While you’re rushing between Tokyo and Kyoto, don’t forget to take some time to stop and sip the tea.
Located about halfway between Tokyo and Kyoto, Shizuoka Prefecture is a part of Japan that a lot of travelers zip right past on the bullet train. However, while Shizuoka can’t match the glamour and glitz of Japan’s current and former capital cities, it’s still a great place to get off the Shinkansen and get a taste of the charms of Japanese-style slow life with a cup of tea.
We’re not speaking metaphorically about the tea, either. Not only does Shizuoka grow more green tea than any other prefecture in the east half of Japan, its tea is praised for its high quality and delicious flavor too. Shizuoka offers visitors a variety of ways to experience the flavor and cultural significance of green tea, and we recently participated in a press tour that took us to four sites neither we or our taste buds will forget anytime soon.
● Sunpu Castle Park Momijiyama Garden
Website
Around five minutes north of Shizuoka Station by car, or 25 minutes on foot if you’re feeling energetic, is Sunpu Castle Park, which will immediately catch your eye because, well, it has a castle in it, and castles are always awesome.
There is, however, another very compelling reason to head here. Located within the park is the Momijiyama Garden, and within that is an absolutely beautiful traditional teahouse, called Momiji-tei, with views looking out at the surrounding greenery (or red-ery, if you visit during the fall when the nearby maple trees are changing colors).
At Momiji-tei, the expert staff will prepare a bowl of matcha for you, and also teach you how to perform the process yourself. During our visit, we were served Abe no Hana, a variety of locally grown matcha so exquisite that it was the official tea supplied to the Tokugawa shogunate that ruled Japan for nearly three centuries. Even if you’re a complete matcha newbie, between the elegant atmosphere, the kind, polished manner of the staff, and, of course, the delicious tea, you’ll feel like an exalted guest while relaxing here.
● Shitajimaen tea farm
Website, Instagram
Of course, before we can drink green tea, it has to be grown, and wanting to see that part of the farm-to-cup story brought us to Shitajimaen, a family-run tea farm about 45 minutes north of Shizuoka Station (though just a quick five-minute walk from the Kawajima bus station, making it easily accessible even for travelers without their own car). And when we say it’s a family-run farm, we’re not just talking about someplace that the current managers took over from their parents, as Shitajimaen has been in the family’s hands for 16 generations and counting. The Sato family even still lives on the farm, with their house on a piece of property surrounded by their tea fields.
In addition to growing, harvesting, processing, and directly selling their tea, the Sato family also offers tours of the fields and tea-harvesting experience activities, and you can get a cup of tea and some traditional Japanese sweets to sip and nibble on as you look out on the views of bucolic beauty, like we did as the late afternoon sun started to dip towards the horizon and filled us with cozy vibes.
Bear in mind, though, that the Sato family, who also volunteer at elementary schools in the community to teach kids about tea and tea culture, have a pretty active calendar, so they recommend checking the farm’s Instagram account to see what sort of events are lined up.
● Suruga-noon Tea
Project website, Gashoan website
Suruga-noon Tea is not to be confused, but definitely is to be mentally associated, with “afternoon tea.” Suruga is the old name for the Shizuoka region, and Suruga-noon Tea is a collaborative project (going on until the end of February) in which dozens of cafes and restaurants in the prefecture are offering special afternoon tea sets that make use of Shizuoka-grown green tea for sweet and savory light fare to be paired with cups of the tea itself.
With so many options to mull over, choosing just one is a difficult choice but we were thoroughly satisfied with our Suruga-noon Tea at the Chiyoda branch of the cafe run by confectionary maker Gashoan, where our two-person, 5,000-yen (US$32) set was a variety of very verdant delicacies, including such innovations as a matcha potage soup and welcomingly familiar favorites like rich green tea ice cream. The sweets were so good that, without hesitation, we picked up another box to take home with us from the attached souvenir shop.
● Omatcha Kondo no Shokudo
Website
With a lot of Shizuoka’s attractions being daylight-hours kinds of places, you might not feel the need to stay overnight. So if you’re feeling hungry as you head back towards the station, and want one last unique matcha experience before you leave town, Omatcha Kondo no Shokudo is waiting.
A casual Japanese restaurant located 10 minutes on foot from Shizuoka Station, Omatcha Kondo no Shokudo offers classic Japanese pub side dishes like sashimi and oden, but their licensed green tea instructor bartender can also pour you a matcha shot beer. Hojicha (roasted green tea) shot beers are also on the menu, with the addition of matcha making for a smooth, refreshing flavor profile and the hojicha adding richness that approaches that of a stout.
It’s only 75 minutes from Tokyo to Shizuoka by bullet train, and just a little more, 90 minutes, from Kyoto to Shizuoka, So if you’re traveling along Japan’s golden route, don’t forget about the green tea oasis in the middle of it.
Related: Shizuoka City official tourism website
Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]