Experience Picking Japan's Earliest Outdoor New Tea

Jointly hosted by Kisaku-en and Marushichi Seicha

■What is New Tea?

During winter, tea plants are dormant, but with the warm spring climate, they shed their thick coat-like small leaves and grow new shoots. Among the teas harvested several times a year, only new tea picked in spring is made from new shoots rich in nutrients accumulated from autumn to winter, which are the source of its deliciousness. Even in the same field, after picking new tea, new shoots grow again in about 50 days, and second flush tea is picked. Even if this is picked, it becomes tea, but it is not called new tea, and its taste is less delicious and slightly bitter. That's why new tea picked in spring has long been treasured as the most delicious. So, it's not just about being a single origin, but when it was picked is very important. In Shizuoka, new tea from Hachijuhachi-ya (the 88th day from Risshun, May 2nd) has traditionally been considered the most seasonal and delicious.

Would you like to enjoy the fresh leaves of this valuable new tea in the tea field, a step ahead of the general public?

■Tea Picking Experience

In Shizuoka and Kyoto, new tea has been harvested from early in the year through forced cultivation in greenhouses, but at our tea garden, you can experience picking the earliest outdoor new tea in Japan, basking in the warm spring sunshine.

The reason new tea can be picked at this time is because it's a very rare tea variety called 'Inzatsu'. It's a tea variety born in Japan, but as the name suggests, its mother is from India, and its father is an unknown hybrid, hence the name Inzatsu (Indian hybrid). Only this Inzatsu tea garden sprouts new shoots exceptionally early every year, even in cold weather. Take a deep breath and enjoy the scent of young leaves drifting in the natural breeze as you feel the warm spring wind. We hope you will savor the new shoots that have grown vigorously, which are slightly bitter and have a faint umami taste.

Dates: April 11, 2026 (Saturday) - Scheduled until early May

Time: Approximately 30 minutes between 10:00 and 15:00 on weekdays (excluding lunch breaks and when group buses visit)

Fee: Adults 1,000 yen, Children 800 yen (elementary school students and younger must be accompanied by an adult)

*Harvested new tea shoots can be taken home and enjoyed as tempura new tea (with recipe included).

*The set plan for women only, including a tea picker costume and tea picking experience, is 2,500 yen for adults and 2,300 yen for children. However, the number of tea picker costumes is limited, so please make a reservation in advance (T-shirts will also be prepared). For this set plan, the morning session starts with changing clothes at 10:30 and tea picking at 11:00, and the afternoon session starts with changing clothes at 13:30 and tea picking at 14:00. Please arrive on time for your reservation.

■Location

Facility Name: Greenpia Makinohara & Nanaya Tea Chocolate Village

Operator: Kisaku-en Co., Ltd.

Address: 1151 Nishihagima, Makinohara City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Representative: Naruhiko Suzuki, Representative Director

Business Activities: Manufacturing and sales of Japanese tea and tea products, operation of tea picking experience farms, operation of tea cuisine restaurants, sales of Shizuoka Prefecture products

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