Chiyono-en Tea-Farm

Producing a healthy natural tea in the snowy mountains of Yame.

RELYING ON THE COOL ENVIRONMENT OF THIS REGION

Chiyono-en Tea-Farm

The snowy mountains of Yabe village

Yabe is a small village in the mountains of Yame city in Fukuoka prefecture. The farms of Chiyono-en at an altitude of 400 to 650 meters high. This is one of the highest altitudes for tea manufacturing in Japan. In summer the precincts are comparatively cooler as opposed to other regions, and in winter the farms are covered in thick layers of snow. In comparison to the lower regions the tea in this area begins to sprout only about 20 days later. On the contrary, the appearance of harmful bugs is rare. Based on this specific trait the farmer decided in 2015 to convert the whole of his manufacturing to organic tea cultivation.

A delicious tea is obtained from healthy tea bushes

The tea bushes of this farm are cultivated in a way this is in line with its natural environment. The farmer wishes to produce a tea that is light and easy to drink and which imbues the drinker with the natural energy of the environment. The only additives to the soil employed are vegetation based fermented fertilizers that are permitted by the local organic cultivation registration system.

Again, cultivation methods are aligned with the changes in the local climate. The premium tea that is produced here with the chirping of the birds is especially distinctive of the clear air of these snowy mountains and the goodness that this environment bestows on the bushes.

A tea that travels from the mountains to the sea

The farmer has since 2005 produced a tea that is in line with the pesticide residue regulations for export to European countries. In addition, to supply consumers with an absolutely natural tea product, he has obtained organic certification for his methods that omit any agricultural chemicals and chemical fertilizers. The late growing tea obtained from these snowy mountains has in recent years descended from the high mountains and traveled across the globe over the open seas to please consumers in countries throughout the world.

A lifestyle with tea, starting today

A gyokuro tea, rich in amino acids and caffeine can be enjoyed as a replacement for espresso. The used tea leaf can again be enjoyed in various foods or as topping on your rice. The producers at this farm conduct various workshops and bring guests to the tea gardens to initiate a movement of people that are open to find ways to implement the consumption of tea in their daily lives.

Profile

Masashi Harajima (Main producer / Nihoncha instructor)

To produce a healthy and delicious tea he tends to his bushes on a daily basis. As a result he has been able to obtain the price for the best tea from the Japanese ministry of agriculture three times now. His endeavor to guide people to alternative ways of consuming and enjoying tea has led him be receive instructor ship in a school of sencha tea ceremony and continues to study pleasant ways to enjoy tea in a contemporary setting.

Eri Harajima (Producer / Tea education instructor)

During childhood she was attracted by the idea to live a life in the mountains. This dream was inspired by the story of Heidi, girl of the alps. She could have never thought that this childhood dream would become her current reality. Her focus is to spread her view on how tea does not only affect our physical health, but also our mental health. She teaches what tea can do for our lives, and does the same for life in the mountain villages.

Masashi Harajima

President at CHIYONO-EN

650 meters above sea leavel

3 times MAFF best tea prize

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