Experience Premium Matsusaka Tea in a Unique Day Trip through Stunning Nature

• Table of Contents
• What is Matsusaka Tea?
• MatsusakaTea Udon at Roadside Station Chakura
• Hands-OnTea Harvesting Experience
• TeaBrewing and Tea Ice cream at Shinryoku Sabo
• summary

What is Matsusaka Tea?

Matsusaka is a city located in Mie Prefecture, which ranks third in annual tea production in Japan. This means that besides its world-renowned beef, Matsusaka also produces one of the finest types of Japanese tea you can find, Matsusaka tea. This premium green tea is cultivated in Matsusaka’s Iinan region and has a mellow and rich flavor.

▲ Matsusakatea at Shinryoku Sabo, a tea house in Matsusaka’s tea-growing Iinan region.

MatsusakaTea Udon at Roadside Station Chakura

In the Iinan region in the rural part of Matsusaka, stunning nature unfolds before you everywhere you look. Visitors to this region are welcomed with a magnificent view of the translucent Kushida River carving out the Kahada River Valley between the mountains. At the top of the striking red Chakura Bridge, you can see the very tea fields where Matsusaka tea is grown.

▲ ChakuraBridge (left) and Kushida River (right).

▲ The ColdMatsusaka Tea Udon Set comes with a cold dipping broth for the noodles.

Hands-OnTea Harvesting Experience

 Did you know that the quality of tea changes dependingon how and when you harvest it? The finest tea is always the first batch of theyear, or ichibancha, which is harvested in spring. This is just one ofthe many things we learned at the tea harvesting experience offered at the teafields right across the bridge from Roadside Station Chakura.    

Learningabout the long, manual process that fresh leaves must undergo to be transformedinto tea at a real farm is the perfect way to appreciate the expertise and carethat goes into every cup of locally-sourced Matsusaka tea. Only the best leavesare selected and processed into different types of tea leaves, which are thenmixed to create a wide variety of teas.

We took home our freshly harvested leaves, which can be processed into tea or deep fried into a unique tempura dish.

TeaBrewing and Tea Ice cream at Shinryoku Sabo

There’sno better place to try Matsusaka tea than Shinryoku Sabo, an award-winning teahouse located right next to a vast stretch of tea fields. Just outside thewindow is a beautiful traditional garden that gives the space a peaceful andrelaxing atmosphere. Here, you can learn to brew your own tea in a specific waythat brings out the best flavor.

AtShinryoku Sabo, you can choose from a few types of tea, each with its ownbrewing method that the staff will explain. The brewing method and taste alsodiffers for your first, second, and third cup of tea.

▲TraditionalJapanese tea set including a kyusu, a tea pot with a spout.

▲Matsusaka tea ice-cream and cold green tea.

summary

Fromharvesting your own tea leaves to enjoying Matsusaka tea as dessert, noodles,or just regular tea, a Matsusaka tea tour is the best way to experience one ofthe finest teas Japan has to offer in a variety of delicious and exciting ways.

You canfind out more about events, sights, and things to do and see in Matsusaka atthe links below.

Matsusaka City Tourism Information Site

Matsusaka City Tourism Information Official Instagram