Green tea contains caffeine which has a strong stimulating effect. Green tea has an advantage over coffee because the green tea caffeine combines with catechin to produce a rather milder, more natural, effect. Green tea deters food poisoning . Green tea has the ability to kill certain bacteria. For instance, it's strong sterilizing effect on bacteria is used in the treatment of diarrhea.
Green tea is considered as one of the three major non-alcoholic beverages in the world.
Although there are no definite records about when and how green tea was first brought to Japan, it is believed that Buddhist priests from China and India, and Japanese envoys dispatched to China brought green tea to Japan in the 8th century. Today, green tea is mainly grown on plateaus, sloping fields, and basins by large rivers in Shizuoka prefecture except in Izu peninsula. All images Mount Fuji International Limited.