談山神社

談山神社

7.16.2011

Do you like Japanese Green Tea?

Green tea has been mixed up with  Japanese life deeply from long long ago. Maybe I can't  live without green tea.

After driving  hillside of south edge of Kyoto prefecture along Wazuka river for about 30 minutes, we can see the vast Japanese tea field ,which is home of Uji-cya is called Wazuka Chagenkyo. Uji-cya is one of excellent Japanese green teas in Japan. Tea-field expands  on slopes and  stretchs about 6km both sides of the river.  Ridges of tea-trees look like green waves or patchwork. This tea fields  in Wazuka-cyo were  listed in  Cultural Scenery of Kyoto  lately. 
dynamic shape
 From late spring to early summer farmers pick shoots of tea trees. They steam them and dry while shaping like needle. This is Sencha-tea( a kind of  green tea). Sencha-tea is roasted. This is Houjicha-tea(a kind of green tea) The shoots are  grown underneath a cover  and are steamed , dried and grinded into green powder.This is Matcha-tea( a kind of green tea). We use it at tea ceremony.

 Unfortunately  when we visited there, tea-picking was almost over.
Speaking of tea-picking, there is a tea-picking song. This song expresses a scene of tea-picking of farmers. When I was a child, this song was in the  music-textbook of elementary school. We learned it. 

 Many Japanese  beautiful scenes in the four seasons were expressed  by beautiful Japanese words were in the textbook in those days.  I like these songs. Some words of them may not be used now,I wonder? And I wonder how many songs are left in a textbook now?  We used to play Otedama,singing  this song.


These leaves will be picked  for pet- bottles from now.

The trees this side are cut green leaves and its brownish is tea trees.
At first, a high priest of the temple near here planted seeds of Green tea at Wazuka in Kamakura era.( about 800 years ago). During Edo era( about 400 years ago),this place became dominion of Imperial House and those tea were delivered for Kyoto Imperial Palace.




Persimmon trees are left among tea  trees. This is feature here .

Farmers cut trees of mountains by hatchets and cultivated there and planted tea trees. When vitality of tea trees declined, they replaced to vigorous trees. They repeated this unremittingly from ancestor to descendant. Green tea field blend with farmers village. So we can see here where green tea field unifies the life of farmers. That is to say , here is a typical Satoyama (in Japanese).



Scene of Satoyama



We had a cup of Sencha tea (a kind of green tea) at the  information. Its color was greenish golden and tasted a little bit sweet.



tea leaves

In this season farmers cut tea-trees low so that they can work easily. Those leaves are not processed for tea.
 




Big patchwork

                      
                              

extra appearance from Nara park







19 件のコメント:

cosmos さんのコメント...

How beautiful and gorgeous these rolling tea plantation look! No wonder they were listed as cultural scenery of Kyoto.
When I was a child, I think they cultivated tea plantation widely in my hometown but now due to a labor shortage or some other reason, it has been shrinking.
I hope the ones in Wazuka will be sustainable and thriving.
Thank you for great photos, sarah.

stardust さんのコメント...

What vast rolling tea plantations! Utilizing the sunny hillside, the terraced fields are typical Japanese sight together with "satoyama". I wonder how it would be to work there under the strong summer sun as there's no place to hide.

Your photos of tea plantations are fabulous, and deer's, too. I think I know why you put an extra photo of deer at the end.

Stay cool and be fine, Sarah.

Tomoko さんのコメント...

Hello,Sarah.
素晴らしい茶畑の写真ですね!奈良に引っ越す前から、新幹線から、数え切れないほど静岡の茶畑を見てきました。いつか茶畑に行って見たいと思っていましたが、Sarahさんのおかげで、ようやく願いがかないました。右も左も分からない危なっかしい運転のナビゲーター有難うございました。それにしても鹿が可愛くて、nice shotですね!

haricot さんのコメント...

The tea fields which have gradations and lines are so beautiful, and I can feel the air which includes the greenery wooden smell.
I imagined farmers' hard but worthwhile hand works.
Thank you for this post.
Have a nice weekend.

Tania さんのコメント...

