Survival Strategies for Traditional Hand-picked Tencha Production in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture

Abstract

This study examines how the production of tencha, the raw material for matcha, is sustained in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, and what strategies support its continuation. Tea cultivation in Uji City has been declining because of urbanisation, the ageing of tea farmers, and a decline in their number. In Uji City, high-grade tencha has traditionally been produced through shelf-style shade cultivation and the hand-picking of tea leaves. However, owing to the ageing and declining number of tea pickers, it has become increasingly difficult to continue hand-picking. Consequently, an increasing number of farmers are continuing to produce tencha using machine-picking instead of hand-picking. The Uji municipal government and tea farmers are collaborating on various initiatives to secure tea pickers.