The timeless appeal of Yamecha
An interview with key young people working to preserve the traditions of Yamecha, a brand of tea grown in Yame, Fukuoka, one ofJapan’s leading tea producing areas; A close look into their thoughts and feelings toward Yamecha.

Contents

The job of preserving the traditions and quality of Yamecha

Visiting the next generation of leader

An expressive pioneer drawn into the world of tea



Craftman/Shop dataReiganji Temple, the birthplace of Yamecha

Yamecha is a well-known brand of tea and one of the famous Fukuoka products. The farmers are over 2000 dotted mainly in Yame
City, Hirokawa Town, Chikugo City, Ukiha City, and Asakura City. Reiganji Temple, which stands in a local area called Okuyame, is said
to be the birthplace of this brand of tea. Here at Reiganji Temple, visitors can learn more about the history of tea, a deeply rooted
aspect of local Yame culture. Yame is counted among Japan’s top tea producing regions due to its local geological features–mostnotably a mountainous central region that experiences drastic shifts in temperature. Depending on how it is grown andmanufactured, even a single variety of tea plant can be used to produce a broad range of green teas, including sencha (middle-gradetea), kabusecha (mild tea grown screened from direct sunlight before picking), gyokuro (refined, high-grade tea), tencha (powderedtea for use in tea ceremonies; also known as matcha), and bancha (coarse tea).
Yame has a solid reputation for producing gyokuro-style refined tea, and tea farms here consistently produce the highest volume ofgyokuro tea in Japan. In the Gyokuro Category of the annual National Tea Competition of Japan, Yame-grown gyokuro tea has won
the Production Area Award for twenty-one consecutive years and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award in sevenconsecutive competitions, from the 68th to the 74th. This tea is very highly rated for its vivid green hue and mellow flavor, and YameDento Hon Gyokuro, the highest-quality brand of gyokuro tea grown in Yame, is produced with such remarkable craftsmanship that
top chefs from around the world now recognize its superiority.
Since ancient times, when producing gyokuro, matcha, and similar varieties of tea, Yamecha farmers shield their tea plants from thesun using natural straw mats called “sumaki” until the harvest is complete. Very few regions in Japan preserve this old-fashioned,labor-intensive technique, which is another reason that Yamecha is so highly regarded.

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AccommodationHoshino Village is the name of an area in Yame City that lies along the border with Oita Prefecture, and due to its elevation, this area
is a particularly prosperous spot for tea production, even within Yame. I visited Hoshino Seichaen, a tea farm established in Hoshino
Village in 1946, where tea farmers work to preserve ancient traditions and old-fashioned methods of tea cultivation in the modernage.
I was welcomed by Shinya Yamaguchi, who serves as managing director at Hoshino Seichaen. In contrast to his mild, gentle
demeanor, Shinya is a three-time champion at the National Tea Competition of Japan, where the competitors’ expertise in tea is put
to the ultimate test, and at the age of thirty-two, this tea specialist became to youngest person in history to earn the title of “tenthlevel tea master,” the highest rank available. He is now forty-one years old and one of the few, talented, key people responsible forthe future of Yamecha.
Shinya’s main job is to receive tea leaves from growers, process the leaves at Hoshino Seichaen’s processing facility, and deliver
them to consumers. His most important role is as the tea quality-assurance inspector prior to product shipping, or when otherwise
requested, and he was kind enough to give me a glimpse into some aspects of this process.

Shinya thoroughly observes and compares the weights, textures, fragrances, colors, and other features of the tea leaves in order toperceive and identify any differences that manifest, no matter how slight. Even tea leaves from the same grower can vary in color andaroma depending on soil quality, plant variety, preparation method, fertilization control, and the manufacturing or cultivation methodsemployed.

When tasting to determine a tea’s fragrance and flavor, he makes use of a special spoon that he uses specifically for this purpose.
When tasting many difference types of tea, such as at a competition, inspectors and judges only sip very small quantities, similar towine tasting.

