Shizuoka
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From tea plantations to Japanese tea cafes. 4 recommended spots to enjoy tea in Shizuoka (Hamamatsu, Shimada, Makinohara)

Shizuoka Prefecture is Japan's number one tea-producing region, accounting for approximately 40% of the country's total tea plantation area and offering vibrant green views as far as the eye can see. Thanks to a mild climate suitable for tea cultivation and techniques passed down over many years, it produces high-quality tea.
Famous tea-producing areas are scattered throughout the prefecture, including Hamamatsu, Shimada, and Makinohara. Here are four recommended spots unique to these production areas, including tea theme parks, workshops, Japanese tea cafes, and tea-picking experiences.

*Due to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19, business hours may be changed or facilities may be closed. Please check in advance before you go.

Refresh your body and mind with safe and secure tea

Herb and green tea (3 packs) 500 yen. Also rich in mini packs and tea sweets.
Herb and green tea (3 packs) for 500 yen. We also have a wide selection of mini packs and tea-flavored sweets.

Located along the Hime Kaido (Prefectural Road 261), this tea shop handles everything from cultivation and production to sales. With a motto of "making tea we can confidently give to our children," they practice environmentally friendly tea cultivation that avoids herbicides and reduces the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
They sell a variety of teas, including their main deep-steamed green tea, as well as roasted green tea (hojicha), brown rice tea (genmaicha), and Japanese black tea, available in both loose leaf and tea bag form. The packaging is sophisticated, making it a great choice for souvenirs. Don't miss their tea-infused sweets, such as green tea and hojicha cookies, "green tea paste monaka" wafers, and "hojicha kuzu mochi."

Rediscover the charm of tea through a mini workshop

One of the mini-workshops is the "Hand-rolled tea relaxing experience." Thoroughly enjoy hand-rolled tea that has been kneaded over 6 hours.
One of our mini-workshops is the "Relaxing Hand-Rolled Tea Experience." Enjoy the hand-rolled tea that has been processed over 6 hours.

The premises include tea fields, a direct sales shop, a factory, "Marutama Chaya," and a garden for strolling. "Marutama Chaya," a renovated farm equipment shed, hosts various workshops. Their "Petit Workshops," which can be experienced without a reservation, offer two to three menu options each month. The "Petit Tea Tasting Experience," where you try to identify three different types of tea, is a popular menu item that can be enjoyed like a game. Other seasonal experiences, such as "New Tea Experiences" and "Hojicha Latte Making," help broaden your interest in tea. Be sure to check their website for dates and times before visiting.

Marutama Seicha
  • Address7172-917 Nakagawa, Hosoe-cho, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka MAP
  • AccessTake the Entetsu Bus bound for Kiga/Mikkabi from JR Hamamatsu Station for about 40 minutes, and get off at "Otani," then walk for about 5 minutes.
  • Business hours9:00–18:00
    *Cafe time is from 11:00 (L.O. 15:30)
  • ClosedSundays and holidays (Cafe is closed Sundays, Mondays, and holidays)
  • TEL053-522-0517, Toll-free 0120-120517
  • ParkingFree
  • NotesPlease check the website for details on mini-workshops.

Enjoy the famous tea soba at a lush green cafe

"No-oto no Cha-soba" (includes tea). Available for order all day.
"No-oto no Chasoba" (served with tea). Available all day.

A Japanese tea specialty cafe housed in a wooden detached house in a quiet residential area of Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City. You can enjoy about 30 types of tea carefully selected from all over the country, including famous teas like Shizuoka's "Tenryu Koshun" and "Mori-machi Tea," as well as black teas and fermented teas. Each cup, brewed according to the tea's characteristics—such as water temperature and steeping time—is rich in aroma and umami, a blissful taste that will surely make you smile. You can rediscover the deliciousness of tea brewed in a kyusu teapot.
Their light meals using tea are also highly regarded, with the "Noto no Chasoba" being highly recommended. The tea soba noodles, served with a matcha-infused dipping sauce, offer a refreshing texture and a spreading flavor of tea.

