My Trip to Obubu Tea Farms

As mentioned in a previous post, I went on a trip to Japan nearly three years ago now. I went to visit a good college friend up North, but also to explore some places I hadn’t been yet. I was determined to go to at least one tea farm.

First, I went to Shizuoka in hopes of visiting some tea farms there. Shizuoka is a very well established tea agriculture city. I even stayed at a hostel that was nestled in between tea fields. I didn’t really have much of a plan though. I was only there for about two days, and it was raining the whole time. I decided that I would just lay low and take it easy in Shizuoka. As disappointing as that was, I needed more of a plan for Kyoto. I signed up for the tour at Obubu right then and there.

I knew that Kyoto was well known for tea of course, but in recent years I had heard of a place that was very proactive in getting foreigners interested in Japanese tea culture. You could even sign up to be an intern working on their farm! The thought of being involved in the full process of picking to steaming and shaping the leaves was intriguing. Either way, I wanted to at least say that I had seen the fields and tasted the tea.

It was quite the process to get to Obubu. It was at least an hour or so away from the main city of Kyoto, and I had to take the commuter train. The train took me to a station where there was a little bus stop. It was a small but very lush and green town, not unlike the town I used to live in on the JET program. At the bus stop, I even met an American family who were also going to Obubu.

Even the bus ride felt like an adventure. We went up through winding mountainous roads, brushing up against trees and bushes along the way. We finally made it to Obubu Tea Farms. We were graciously welcomed into a small tatami room where we would begin the tour with a presentation.

There were at least four interns and one employee. One of the interns was actually from Minnesota! The only people who came for the tour were the family from California and myself. It was a very lovely and intimate firsthand look at life on a tea farm. There were a few different presentations and even some hojicha that they welcomed us with. Then we went on the main tour.

The vast greenery was truly something. I hadn’t seen anything like it in person before. There’s just something about the perfectly manicured rows of tea wrapping around the hills like an endless embroidered landscape. It made me feel small, but in a peaceful way. I hadn’t felt like that in a while. I hadn’t smiled like that in a long time. The air was fresh and I felt like nothing was wrong with the world for a moment.

During the tour we met Akky-san, the affable proprietor of the farm. He was the most pleasantly goofy and friendly person you could ever hope to meet. He posed with us for some photos in front of the fields. They demonstrated how they cut the tops of the tea hedges. They even gifted everyone with a thin piece of stone from the tea soil and some spent tea seed pods.

We made it to a factory building where we were introduced to all the machines that make the tea making process possible. Steamers, coolers, rollers, dryers and all. There was even a table showcasing some hand-rolled tea. This process is much more time consuming of course and is an old fashioned technique. Hand-rolled tea can be sold at a premium because of the extra labor.

After the tour, we went back to the tatami room. We were treated to many samples of different teas. Hojicha, kukicha, wakocha, sencha, and even matcha that we got to whisk ourselves. They served us a lovely kooridashi sencha, which is sencha leaves in a glass with ice placed on top. This is a lesser known way of making an iced tea. You simply put sencha leaves in the bottom of a glass and wait for the ice to fully melt. It may take longer to make, but the resulting tea is much richer and fuller in flavor and mouthfeel. We were also given a tea in a hohin, a brewing vessel that is not unlike the traditional Chinese lidded gaiwan. We were to serve the tea in tiny cups, alternating between them to insure that the flavor was equally strong in each. We were also taught that you can eat spent sencha leaves, in much the same way you would a salad. We ate the leaves mixed with soy sauce and genmai puffed rice.

We were then invited to the local cafe where we ate lunch. I had the matcha infused noodles and we chatted about the day and more about ourselves. I even chatted with the interns to see if interning could be for me. I still sometimes dream about interning there 😛

We walked back to the room for to wrap-up the tour with a survey. They then showcased the tea and tea ware they had for purchase. I had already bought a fair amount in Shizuoka, but I couldn’t leave without purchasing some in Obubu. When I packed for the trip home, my bag was half tea. I regret nothing 😉

I left Obubu feeling full of tea and respect for the lovely people that create it. It made me want to explore more tea fields in other countries. I wished that there were more tea people I could share my excitement with. Overall, I just felt so lucky. It was a turning point for me. No matter what I end up doing with my tea passion, I will always look back on that day with a certain fondness.

What was a time you felt like tea could become one of your passions? Have you visited any tea farms or fields before? If not, where would you like to visit in the future? Let me know in the comments!