Kyoto Premium Tea Farm Tour & Gourmet Experience in Wazuka

Any mention of Kyoto brings to mind traditional temples and shrines, cobblestone streets, and kimono-clad geisha. But there’s another side of Japan’s old capital to be found outside of the urban areas, where the landscape transforms into a wide expanse of green terraced tea fields. This exclusive tea experience takes place precisely there, in the tea farms of Wazuka in Southern Kyoto, where some of the finest tea in the country is cultivated and harvested. In this intimate look of Kyoto tea culture, you’ll interact with local farmers, enjoy some of the freshest local brews and try making some of the area’s gourmet specialties with local ingredients.

Itinerary:

-Pick-up service: Arrive at the farm by private chartered car from your Kyoto hotel

-Tea leaf picking: Stroll through fields that are usually closed off to visitors and pick fresh tea leaves in a private tea farm overviewing the Ishitera Tea Plantation, a Japan Heritage site

-Cooking class (optional): In a private kominka traditional house, guided by knowledgeable local instructors, make a specialty tea noodle dish (cha soba) using a mixture of buckwheat flour and tea leaves

-Tea tasting & lunch: Taste tempura made with deep-fried battered tea leaves, the cha soba noodles you prepared earlier, and taste three different kinds of Japanese tea

-Matcha experience (optional): Grind matcha leaves in a traditional stone grinder, and prepare matcha tea. Enjoy it with two tea-flavored dango skewers (traditional sweets)

-Souvenir: Receive an original additive-free Wazuka spice mix containing sencha green tea, sea salt, dried lemon, fried onion, garlic, and black pepper that can be used for a variety of dishes

Soak in the relaxing landscapes and learn all about the local high-quality Uji-cha tea production in this intimate exploration of Wazuka’s tea culture and heritage in Kyoto.