A variety of tea sweets paired with fine tea

"Koicha Cake" and "Morimachi Tea (Fukamushi Sencha)." Get 100 yen off the total when ordering a tea and sweets set.
"Rich Matcha Cake" and "Mori-machi Tea (Deep-steamed Sencha)." Get 100 yen off when you order a tea and sweets set.

After the tea soba, you should try the seasonal fresh Japanese sweets that pair well with tea, or sweets that incorporate tea. The "Koicha (thick tea) Cake," made with matcha from Mori-machi, allows you to enjoy the rich flavor and aroma of matcha. Seasonal menu items are also popular, with "Shizuoka Tea Shaved Ice" appearing from July to September.There are matcha, hojicha, black tea, and all-matcha shaved ice options available,and it is a highly anticipated sweet that many fans look forward to.
The shop space sells all the tea leaves served in the cafe. There is also a gallery that exhibits and sells works by local artists, allowing you to spend a relaxing and comfortable time.

Ochanoma no Oto
  • Address5-25-1 Handayama, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka MAP
  • Access Take the Entetsu Bus bound for the Medical University from JR Hamamatsu Station for about 40 minutes, and get off at "Mikatahara Eigyosho," then walk for about 5 minutes.
  • Business hours10:30–16:30 (L.O. 16:00)
  • ClosedTuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (Open on public holidays)
  • TEL053-443-8750
  • ParkingFree
  • Age limitChildren under 10 are not allowed in the store.

Find your perfect tea through a green tea experience

"Green Tea Tours" take about 20 minutes and can be reserved at the ticket machine on the day. Participants receive a special mini tea bowl (ochoko) as a gift.
The "Green Tea Tours" take about 20 minutes and can be booked at the ticket machine on the day. Participants receive a special mini tea cup (ochoko) as a gift.

An experiential food park focused on green tea, agriculture, and tourism, located adjacent to Kadode Station on the Oigawa Railway. It features a variety of facilities, including a marche selling freshly harvested vegetables, fruits, and green tea from the Oigawa basin, as well as restaurants and a tourist information center.
Tea-related experiences are also a hot topic, with the "Green Tea Tours" being a highlight. You wear a green poncho and pretend to be a tea leaf, experiencing "steaming," "rolling," and "firing" attractions, and finally compare four types of green tea. At the "Green Tea B.I.Y. Stand," you can brew tea to your own preference using 16 types of tea leaves, water temperature, and steeping time, andtake it home in a special mini bottle.

Satisfy your appetite with local flavors incorporating green tea

"Mountain and Sea Ochazuke Set Meal" for 1,078 yen. You can choose to pour "tea only," "tea + dashi broth," or "dashi broth only" over it.
"Mountain and Sea Ochazuke Set Meal" for 1,078 yen. You can choose to pour "tea only," "tea + dashi broth," or "dashi broth only" over your rice.

The restaurants within the facility are packed with menu items using green tea. The "Mountain and Sea Ochazuke Set Meal" is a popular menu item that comes with ochazuke, one daily fish dish, and five side dishes. When you pour tea over rice topped with plenty of honkarebushi (dried bonito flakes) aged for half a year, a rich, fragrant aroma spreads.
The "KADODE Burger," which uses green tea in the buns and sauce, is a local burger featuring a coarse-ground meat patty and local vegetables. There is also a buffet restaurant featuring seasonal vegetables, a tea house overlooking a Japanese garden, and green tea soft-serve ice cream, making it convenient for both lunch and a break.

KADODE OOIGAWA
  • Address62 Takeshita, Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture MAP
  • AccessDirectly connected to Kadode Station on the Oigawa Railway.
  • Business hours9:00–18:00 (Varies by area. Please check the website for the business hours of each restaurant)
  • ClosedSecond Tuesday of the month, plus other temporary closures
  • Admission FeeAdmission free; Green Tea Tours and Green Tea B.I.Y. Stand are 500 yen each
  • TEL0547-39-4073
  • ParkingFree
  • NotesPlease check the website for Green Tea Tour departure times

Tea picking experience in the vast tea plantations of Makinohara

"Tea Picking Experience" is held annually from late April to early October.
The "Tea Picking Experience" is held annually from late April to early October.

