Guide · Culture
Japanese tea regions: Uji, Shizuoka and Kagoshima
Which teas are shaded or open-air, when Uji, Makinohara and Kagoshima pick, and which farms and facilities a visitor can go to.
Japan’s tea falls into shaded teas (tencha, gyokuro, kabusecha) and open-air teas (sencha, hojicha, kyobancha), and three regions set the calendar. Kagoshima’s first tea arrives in late March, Uji’s first pick runs from late April to late May, and the Makinohara peak in Shizuoka is late April to mid-May. In 2020 Shizuoka was the largest producer, at 25,200 t of crude tea against Kagoshima’s 23,900 t.
Types, Uji and Kagoshima come from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF); Makinohara and the farms come from Shizuoka Prefecture’s tourism pages. For venues and prices, see Where to try a tea ceremony.
How do the three regions compare?
Uji is the oldest and the tencha and gyokuro source, Kagoshima is the earliest and the second largest, and Shizuoka is the largest.
| Region | Known for | First tea or peak |
|---|---|---|
| Uji | Tea since 1191; first pick for tencha and gyokuro | First pick late April to late May |
| Kagoshima | Second largest by area and output; first for tencha in 2022 at 1,392 t | First tea from late March |
| Shizuoka | Largest in 2020 at 25,200 t of crude tea; about 40% of national tea (year not stated) | Makinohara peak late April to mid-May |
The Shizuoka lead in 2020 was 1,300 t over Kagoshima.
Which teas are shaded, and which grow in the open air?
Tencha, gyokuro and kabusecha are shaded, and sencha, hojicha and kyobancha grow in the open air. MAFF says shading makes tea less bitter and gives more umami.
| Type | Grown | How it is made |
|---|---|---|
| Tencha | Shaded | Steamed and dried unrolled; ground in a stone mortar, it becomes matcha |
| Gyokuro | Shaded 20 days or more | Then steamed, rolled and dried |
| Kabusecha | Shaded for fewer days | Gyokuro-like flavour with a sencha-like aftertaste |
| Sencha | Open air | Steamed, rolled and dried; from the first or second pick |
| Hojicha | Open air | Roasted sencha, or kawayanagi |
Fukamushi describes steaming time, not a plant. MAFF’s Kagoshima page gives it as two to three times the standard 30 to 40 seconds, which gives a fuller body. Genmaicha is tea blended with roasted rice.
Uji: when does picking start, and how old is its tea?
Uji’s first pick runs from late April to late May, per MAFF. It is hand-picked and goes to tencha and gyokuro.
| Pick | When |
|---|---|
| First | Late April to late May |
| Second | Late June to early July |
| Third | Mid July to late August |
MAFF says sencha comes from the first or second pick, so on Uji’s calendar those are the late April to late May and late June to early July windows. The page ties no tea type to the third pick.
MAFF’s history of Uji tea starts in 1191, when Eisai brought tea. Myoe planted it at Kozan-ji, shading developed in the 16th century, and Soen Nagatani developed temomi in 1738.
For tea in Uji itself, Where to try a tea ceremony has the prices at Taiho-an, and the tea ceremony guide explains the styles.
Kagoshima: what is it known for?
Kagoshima is Japan’s second-largest tea region by area and by output, per MAFF. In 2022 it ranked first in Japan for tencha, at 1,392 t.
Its first tea, called hashiri-shincha, comes from late March. MAFF’s Kagoshima page also describes fukamushi, the longer steaming that gives a fuller body.
Shizuoka: how large is it, and when does Makinohara peak?
Shizuoka was the largest producer in 2020, with 25,200 t of crude tea against Kagoshima’s 23,900 t. These are 2020 MAFF figures relayed by a search summary (medium confidence).
The prefecture’s tourism text puts Shizuoka at about 40% of Japan’s tea and the Makinohara area at about 20%. These shares come from search snippets and carry no year.
Makinohara’s peak is late April to mid-May, per Shizuoka Prefecture’s tourism page.
