranging from 'sweet' to 'astringent.'"

The simple label design is also impressive for its sophistication and clarity.

"We stopped using traditional materials such as photos and illustrations of tea leaves and the word 'new tea' written on them. This caused some of our long-time customers to leave, but we accepted that as it was inevitable."

On this weekday, a regular customer who said he came from just across the mountain was ordering a tea soda to go.
"I came here to recharge my batteries before the kids' holidays (laughs). I often come here as a way to reward myself."
that's what he said.
The next customer was a young man who ordered cold tea after carefully listening to the explanation about the types and characteristics of tea leaves.
On weekends, the place is crowded with families visiting the nearby Okitsu River, but on weekdays, people come to spend quiet time alone or enjoy a chat about tea with Hojo and his staff. While some customers have drifted away as a result of this "compromise," it seems that the number of fans is definitely increasing.

In 2021, a Japanese black tea specialty store called "Nigakunaikoucha" will open in the JR Shizuoka Station building Parche Shokusaikan.

"While continuing to set up shop at pop-ups and markets, I also felt the need for a permanent store, and then a vacancy came up at Shokusaikan, and they asked me to open a shop. There were already tea shops around, so I wanted to set myself apart by opening a shop specializing in black tea. I really thought about the name of the shop a lot, but I thought that the easiest thing to understand was the words "this tea isn't bitter" that customers say to me, so I decided to use that as the name."

When this shop first opened, I thought it had an unusual name, but I never knew there was a story behind its creation!

Connecting Shizuoka's tea culture to the future

"The manager and assistant manager of Nigakunai Kocha are young and come from a generation that grew up without a teapot at home. But they think the tea they come into contact with through their work is delicious, and they sincerely convey that to customers. I think it's important to create an environment where the younger generation can come into contact with tea and enjoy working."
Said Hojo.

Some people may not know this, but both green tea and black tea (Japanese black tea) are made from the same tea plant.
As consumption of green tea declines, Hojo and his team's challenge to increase tea leaf consumption by encouraging people to drink Japanese black tea appears to have a long way to go.

It was still the height of summer when we visited for the interview, but in November 2024, the seasons had changed and "NIHONDAIRA" had opened on the summit of Mt. Nihon-daira.
To coincide with the opening of their third store, they have newly developed Earl Grey and jasmine-flavored black teas, which are rare in Japanese black tea. These have become the highlight products of the Nihon-daira store.

"We don't just sell Japanese black tea as an extension of green tea, but specialize in black tea. Drinking local tea in the natural surroundings of Ryogouchi is nice, but drinking an Earl Grey latte under the wide open sky of Nihon-daira is also something special."
Said Hojo.

I felt a ray of hope in the fact that they are not only growing tea and developing and selling their own products as tea farmers, but are also creating jobs and teaching the young people who will be the leaders of the next generation how delicious tea is, thereby connecting Shizuoka's tea culture to the future.

The perfect time to come! A time to enjoy tea, as suggested by a young leader

Next, we visited a space where the younger generation could enjoy tea they had made themselves.
GOOD TIMING TEA is located in Takajo, an area in the center of Shizuoka city that is home to many unique shops.

"In my teens and twenties, whatever I did I was half-hearted and couldn't stick with it. I dropped out of university and quickly quit many jobs. When I was 10, I was working at my family's tea wholesaler, and my father recommended a cup of gyokuro to me, saying, 'Hey, try this,' and I was blown away by it.
"I thought to myself at that time, 'Ah, I want to recommend this cup of tea to someone. I want to create a place where people can enjoy it.' At that time, I hadn't really set my sights on my future. The Gyokuro producer is no longer with us, but we decided to sell tea leaves that recreate the taste of the tea."

When asked, "Do you have a favorite drink?" the owner, Wada Ken, answered with glee.
His family runs the tea wholesaler "Daruma-ya Wada Kiyoshi Shoten." Before starting the tea manufacturing business, they made daruma dolls, which is why the shop was named "Daruma-ya."
There are daruma dolls lined up inside the "GOOD TIMING TEA" store, and they look so stylish!

In addition to the daruma dolls associated with the family business, there is a large vase filled with branches displayed in a space reminiscent of a small garden, the sliding door to the toilet is slightly low, reminiscent of a tea room, wind chimes made from Suruga Bamboo Sensuji Crafts, and a large Suruga Wazome curtain that was dyed using tea leaves left over from the shop.
Although it is not extravagant, each piece is tastefully designed and harmonious, creating a dignified atmosphere that makes you stand up a little straighter, yet the atmosphere is comfortable.

The customers are of all ages and genders. There is an elderly regular quietly enjoying tea by himself, a couple of women enjoying a chat, and a young man of the same generation as Wada-san and the staff chatting away at the counter.
When I pop into the store as I pass by, I often see a wide variety of customers enjoying the tea and the atmosphere.