Since tea is graded on a point system, it is considered best to look for flaws when comparing. First, judges or inspectors sniff to see
whether it has the ‘distorted’ aroma of oxidized tea or the ‘bruised’ smell of fresh leaves, then they check the color of the liquid. Thefinal step is to take a sip to evaluate the tea overall, including its flavor, savoriness, and even the aroma that seeps up into theinspector’s nose.
This delicate process is very dependent on one’s senses, and I could not help but wonder if some sort of special training is requiredfor inspectors to stay sharp and precise at all times. I asked Shinya about it, but he sidestepped the question a bit by saying, “I don’t
do anything special. If I had to come up with something, though, I would say that I make sure to avoid catching colds. Instead of trying
to do something special, I just do my best to master the basics. I consider it important to make a habit of doing the simple,
commonplace things in my daily life that I know I should.” …Which seems straightforward but is actually one of the most difficult thingsin the world to accomplish.

Visiting the next generation of leader

Next, Shinya took me to visit a tea farm named Hoshino Kirakuen, located about a ten-minute drive from Hoshino Seichaen, and heand I were given a tour of the magnificent tea fields there. We were shown around by Shota Tanaka, a tea grower roughly the sameage as Shinya. Shota is also a leader who works to coordinate and unite the members of an association of young tea growers.

While showing us through his fields, Shota explained, “Over there, you can see a variety of tea known as ‘yabukita,’ the most popularvariety in Japan. Over that way, you can see a variety called ‘saemidori,’ the star of Yame.” Even areas within the same farm will varyin soil quality and sunlight, so even when cultivating the same variety of tea plant, the degree of growth depends on the climate andsoil conditions. Plus, it takes several years for growers to select the optimal variety of tea plant and type of tea for the location inorder to create a field, all the while considering production efficiency and market demand. I’m sure it takes far more time and effort
than the rest of us can even imagine to divide up a farm to grow multiple varieties of tea at the same time.

The leaves, which harden during the winter, begin to bear buds from around March. Once they bud, growers disinfect and begin
shading their crop from the sun for certain periods of time to protect the new buds as they grow. Then, over the course of two
different time periods, they harvest the first and second tea crops. This process from cultivation to harvest does not usually vary fromyear to year, but no two days throughout the year are ever the same. Growers must keep a careful eye on the conditions in theirfields, which change with the climate, in order to pick the tea leaves at the best possible time. So, in order to maximize the potentialof the tea, Shota and other growers make sure to faithfully tend to their fields on a daily basis.
According to Shinya, “Without detailed calculations, it would be impossible to grow delicious tea. Growers need a broad range ofknowledge because our skills are tested in many areas, up to an including processing the dried tea leaves at facilities for that. It’s
also important to remain agile and flexible, adapting to the times, because growers need to analyze the needs of the market anddeliver tea that will satisfy customers. Growers have to be broad-minded, yet at the same time sensitive and meticulous.” Withrespect, he added, “That’s the kind of person that Shota is, and I think that his character is reflected in his tea.”
On the whole, Yamecha farmers are aging, and the farming population itself continues to decline year by year. Which is why Shota
and Shinya say they have taken the lead in organizing regular meetings where producers and others in the industry can interact witheach other and exchange ideas. They hope that this will lead to building lateral relationships throughout the industry as well as leadto fostering other young growers in their twenties and thirties.

Shota said, “We are very grateful to Shinya for his professional and objective assessments of tea quality. Thanks to him, we are able
to make improvements and set higher goals for the coming year.” Manufacturers are able to produce better tasting tea by staying inclose communication with growers and being aware of the conditions of their fields. Shinya, who sharpens his senses and heads out
into the fields for this purpose, is the very picture of ‘calm yet passionate.’
Both Shota and Shinya have complete trust in each other’s knowledge and experience. Shota focuses all of his passion and desire
into his fields, which Shinya then receives and passes on to consumers. In this way, the feelings and sentiments imbued intoYamecha flow out into the world from one person to another.

An expressive pioneer drawn into the world of tea

Suguru Tokubuchi is the owner of a tea shop named yorozu, located in Akasaka, a neighborhood in Fukuoka City’s Chuo Ward. He
became a pioneer roughly ten years ago when, in 2012, he became the first person in Fukuoka to open a shop specializing in bothJapanese tea and sake.

