【Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture】Special Feature on the "Sayama Tea" Fresh Tea Event Part 1: Tea-Picking Experience Bus Tour

Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture held the 'Sayama Tea Picking Experience Bus Tour' on Saturday, April 25, Reiwa 8 (2026). The event, which had a capacity of 20 participants, received 81 applications, making it a highly popular program where attendees enjoyed the charm of fresh tea with all five senses.

A unique seasonal experience during fresh tea season

Iruma City is the leading production area of Sayama tea in Saitama Prefecture in terms of both cultivation area and harvest volume. Previously held as a standalone tea-picking event, this year it was conducted as a bus tour to bring the fresh season's tea closer to the public. Centered on the theme of 'seeing, touching, and eating,' the event offered unique experiences available only during this season: tea picking and tasting tempura made with fresh tea leaves.

A half-day journey from tea fields to the dining table: exploring Sayama tea

With cooperation from the Iruma City Tea Industry Association, Restaurant Chadokoro Issen, and the Iruma City Museum, participants followed this itinerary to explore the world of Sayama tea:

Tea-picking experience (Nakagami Hayadashi House): Hand-picking tender new buds using the 'one bud, two leaves' method

Tea factory tour (Iruma City Agricultural Training Center): Close-up observation of tea manufacturing processes

Exhibition explanation (Iruma City Museum ARITTO): Lecture on Sayama tea by a museum curator

Lunch 'Colorful Six Bowls' (Dining Place Issen): Tasting tempura made with freshly picked new tea leaves

Participant feedback

The event received numerous positive comments from participants:

"I'm glad I could experience tea picking for the first time."

"I was happy to be able to eat tempura made with fresh tea leaves."

Enjoying freshly picked new tea leaves as tempura is an experience unique to this season, making for a day of discovering new charms of Sayama tea.

Event summary

Event name: Sayama Tea Picking Experience Bus Tour

Date and time: Saturday, April 25, Reiwa 8 (2026), 9:00–13:00

Itinerary: Iruma City Museum (meeting) → Hayadashi House (tea picking) → Agricultural Training Center (tea factory tour) → Museum (exhibition explanation) → Restaurant Chadokoro Issen (lunch) → Dismissal

Participants: 16 (81 applicants)

Organizer: Iruma City (Agricultural Promotion Division, Environment and Economy Department); Cooperation: Iruma City Tea Industry Association, Restaurant Chadokoro Issen, Iruma City Museum

Final note

Sayama tea is now entering the "second flush" season, offering a different flavor profile from the first harvest. When visiting the area, please be sure to enjoy delicious Sayama tea at one of the tea farms in Iruma City.

URL: https://www.city.iruma.saitama.jp/material/files/group/23/cyaen-maruwakarimap.pdf

【Inquiries regarding this event】

Program content:

Agricultural Promotion Division, Environment and Economy Department: Kawamura, Sato

1-16-1 Toyoka, Iruma City

TEL: 04-2964-1111 (ext. 4233)

Planning Division, Planning Department, Future Co-Creation Policy Promotion Office: Yamanaka, Motobashi

1-16-1 Toyoka, Iruma City

TEL: 04-2964-1111 (ext. 3135)

Others:

Secretariat and Public Relations Division, Planning Department: Kishida, Tohyama

1-16-1 Toyoka, Iruma City

TEL: 04-2964-1111 (ext. 3122)

About Iruma City

[From the Sayama Tea Village to the World] Iruma City's Vision for a 'Well-being City'

~A new model blending world-class traditional techniques with cutting-edge co-creation urban development~

Approximately one hour from the capital region, Iruma City lies within the rich natural environment of the Kanto Plain and is home to scenic tea fields—the northernmost large-scale tea cultivation area in Japan. As the main production area of 'Sayama Tea,' which has a history of about 400 years, the city has achieved the unprecedented feat of winning first place in Japan at the National Hand-Rolled Tea Competition for 20 consecutive years (25 times total)—a first in history. At the Osaka-Kansai Expo held in 2025, the city demonstrated its exceptional traditional techniques to the world.

At the same time, the city boasts great diversity, including the American culture of 'Johnson Town'—a redevelopment of a former U.S. military base—and large commercial facilities. In 2022, Iruma City was selected as an 'SDGs Future City' and enacted Japan's first 'Iruma City Sayama Tea Lover's Ordinance' to promote enjoyment of delicious Sayama tea. Under the purpose of 'creating and passing on a future landscape where people can live with enriched hearts,' the city aims to realize 'Well-being City Iruma.'

Furthermore, through the public-private collaboration platform 'Iruma Future Co-Creation Lab,' the city is continuously turning next-generation urban development initiatives into reality—such as aroma analysis with universities, esports, and cross-industry collaborations with entertainment companies—without being bound by conventional frameworks.

▼ Proposal form for businesses and organizations to help solve local challenges or launch co-creation projects in Iruma City

The 'Iruma Future Co-Creation Lab' connects your ideas with the potential of our community.

https://www.city.iruma.saitama.jp/gyosei_joho/purpose/10547.html

【Basic city information】

Iruma City Hall

Address: 1-16-1 Toyoka, Iruma City, Saitama Prefecture

Phone: 04-2964-1111 (main)

{Links}

Official website: https://www.city.iruma.saitama.jp/

Iruma Disaster Alert Mail Plus: https://plus.sugumail.com/usr/iruma/doc

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LINE: https://line.me/R/ti/p/@irumacity

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/irumacity