Before you go Call the Makinohara City Tea Industry Promotion Council on 0548-53-2621 before a trip in late April to mid-May and ask what is open to visitors.
Where can you see tea grown near Shizuoka?
Shizuoka City lists nine tea farms with visitor experiences, and Makinohara has a facility that offers tea picking.
No tea factory tours were found on official pages. Shizuoka’s tourism site names Ihachi, Shitajima-en, Maruichi Mizuno, Moriuchi, Saito and Suruga Tea Terrace among the nine. Moriuchi is about 25 minutes from the station and Saito about 40 minutes, per the page. It gives no months or prices.
In Makinohara, the Shizuoka tourism site lists GREEN-PIA Makinohara with free admission and a tea-picking experience from late April to early October, for a surcharge. The surcharge amount was not found, so confirm it with the facility.
How do you plan a visit?
Fix the season first, then the facility.
- Makinohara: call the Makinohara City Tea Industry Promotion Council and ask whether GREEN-PIA’s tea-picking experience is running.
- Shizuoka City: pick a farm from the nine listed. Moriuchi is about 25 minutes from the station and Saito about 40 minutes, so allow time to get there.
- Uji: the first pick is a harvest window, so book a tea service rather than relying on a picking date. Where to try a tea ceremony has the Taiho-an booking steps.
What is the tea calendar?
The main window is late April to mid-May, when Uji’s first pick and the Makinohara peak overlap. Kagoshima comes first, in late March.
| Event | When |
|---|---|
| Kagoshima first tea | Late March, called hashiri-shincha |
| Makinohara peak | Late April to mid-May |
| Uji first pick | Late April to late May |
| GREEN-PIA picking | Late April to early October, tea-picking experience |
| Uji second pick | Late June to early July |
| Uji third pick | Mid July to late August |
These are harvest windows, not visitor schedules. No visitor picking dates were found for Uji or Kagoshima.
How do the regions connect to a tea ceremony?
Matcha comes from tencha, and Uji’s first pick goes to tencha and gyokuro, while Kagoshima ranked first for tencha in 2022. Senchado, the less common ceremony style, uses sencha instead of matcha. In Uji, Taiho-an’s menu lists usucha, koicha, sencha and gyokuro, and the tea ceremony guide has its prices.
How current are the figures?
The Shizuoka and Kagoshima tonnages are 2020 data, no 2024 figure was found, and Kagoshima’s tencha ranking is 2022. Shizuoka’s share, the picking windows, the peak dates and the visitor details carry no year. No 2026-27 changes appear on any page, so confirm details with the facility before you travel.
Where next?
- Venues, prices and booking steps: Where to try a tea ceremony.
- Styles, etiquette and what to expect: Japan tea ceremony guide.
- Gion Corner and rentals: Tea ceremony, kimono and maiko experiences.
- Rules and ticketed shows in Gion: Geisha and Gion etiquette.
- The wider picture: the culture guide and the Culture hub.
Questions
Shading. MAFF lists tencha (which becomes matcha), gyokuro and kabusecha as shaded teas, less bitter and with more umami, and sencha, hojicha and kyobancha as open-air teas. Gyokuro is shaded for 20 days or more, then steamed, rolled and dried.
Kagoshima's first tea, called hashiri-shincha, comes from late March, per MAFF. Uji's first pick runs from late April to late May, and the Makinohara peak in Shizuoka is late April to mid-May.
Shizuoka, with 25,200 t of crude tea against Kagoshima's 23,900 t in 2020 (MAFF figures, medium confidence). A 2024 figure was not found.
In Shizuoka, yes at some places. GREEN-PIA Makinohara lists a tea-picking experience from late April to early October for a surcharge, and Shizuoka City has nine farms with experiences. Uji and Kagoshima visitor picking dates were not found.
Hojicha is roasted sencha. Genmaicha is tea blended with roasted rice. Fukamushi is tea steamed for longer, which gives a fuller body; MAFF's Kagoshima page gives two to three times the standard 30 to 40 seconds.