Located in the "Makinohara Great Tea Plantation," famous as a major tea production area, this complex is equipped with a tea factory and a direct sales store. It offers various experiences to enjoy tea, among which the "tea picking experience," unique to the production area, is popular. It takes about 30 minutes, and you pick the tips of the buds and the two leaves below them, known as "isshin-niyo" (one bud and two leaves). The feel of the fresh leaves and their refreshing scent are precious experiences that can only be felt by picking them yourself. You can take the picked tea leaves home with a recipe, so why not try tasting them as tempura or pan-fried sencha?

Tour the tea factory and take home our signature deep-steamed tea as a souvenir.

In the "Mini Tea Processing Machinery Exhibition Room," you can see the machines that steam and roll tea leaves in action.
In the "Mini Tea Manufacturing Machinery Exhibition Room," you can see the machines that steam and roll the tea leaves in action.

Factory tours, which can be enjoyed for free, are also a must-see for learning about tea. As you follow the tour path, you can see processes such as the finishing and packaging of tea. In addition, there is a "Mini History Panel Gallery" that introduces the history of the Makinohara Tea Gardens, and a "Mini Tea Manufacturing Machinery Exhibition Room" where you can see tea-making machines in operation.
At the direct sales store "Ippinkan," you can purchase sencha made at the factory, as well as black tea, matcha sweets, and tea utensils. Tea produced on the Makinohara Plateau has thick leaves due to the long hours of sunlight, so deep-steamed tea, which is steamed for a longer time, is the mainstream. Tea with a deep green color and rich flavor is also appreciated as a souvenir.

Greenpia Makinohara
  • Address1151 Nishihagima, Makinohara City, Shizuoka Prefecture MAP
  • AccessAbout 15 minutes by car from JR Kikugawa Station.
  • Business hours10:00–17:00
  • ClosedDecember 29 – January 3
  • Admission FeeAdmission and factory tours are free. Tea picking experience is 1,000 yen for junior high school students and older, and 800 yen for elementary school students (includes recipes for the picked tea leaves).
  • TEL0548-27-2995
  • ParkingFree
  • NotesPlease check the website for details on the schedule and times for the tea picking experience.

After enjoying sightseeing, why not spend a relaxing moment at a hot spring inn overlooking Lake Hamana? You can enjoy a stay that lets you experience Shizuoka's culture, such as staying in guest rooms decorated with Hamamatsu's traditional craft "Enshu Men-tsumugi" and soaking in an open-air bath with tea leaves floating in it. In addition, various tea hospitality services are available within the inn.

Heal your body and mind with the superb views of Lake Hamana and our tea.

"Tea Ball Skin-Beautifying Bath," where pesticide-free tea leaves are packed tightly into baskets and floated in an open-air bath.
"Tea Ball Skin-Beautifying Bath," where pesticide-free tea leaves are packed tightly into baskets and floated in the open-air bath.

About 40 minutes by car from Hamamatsu Station. A hot spring inn overlooking Lake Hamana. You can fully enjoy the charm of Hamamatsu with two hot springs with different atmospheres, kaiseki cuisine using plenty of seasonal ingredients including Lake Hamana's specialty eel, and tea-themed hospitality such as the "Seasonal Sencha Experience" and "Tea Ball Bath."

There is plenty of hospitality to enjoy tea everywhere, such as an open-air bath where tea balls float, events where you can learn how to brew and drink delicious sencha, and the "Bicharaku Lounge" where you can enjoy your favorite tea from a tea cellar or tea stand at any time while gazing out at Lake Hamana and the Tsumugi tea plantation.

MAP

Nearby Hoshino Resorts facilities
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*The information provided is current as of the date of the article's update. Please check in advance as it may be subject to change.