[Nishio City] May 2nd is 'Hachijuhachiya': Nishio Matcha Hachijuhachiya Event to be Held

Nishio Matcha Hachijuhachiya Event Flyer Image

Date and Time Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Location Inariyama Tea Garden Park (Kamimachi Inariyama, Nishio City 445-0894)

Event Details

**8:00 AM - 8:30 AM** New Tea Picking Ceremony - First 15 minutes: Photography for media - Last 15 minutes: Photography for the general public

**Around 8:30 AM** Greeting by the Head of the Nishio City Tea Industry Association

**9:00 AM - 11:00 AM** Free Green Tea Tasting *Ends when supplies run out

**9:00 AM - 11:00 AM** Stone Grinding Experience (Free)

**9:00 AM - 11:00 AM** Direct from Tea Farmers! Delicious Matcha Making Workshop (500 yen per person) Learn how to make matcha directly from tea farmers. Matcha and other items will also be on sale.

**9:00 AM - 11:00 AM** Japanese Sweets and Matcha Tasting (200 yen per person) Limited to the first 88 people. Choose one of the "Masterpieces that go well with Matcha" from 6 local Japanese sweets shops in the city, served with matcha.

New Tea Picking Ceremony Image / Stone Grinding Experience Image

Parking Parking Image

Organizer Nishio Tea Industry Club

Supported by Nishio City Tea Industry Association, Kira Tea Industry Association, Nishio Tea Cooperative, Nishio City

Nishio City Official Website Please check the event details here. https://www.city.nishio.aichi.jp/sangyo/norinsuisan/1001501/1011635.html

What is Hachijuhachiya? Hachijuhachiya refers to the 88th day from the start of spring, a unique seasonal milestone in Japan created to match the climate and agricultural work. Since frost stops falling, it has long been considered a guide to start tea picking. New tea picked during this period is rich in umami and is considered a lucky charm that brings a year of good health if consumed. For the tea industry in Nishio City, one of the leading matcha producing areas in the country, it is the most vibrant and important turning point.

About Tencha Cultivation in Nishio City Nishio City is one of Japan's leading producers of "Tencha," the raw material for matcha. Utilizing the fertile soil of the Yahagi River and the climate prone to river fog, the traditional "Canopy Shading Cultivation" is practiced. For about 20 days before plucking the "Ichibancha" (first tea), the first buds harvested that year, the tea leaves are covered with shading materials to restrict sunlight, growing high-quality tea leaves with stored umami and a beautiful green color. The harvested fresh leaves are dried without rolling, stored in the state of Tencha to maintain freshness, and ground with a stone mill just before serving, delivering highly aromatic matcha.

Reference Figures *Heard from each association (as of April 1, 2026)

**Tencha Cultivation Area** - Nishio Area: Approx. 126ha - Kira Area: Approx. 45ha

**Number of Tea Industry Association Members in Each Area** - Nishio City Tea Industry Association: 64 households - Kira Tea Industry Association: 15 households - Nishio Tea Industry Club Members: 9 (Chairman: Seigo Kondo)

Nishio City Tencha Production Volume