Global Brand Ambition: Shizuoka Tea Branding Project Announces Brand Name, Logo, and Action Plan

Shizuoka Prefecture is promoting the "Tea Industry Promotion Plan" as a four-year initiative from 2025 to 2028. As one of the three pillars of this plan (1. Strengthening production capacity through structural reform of the tea industry, 2. Expanding exports and strengthening supply capacity, 3. Building the Shizuoka tea brand and inheriting its culture), the "Shizuoka Tea Branding Project" was launched in July 2025, and various initiatives have been promoted. On April 14th (Tuesday), Governor Yasutomo Suzuki announced the brand name and logo mark for this project, as well as the future action plan.

What is the Shizuoka Tea Branding Project?
This is an initiative by Shizuoka Prefecture, a leading tea-producing region in Japan, to redefine the value of Shizuoka tea for the world and promote it globally as a Japanese-born global brand. Under Governor Suzuki, Creative Director Kashiwa Sato has been appointed as the overall producer, and producers, tea merchants, and all tea industry stakeholders are working together in co-creation.

[Current Situation and Challenges of Shizuoka Tea]

■ Due to the aging of producers and the shortage of successors, the number of tea producers has significantly decreased.

The aging of producers and the shortage of successors have become serious issues. The number of tea cultivation farmers, which was 68,373 households in 1965, has fallen to 5,827 households in 2025.

Tea cultivation area and raw tea production volume are also decreasing year by year. The tea cultivation area, which was 23,000ha in 1985, has decreased to 11,600ha in 2025.

※ Source: Census of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Statistics (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)

■ Raw tea production has been overtaken by Kagoshima Prefecture, marking the first time it has fallen to 2nd place since statistics began.

For the first time since the survey began in 1959, Shizuoka Prefecture was overtaken by Kagoshima Prefecture in raw tea production volume in 2024, ranking second for two consecutive years.

■ Strategic response to the global matcha boom is delayed.

Overseas demand is expanding, centered on matcha, and export value is expected to surge to 72.1 billion yen in 2025, approximately double the record high of 2024. However, Shizuoka produces little tencha, the ingredient for matcha, and has not established sufficient production systems to meet demand.

■ Brand image as "Premium Tea" is insufficient.

In addition to the low global recognition of Shizuoka tea, the insufficient image of premium tea domestically is also a challenge.

■ Domestic demand is plateauing due to population decline and cultural shifts.

Younger generations are increasingly moving away from using traditional kyusu (teapots) due to lifestyle changes and the spread of PET bottle beverages.

While consumption of leaf tea brewed with kyusu continues to decline, consumption of tea bags and PET bottle green tea is increasing.

[Objectives of the Shizuoka Tea Branding Project]

Premium Global Branding

To enhance the intrinsic value of Shizuoka tea and expand its global recognition, this project aims for premium global branding. As a starting point for the project, the brand name, brand logo, brand definition, and initial action plan have been formulated.

Reference: Shizuoka Prefecture Official Website, Tea Promotion Division

https://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/kensei/introduction/soshiki///.html

[Branding Project Name]

JAPAN TEA SHIZUOKA

By adding the regional brand "SHIZUOKA" to the naming "JAPAN TEA," used in the historical export tea label "Ranji," this has become the branding project name. With this name, which encompasses all elements of "Shizuoka," "Tea," and "Japan," the brand will be built for the world.

[Brand Logo Concept]

Modern Ranji


The brand logo concept is "Modern Ranji." It is a modern reinterpretation and design of the historical export tea label "Ranji." Featuring Mount Fuji, a symbol of Japan and Shizuoka, and the tea fields spread out before it, a landscape representative of Shizuoka tea is used as the motif, powerfully expressing "JAPAN TEA SHIZUOKA" with a distinctive original font.


What is Ranji?


With the opening of ports at the end of the Edo period, tea exports began, and initially, "Chabako-e" (tea box paintings) by Ukiyo-e artists were pasted on tea boxes. Later, "Ranji" (colored labels) indicating the type of tea and trademark began to be produced and were widely used from the Meiji period onwards. Ranji were created by Ukiyo-e artisans, were colorful and multi-colored prints, and featured motifs symbolizing Japan, such as Mt. Fuji and cherry blossoms, with "JAPAN TEA" inscribed. They are believed to have served a similar purpose to advertisements conveying Japanese culture overseas.