October 8-19


I went to Paris, France and Turin, Italy to promote Sayama tea.

In both countries, where corona infections are spreading, it was necessary to narrow down the number of people and pay close attention to lectures, tocha, and tasting. However, there was a lot of interest in Sayama tea everywhere, and Tocha was very popular.

I was told that I should come again next year, but I could only say, "I wish Corona had subsided!"

Lockdowns have been attempted in both countries and cities this week.
Let's get over Covid-19 with all our energy!

New products!

This year, we made a new tea bag product using Sayama SINGLE ORIGIN TEA. TB contains 5g precious tea leaves in Tetra Pack. We have prepared a single pack containing 1 piece for trial use and a bag containing 12 TBs. If you use a mug with one TB, you can drink delicious tea with 3 brews.

April 23, 2020

In Sayama, new tea making has begun!

This winter was quite warm and be able to pick it early, I thought,  but the cold hit in April twice and prevented the shoots from growing and the picking started almost as usual.

Today's tea picking is hand-picking for "Okutomi-en" handmade tea, and the variety is "Sae-akari". Thirty pickers entered the tea plantation all at once, carefully picking new shoots from each tea branch. Only two pickers were in one ridge for preventing covid-19 infection.

The beautifully picked shoots were transported by truck to the factory in 3 minutes. The close distance between fields and factories is one of the strengths of Sayama tea, which is self-cultivation, self-production and self-marketing. This is because the fermentation of tea leaves on the way can be prevented.

February 10, 2020

The general meeting of the Sayama Single Origin Tea Spread Promotion Council was held. The purpose of this council is that the name speaks for itself. Twelve people participated and approved the establishment of the council.

NPO Agriculture Support Team in Saitama will play a central role, so I think it will appear on this HP often.

Please pupport this Sayama Single Origin Tea Promotion Council, too!

January 12, 2020

We held a presentation on the pesticide residue analysis business that we had been conducting in FY2019. I was able to get an idea of the current state of the drift and alerted the drift source.
Most notably, the conscious use of pesticides has proven to be enough to meet EU's pesticide residue standards.
It is not necessary to be say, "Export is impossible because of pesticide problems."
It was a bit disappointing that there were few participants, but it was a meaningful presentation with interesting discussions.

November 27.

A French course tasting party using Sayama single origin tea was held in ”Musai-an” in Karuizawa. This is the result of repeated study conducted by Ikeda Chef with interest in Sayama tea since last year.

It was very delicious!

In the future, I would like to have a tasting party in France and Italy for promoting Sayama tea.

October 15

Opened a workshop for Sayama single origin tea at  “Camellia Il tempo del te” in Turin, Italy.
After introducing Japanese green tea and Sayama tea, we experienced the difference in taste depending on the type of tea and on how to brew. Lastly, “Tocha”  was held by five origin tea. What! There were 3 people who answered three origin of tea correctly!
We would like to open a similar workshop next year, too so if you are tea lover living in the near Turin, please join us!

October 11

JETRO Japanese tea export business meeting was held in Vienna, Austria, and Sayama tea participated in this event. Many buyers from Vienna, Eastern European countries, and Russia jointed and lively business talks were held. NPOs are currently in discussions with two companies. Also, with one company, I promised to take contact in the next year, again. I was surprised by the high interest in Japanese tea in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe.

October 1

Guests from France were introduced to Sayama. With a keen interest in Japanese tea, they visited tea fields and tea factories and went home.
They were surprised that Sayama tea, which is not known at all in France, was very delicious.
Also, it was impressive for them that the farmland was smaller than expected, and from a French point of view, Sayama's tea garden is like horticulture.

August 9

I participated in the Tocha held at the Saitama Tea Research Institute. Unlike Tocha, which we usually do, this day is for tea professionals such as tea blender, tea farmers, tea instructors, etc, to train their tongue, nose and eyes. So,  it was very difficult .

The contents are divided into three parts. For “Yabukita”  of the same grade (same price range) ordered from 10 production areas, ① judge  the production area from the shape and colour of the tea leaves ② judge the production area from the taste  judge the 5 different single origin tea from the brewed tea.
Full score is 40 points , the best one got 28 points. I was 15 points. But I was surprised to get 15 points! . If there is an opportunity, I would like to try again.

The day after the Tocha  (August 10), I went to the Japanese tea cafe “Asatsuyu” in Kitaurawa for meeting with a fellow who is doing a project in Mongolia together.
My friends asked for ice-cold sencha and ice-cold gyokuro, and I asked for warm tea of the varieties tea "Fukumidori". The friends who drank ice-cold sencha / gyokuro for the first time were surprised by the strength of the Umami taste. My “Fukumidori” was also delicious.

Cause this cafe purchase tea leaves from our fellow Masuokaen, then I visited there.
Please visit once when you go out around Kitaurawa. The price is also very reasonable.

June 5th

At a tea farm at dusk.

Who are the two people walking away?

The answer is…

They are Mr. Masaaki IKEDA, the young owner/chef at “Musaian Ikeda” in Karuizawa, and Ms. Fumi SHIMIZU, Mr.Ikeda’s wife and artist of blue-and-white china.