Suguru, now a specialist in serving tea, took his first step into this world in his early twenties, when he was working as a bartender at
a hotel in Tenjin, a prosperous area in downtown Fukuoka City. Through his job as a bartender, he met a man by the name ofShinichiro Ogata, CEO and art director for HIGASHIYA, an avant-garde Japanese confectionery shop that aims to convey the beautyof Japanese forms, designs, and styles. For Suguru, a bartender familiar with Western liquors and cocktails, Shinichiro’s idea toreconstruct the value of the Japanese style by means of sake, shochu, and Japanese tea was nothing short of astonishing.
Ever since their encounter, Suguru has devoted himself to delving deeply into and expressing the beauty of tea and other aspects ofJapanese style. He also says that meeting Shinya, the tea specialist at Hoshino Seichaen, helped him become even more deeply
aware of the appeal of tea. At yorozu, you can enjoy the delicious flavor of gyokuro tea grown in Yame, which Shinya coordinatesand supplies.

Suguru said, “I want my customers to be able to enjoy tea through all five senses, including the aroma of the tea leaves and thesound of hot water being drawn as it’s brewed. Gyokuro tea is, after all, a journey into ‘the first drop.’ That first drop contains
everything–history, traditions, the flavor of the land, and the emotions of everyone who helped make it. Nothing else is so dependent
on preference and partiality, so when a customer orders a cup of gyokuro tea, I tense up in a good way–ready to do my best.”

• •Brewed using water that is not quite so piping hot, that very first drop contains the condensed essence of the savory deliciousness ofthe tea leaves, and when you take a sip, your mouth fills with an intense aroma and flavor reminiscent of the feeling of waking up.
Then, as you squeeze out a few more drops and enjoy the gyokuro tea at different temperatures for your second and third servings,
also known as the second and third “roasts,” you are in for a treat unlike any you have ever before experienced.

• •Along with your Yame-grown gyokuro tea, you will also be served seasonal Japanese confectioneries. Depending on the time ofyear, the shop’s menu features sweet delicacies such as Golden Seal Olive Oil Gelato, flavored with ripe olive oil and matcha tea
powder produced in Hoshino Village. The sweetness of the confectioneries enhances the tea’s aroma and flavor, and gives depth tothe flavors of the second and third roasts.

Suguru said, “Shinya is the one who expresses the feelings and emotions of the growers, and my role is to take and interpret thosesentiments so that I can express them to customers. I believe that the more people I convey those sentiments to, the more of a chain
reaction I can cause.”
The feelings and sentiments imbued into Yamecha and the people who work to express them… These connections transcend timeand borders as they continue to reveal their value to us.

Craftman/Shop data

Shinya Yamaguchi

Shota Tanaka

Managing director at Hoshino Seichaen, a tea producer in Hoshino Village,
Fukuoka. Also, a tenth-level tea master and a Japanese tea instructor.

Produces tea as a young representative of Hoshino Kirakuen, inherited from hisfather.

Hoshino Seichaen

Hoshino Kirakuen, Agricultural Corp.

8136-1 Hoshinomura, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture
https://www.hoshitea.com/*Tours require a reservation. Please feel free to contact us.
Please be aware that tours and telephone reception are provided in Japanese
only.

10757-3 Hoshinomura, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture<Places to buy Hoshino seichaen green tea>

In Fukuoka City
Yame Honpo (a few minutes walk from the Tenjin Station's East Gate 12C)
Dokore (KITTE HAKATA 2F, next to JR Hakata station)
In Yame City
Yame Tourist Local Products Center Tokimeki

Suguru Tokubuchi
Opened the tea shop yorozu in 2012. Also, a member of SABOE, a generalincorporated association that seeks to create new styles of tea shops in themodern age based on traditional Japanese culture.
yorozu2-3-32 Akasaka, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture
http://www.yorozu-tea.jp/Reiganji Temple, the birthplace of Yamecha

Said to be the spot where, roughly 600 years ago, Zen Priest Eirin Shuzui planted tea seeds he brought back from a pilgrimage to Chinaand began teaching tea cultivation and production.

9731 Kasahara, Kurogi-machi, Yame City
https://www.crossroadfukuoka.jp/en/spot/10275

See map

Google Maps may not display correctly if left open for more than 1 day

Interview and text: Mayuu Yasunaga（Chikara）
Photography: Keiichiro Todaka（103photo）
Project Direction: Chikara
Translation: Aaron Schwarz

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