The Iwatas wander their tea garden, plucking insects from the leaves. Over the years, several plant pests have attacked the Tsukigase Health Tea Garden. About ten years ago, a caterpillar infestatation was too large for them to handle alone. Many villagers turned out and went through the tea bushes plucking off hairy caterpillars. The world's most popular drink after water, the healing virtues of tea are fabled in folk lore and documented by modern science.
Many American healers recommend daily drinking of green tea as an antioxidant to prevent cancer.
We are delighted to be able to offer you Tsukigase Health Green Tea, the first pick of new spring leaf, which has the strongest healing virtues of all types of tea. In the summer of 2000, our friend Misako Watabe visited the Iwatas in their Tsukigase Health Tea Garden. Here are some photos she took. The Iwatas head home with bags of the world's finest organic green tea. The metal poles support heating fans which keep frost from killing the tea at temperatures below four degrees centigrade.