[7-26-25] Our Source - Wazuka, Kyoto, Japan

Our matcha is grown in Wazuka, a historic tea-growing town nestled along the Kizu River in southern Kyoto. The Wazuka tea plantation, located in a small town about 40 km South of Kyoto, is famous for its historic Harayama tea fields and is home to some 300 passionate tea farmers.

Known as the heart of Uji tea production, Wazuka’s misty hills, rich soil, and centuries-old cultivation methods produce some of Japan’s smoothest, most umami-ful matcha. 

Located in the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture, Wazuka produces approximately half of the Uji-cha tea leaves grown in Kyoto Prefecture. These phenomenal tea field scenes created by a lifestyle including tea cultivation work, passed down from generation to generation since the Kamakura period (1185-1333), were registered as the first Kyoto Scenic Asset. Wazuka is also part of the Most Beautiful Villages in Japan and was even registered as a Japan Heritage site “Japanese Tea: Eight Centuries of Tradition” in 2015.

This beautiful landscape is the fruit of the efforts of our ancestors who cultivated the land with handheld hoes along mountain slopes and hillsides that would have been nearly impossible to reach. The beautifully-trimmed ridges of the tea fields are like works of art set into the hillsides. The landscape vista of the hand-crafted tea fields nestled among the houses of those who tend them is a testament to a livelihood unique to the town of Wazuka. The topography and natural environment of Wazuka are ideal for tea production, and the efforts of the people who cultivate the tea here have created both the world-class Wazuka tea and the breathtaking beauty of the landscape across all four seasons.

There is a unique reason why tea production has developed in the Uji-cha area, which includes Wazuka. The Yamashiro Basin, home of the Uji-cha area, has significant temperature differences between day and night, and between the seasons of the year, which helps to concentrate the rich and sweet flavor into the tea leaves. The topography of the basin and the Wazuka River running through the center of the town also help to create fog, which protects the tea leaves from direct sunlight and keeps new shoots soft and tender. Frost sometimes occurs during the cold months, but the tea cultivation masters protect their prized tea plants by methodically covering every row. Thanks to these unique landforms and the tea cultivation masters’ extraordinary efforts, tea has been grown here for over 800 years, and that history is woven into longstanding family farms and businesses. Wazuka became property of the imperial family during the Edo period (1603-1868), and Wazuka Tea was presented as a gift to the imperial palace in Kyoto. Furthermore, this tea has been highly praised for its richly fragrant flavor from ancient times, even winning awards such as the 43rd and 52nd National Tea Competition of Japan from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Among Uji-cha tea, Wazuka tea is said to have a distinctive foggy fragrance, making it one of Japan’s finest teas. Difficult to mass produce due to the mountainous terrain, Wazuka tea is known for large variety and small quantities. With various varieties, cultivation methods and production techniques, nearly 300 tea farms now engage in friendly competition while proudly producing unique, single origin Wazuka teas.

- Philip