The matcha boom reshaping Kyoto’s fieldsーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
From lattes in Los Angeles to margaritas in London, all of a sudden, matcha is everywhere. What was once a quiet tradition is now a global phenomenon and it is leaving visible marks on Japan’s hillsides. They came early and they came in numbers. More than 50 people waiting for a tea shop to open. Their mission matcha. The store offers matcha powder and sweets made from the prized ingredient and many of its customers come from overseas. For matcha, especially for my girlfriend, uh she loves matcha. It’s getting more and more popular. Main purpose for Uji and also for Japan. We look forward to having it a lot. Matcha’s rice has been fueled by the global boom in Japanese cuisine and a growing interest in wellness for breakfast and the real accelerant social media influencers overseas matcha pancakes exports of Japanese green tea including matcha have more than doubled in the past decade in 2024 the export value surged to a record $252 million. The most coveted matcha comes from the Uchi area of Kyoto, but it’s increasingly hard to come by. Wazuka is one of the key production areas for Uji branded tea. Nicknamed Chageno or the Tea Shangrila, Wazuka’s sweeping hills of green are a tourist draw in their own right. The fields take on different tones shaped by a variety of factors. There are many kinds of tea leaves and each has a different shade. I think the fertilizer mix which varies from one farm to another also has no small effect on the color. The weather plays a role too. As clouds drift overhead, they cast moving shadows that ripple across the fields. The terrain itself adds to the beauty. The fields are carved into the slopes following the natural contours, so they take on all sorts of shapes and undulations. Some areas are even bullshaped. I think what makes them unique is how the original terrain has been used to its fullest. But the scenery has been changing in recent years. The bright green fields now wear streaks of black. These are shade covers, black sheets stretched over the plants to block sunlight. The leaves beneath will become tencha. The raw leaves for making matcha. The shade isn’t needed for ordinary green tea, but it’s what gives matcha its mellow flavor. As global matcha demand soarses, Wazaka’s tea farmers are shifting production. Today, more than 70% of the town’s tea fields are dedicated to tencha. Farmerto also grows mainly tench. Now, the mellow flavor of matcha seems to be enjoying explosive popularity overseas. The black nets have become a familiar sight this time of year. From above, what used to be a sea of green is now a patchwork of green and black. The global thirst for matcha is changing more than consumer habits. It’s reshaping the very look of Japan’s tea country.
Matcha’s rise from traditional treat to global trend is reshaping Japan’s tea heartland. In Kyoto Prefecture, the soaring demand is altering both farming practices and the landscape itself. #japan #weather #tourism #business #food #matcha #nature
More stories on business and technology: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/60/
Please subscribe HERE: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSPEjw8F2nQDtmUKPFNF7_A?sub_confirmation=1