The tasteful furnishings and atmosphere of the store are wonderful, but one of the charms of this store is that in addition to serving delicious standard Japanese teas like green tea and roasted green tea, you can also discover new ways to drink Japanese tea, such as matcha sodas, lattes, and shakes.
Moreover, each cup is brewed with great care, so watching them do so while waiting for the coffee to be ready is a joy.

My favorite is the matcha soda.
The matcha is prepared after an order is placed, and the carefully brewed cup is a completely different taste to any matcha soda I've had before, with its aroma and flavor of the tea, refreshing citrus flavor, and pleasant bitter taste.
Although I always think about ordering something different next time, I always end up ordering this cup, partly because of the special feeling of having matcha made just for me.

We also asked Wada-san what his recommended drink was.
"I haven't been able to put it into words yet, but I believe this tea can be competitive on the world stage."

As he spoke, he brewed me some Kamairicha tea.
This tea is not very familiar in Shizuoka, but unlike sencha, which is made by steaming, it is roasted in an iron kettle heated over an open flame.

The light blue color is a beautiful amber color. It has a fragrant and slightly unusual taste, different from oolong tea or roasted green tea. However, that unique taste seems to go well with oily foods such as fried foods and grilled meat.
It was a cup of tea that made me realize it has potential as a tea to enjoy with a meal.

The shocking question: "Does tea make an effort?"

A cup of Gyokuro that Wada-san encountered when he was 23 years old. He wants to recommend a cup like this to someone. He wants to create a place like that.
With this in mind, and also with the desire to learn about customer service, Wada began working at a coffee shop that he frequented at the time and where he had long been friends with the shop's president.
He still can't forget the words the representative said to him there.

"When it comes to coffee, people put in milk, sugar, and try all sorts of creative ways to drink it. But what about tea?
Is tea making an effort?”

"Having seen my father and grandfather do this, I always thought that tea shops are making an effort too! But when I thought about tea as a liquid and tried to come up with creative ways to drink it, I started to think that there was definitely a lot more potential and room for improvement."

By the way, Mr. Wada originally wanted to learn about customer service, but he gave up on that idea halfway through.

"I thought that I wouldn't learn anything from that. I was just so happy when customers said things like 'Thank you' and 'It was delicious.'"

He said that up until then, he had never been able to stick with anything and had been half-hearted about it, but after working at the coffee shop for seven years and being given more and more work, he decided to quit. While he was looking for a property to take over the business, he came across the location of his current shop.

"This place has been a coffee shop for 50 years. They say that trends go full circle every 25 years or so, but this place has been a coffee shop business for two. I thought that this place has a deep rooted customer base and coffee shop culture, so I decided on it that day."

The store is scheduled to open in November 2023. They first came across the property in June of that year, so I was amazed at how quickly they moved forward after deciding on the property, and how much they were able to act. But there are things like fate and timing.
Speaking of timing, when we were talking about the store's name, he told us an episode about his grandfather, who was a very fond of him.

"The name of my family's store also contains the character 'Daruma', so I wanted the store name to be something auspicious. I hope that each customer will visit the store at their own 'good time'.
Just before we opened, my grandfather, who had always wanted to take over the family tea wholesale business, passed away.
I think my grandfather was happy because I was able to tell him the opening date and the state of the store. So I thought to myself at the time, "Ah, this was good timing for me." To be honest, I wanted him to come to the store.

Becoming a hub connecting producers and consumers

"My family's tea wholesale business has connections with both producers and retail tea shops. That's why I want to be like a hub connecting producers and consumers.
This shop is one of the platforms for that, but in the future I would also like to acquire tea fields and farms.
"I want to create a tea theme park where people can see tea plants being cultivated, experience picking tea leaves, turn them into tea leaves, and drink the tea. Tea is not just a liquid to drink; people can also try things like tea dyeing using tea leaves.

The vision for the future he shared with us was even more grandiose than we had imagined, and he was filled with love for tea.
Grandfather Wada had wanted his grandson to take over the tea wholesale business that he started, and we can imagine he is watching over his grandson with confidence, knowing that he will exceed that wish even further.

Another thing that makes this restaurant so great is the friendly service provided by Wada-san and the rest of the staff. They are attentive to you and keep a close enough distance to you that you'll be surprised at just how much you can handle.
"I placed more importance on the person's personality than their tea experience," says Wada.
The staff are just right. For me, it was something that was connected to the tea that I drink every day. It's encouraging for the future of Shizuoka tea to know that there are young people who are trying to liven up the tea industry by continuing to propose new ideas while still cherishing the good old traditions.

Our journey to visit the people who suggest different ways to enjoy tea and support the future of Shizuoka tea will continue in the second part.

Read the second part here

Writer: Gohantsubu Labo Aoki Rika
Photo: Tsukasa Kozuka