WAZUKA
THE HIDDEN VILLAGE OF TEA LIFE
Guided by a single tea leaf, you arrive in a town that produces green tea.
A beautiful green paradise spreads out before your eyes, surrounding you with breathtaking beauty, a vibrant patchwork of life.
Through tea, people here have lived harmoniously
with nature and one another for over 800 years.
Nurtured like children by local tea cultivation masters, the different tea leaf varieties offer various flavors and fragrances distinct to each tea farm.
To experience tea is to experience the climate, the history and the people.
Why not come experience a lifestyle of people living together with nature amidst this unique scenery created by the tea cultivation work done here?
LIFE IN WAZUKA
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Scenery created over centuries
of living and working with tea
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LIFE IN WAZUKA
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Scenery created over
centuries of living
and working with tea
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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.
LIFE IN WAZUKA
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Unique landforms
and tea cultivation masters
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LIFE IN WAZUKA
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Unique landforms
and tea culti-
vation masters
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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.
LIFE IN WAZUKA
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Travel with tea, live with tea
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LIFE IN WAZUKA
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Travel with tea,
live with tea
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Increased awareness of Wazuka’s tea field scenery in recent years has attracted sightseers from around Japan and the world. There are many reasons to visit this area: you may love tea, you may want to see the beautiful tea field scenery first hand, or you are interested in traditional Japanese satoyama and countryside life.
But, what you should definitely try when you come here is the wide variety of single-origin teas produced by tea cultivation masters, each of whom has his or her own unique technique.
After your trip, you’ll reminisce about the beautiful scenery here with every sip of the wonderful tea produced in Wazuka.
For accommodation, a farm stay tea-work experience is also available, so please check the Iitoko Wazuka and Wazuka Tourist Information Center websites for sightseeing details.
Those interested in moving to Wazuka more permanently should check the Regional Power Promotion Section in Wazuka Town website.
Getting to Wazuka
ACCESS
Located slightly over an hour from Kyoto and Osaka, or about 30 minutes from Nara by car. Venture outside the city to visit a place where you can breathe the fresh air as you take in the magnificent scenery of carefully cultivated tea fields.
The bus runs once an hour, and there are narrow mountain path roads such as Prefectural Road 62, so please make sure to check the recommended route before you come.
By Car
- From Kyoto
- R24→R163→R5→Wazuka (About70~90minutes)
- From Osaka
- Hanna Road Horai IC→R308→R24→R163→R5→Wazuka (About 80 minutes)
- From Nara
- R24→R163→R5→Wazuka (About 30 minutes)
- From Shiga
- Otsu→R422→R307→R5→Wazuka (About 50〜60 minutes)
- From Nagoya
- Nagoya→Shin-Meishin Expressway→Shigaraki IC→R5→Wazuka (About 120 minutes)
By Train
- From Kyoto Station (About 80 minutes)
- Take Miyakoji Rapid Service on JR Nara Line, bound for Nara. Get off at Kizu station and transfer to rapid train on the Kansai Main Line bound for Kamo Station. From Kamo Station, take the number 66 Nara Kotsu bus bound for Wazukacho Kosugi. Get off at Wazuka Yama-no-ie stop.
- From Osaka Station (About 80 minutes)
- Take JR Kansai Honsen Kaisoku bound for Kamo. From Kamo Station, take the number 66 Nara Kotsu bus bound for Wazukacho Kosugi. Get off at Wazuka Yama-no-ie stop.