Know for its Sencha and Matcha teas, Wazuka is a highly regarded tea town in Japan. Tea was brought over from China by a Buddhist monk from Kaijūsen-Ji Temple who was studying in China almost 500 years ago. In 1580 tea ceremonies were being held in newly created tea rooms. Sencha was made by steaming its leaves and Japan begin exporting it by the 1800s, tea accounted for 80% of Japan's exports.

A tour of the production and farming of green tea can be found at Obubu Tea Farm. It is best to spend the night in Uji as it is closer to the tea farm (you can find detailed directions from Uji to the tea farm on the website). As you get close to Wazuka, you will see the winding tea fields dotting the landscape at the foothills of Mt. Juba.

Greeted by our hosts, we started with several tea samples. We then headed to a van to check out the tea farm and to learn about farming. Our guide Hiro, navigated his van around the precarious hills of Wazuka and had a great sense of humor. The tour provides lunch in a local Wazuka restaurant, a green tea Soba noodle. We then drove to the processing facility and learned about curing. The explanation of hand-rolled Sencha made me apprecite the all the attention that goes into creating the tea. Finally, we made our way back to the house to get educated on temperatures for brewing, preparing Matcha with a whisk, the health benefits of tea. The twist on this part of the tour is a Genmaicha salad and a green tea martini. The only thing left undone was green tea ice cream.