Wow, this is very special! Never seen this before. I drink green tea, but maybe not the same as in Japan. Great patchwork picture. And I love these bambi from Nara park, also the one in your header!:-)
Hope you have blessed days over there.
Regards from Tania

Arti さんのコメント...

Hi Sarah,
Came through from Tomokos blog comment section... People had written that you also have posted on the same place, I could not stop myself!!
It really is so beautiful, the beautiful cut fields and the history behind it is amazing too...
I love to drink green tea...
Have a fabulous Sunday:)
Looking forward to more visits here.

snowwhite さんのコメント...

I don't know what is an exact expression, 原風景 in English. But, this is it. Seeing the scenery like this is nothing but Japan itself. Comfortable, soothing, nostalgic.
Your photos are superb!!

sarah さんのコメント...

Hi,Cosmos.

Thank you for your comment.
I also think Wazuka will continue
to make tea.
It has vast ground to plant and
they are making about 45% of Uji-cya.
I've never think there are many source of green tea like your hometown. So we also can raise it up,I wonder?
Have a nice week.



Hi, Stardust.

Do you know the reason I put deer at the end? Maybe, I wanted to show them because I took many deer, but only two of them were clear.
yes,it was very hot at tea-field,but I rapted in taking photos. Of course I had sunglass,mask,hat. So I was laughed by a local man.

sarah さんのコメント...

Hi,Redrose.

Thank you for taking me to there by your car and coaching how to take photos. It's big help for me. Please teach me from now on.
I've never watched deer carefully but I got their behavior is lovely.
Tea-field of Shizuoka is so big and beautiful?I want to see it,too.
Stay cool and fine.


Hi, Haricot.

I've never seen tea-field. But this time, they were very wonderful. When we went there farmers trim trees into good shape. So we could see great green waves.

Have a nice week.

Barb さんのコメント...

Hi Sarah,
I like the visual pattern of the tea fields on the hillside.That last photo of the rolling field with the little red barn in the foreground is a beautiful, tranquil scene. I can also see the path that you and Tomoko walked. My husband and I drink green tea for health. Now I'll think of your post when I have my cup.

Debbie さんのコメント...

gorgeous, gorgeous patterns!!!

sarah さんのコメント...

Hi,Tania

I wonder what is green tea in Norway like?
There are many deer in Nara Park. Baby deer that were born in this spring are pretty and follow their mother.
Thank you for comment.



Hi,Arti

Welcome to my blog.
Tomoko and I walked teafield on a hot day but as the scene was very beautiful I didn't feel that hot.
Is there green tea in India?
Thank you for comment.



Hi,Snowwhite

I've never seen tea field. This was more than I expected. Farmers always keep them trim. Tea fields don't have successor overgrow in a year.
Thank you for comment.

sarah さんのコメント...

Hi, Barb.

I went there to get lesson of taking photo from Tomoko. It's good I could take beautiful pattern unexpectedly.
Green tea is sold in America,isn't it?
Thank you for comment.


Hi,Debbie

Thank you for comment.
And information of alpaca,too.

Icy BC さんのコメント...

That is incredible view of hillside, and structure of the field. Gorgeous photos!

sarah さんのコメント...

Hi, IcyBC.
Thank you for visiting to my blog.
These hillside was made by farmer's effort.

Arti さんのコメント...

Hi Sarah,
Ya there is green tea here in India but I prefer my ginger tea!!
Also there are some fine tea gardens here in Darjeeling...
Have a fabulous week ahead:)

Arti さんのコメント...

But I do love green tea too and have it many times!!

sarah さんのコメント...

To Arti,
Thank you for comment again!
I'm glad you like green tea,too.
I don't know ginger tea but it must be delicious. And Indian tea field must be so large.
Thank you.

今、この一瞬を さんのコメント...

訪問ありがとうございました。

奈良のbloggerの方々は、皆さん写真の質と、ブログの構成がとても調和されています。
最初に拝見したときには、皆さんプロのグループなのかと思ったくらいです。

色々な方々と交流できて、嬉しく思っております。

私の英語版ブログとリンクさせていただきました。

これからも美しい古都の景色を沢山紹介してください。
楽しみにしております。