These two people came all the way from Karuizawa to visit tea farms in Sayama, Iruma and Tokorozawa.

This news hasn’t been made public so far, but the representative director of our NPO, who is a big fan of Mr. Ikeda, has been considering how to develop “new cuisine using Sayama-cha” and asked Mr. Ikeda to invent “A collaboration of French food and Sayama-cha” and he accepted the offer. 

To achieve that purpose, we had a tasting and an interview at each tea producer.  We, of course, did research mainly on Sayama-cha SINGLE ORIGIN TEA, but we had them taste black tea of each producer as well.  They could enjoy their distinctive flavors.

The dishes Mr. Ikeda cooks show a marvelous harmony composed of various contrasts such as subtlety and boldness that reflect the four seasons in Karuizawa and thick taste and light taste of the local food materials.  What a bold request it was to ask Mr. Ikeda to cook Sayama-cha SINGLE ORIGIN TEA in the style of French cuisine. Isn’t it exciting only to imagine how it will turn out?

 June 3rd

This picture was taken in a room of Saitama Tea Research Laboratory, one afternoon, after tea producers had finished manufacturing green tea out of the first tea leaves.

Eventually we were tasting new tea of each tea farm at a study session held with those who agree to and cooperate to produce “Sayama-cha SINGLE ORIGIN TEA”.

The tea in the picture is SINGLE ORIGIN “Hokumei” produced by Hiraoka-en, which came to join our project this year.

Hiraoka-en’s “Hokumei” produced this year has rich flavor and moderate bitterness.  It tastes good going down, and sweet afterward. The result is very pleasant. 

I hear the astringency that comes from tannin of wine becomes mild with age. New green tea “Hokumei” reminds me of such best wine.

Of course, all the tea producers, besides Hiraoka-en, have made wonderful new tea.

List of cooperative tea producers of Sayama-cha SINGLE ORIGIN TEA: their brand name

     Ohnishi-en : Fukumidori

     Okutomi-en: Sayamakaori

     Shimizu-en: Yumewakaba

Hiraoka-en: Hokumei

Masuoka-en: Musashikaori  

Yokota-en: Okuharuka

 (Titles omitted, in the order of Japanese alphabet）

※Some manufacturers may not sell their SINGLE ORIGIN TEA without mixing.

At our NPO, we drink and compare kinds of first tea of the season almost every day.  Each tea has its characters. This is the only season we can enjoy comparing the fresh tastes.

June 2nd

After a long interval, we held the event “Tasting the Best Season of Saitama”, where we can eat and learn about delicious food materials produced in Saitama. The theme of the first event of “Tasting the Best Season” in 2019 was “Sayama-cha”. We could enjoy the fragrant first tea of the season.

On that day, we were blessed with good weather: it was neither too hot nor too cold.  All the participants experienced chatsumi, picking tea leaves, and making black tea at “Masuoka-en” tea farm and made a tour at “Nakajima-en” tea factory.

Delicious lunch was served at “Ochakko Salon Issen” located on the site of the Iruma Museum. There were a variety of dishes and each of them contained green tea as an ingredient. We were content with everything on that day.

In early May, I went on an inspection trip to Milan and Turin in Italy and went on to Paris in France.

In each city, I visited several tea specialists’ stores, and had some interviews after serving green tea I took from Japan. They loved the taste and became interested in our project of Sayama-cha SINGLE ORIGINE TEA.

During the interview, I was given interesting comments on how people accept Japanese green tea in EU and in each city I visited. I could learn a lot.

I made a solemn promise, saying “We’ll send you fresh green tea as soon as we can,” and left Europe in early summer.

This picture shows a corner of a market in the center of Turin. Most of the goods handled in this large market are food and clothes transported from Eurasia Continent and African Continent, but in this corner, things are different.  That’s because they sell goods produced in the suburbs of Turin. Piedmont, whose capital is Turin, lies at the foot of the Alps.　Its noted products are not typical food materials for Italian cuisines such as tomatoes and olives, but dairy products such as high-grade cheese, as well as wine, hazelnuts, and salami.   

This is a market established to handle locally produced goods, where dealings are made on fair market prices led by the producers. I was impressed by the fact that they were doing fair trades, recognizing the quality of the locally produced goods.  Not only the producers but also the local citizens were proud of their products.

NPO Agricultural Support Team in Saitama started with the aim to treasure agriculture in Saitama.  We will continue to trade goods on fair prices, promote sustainable agriculture, and deliver agricultural products with pride to all over Japan and to foreign countries.

April 1st

We submitted a report of "Sayama SINGLE ORIGIN TEA branding strategy project" implemented on April 1 in 2018.

The results of field surveys conducted in France, Italy, Russia, Mongolia, Singapore, etc., and the necessary strategies for establishing Sayama tea branding in the future are summarized.

The branding strategies (excerpts) are as follows.

1) Unify package design
2) Aim for sales at a tea specialty store or department store
3) Develop new products for middle-income countries4) Sell Single Origin Tea as Sayama tea brand

5) Actively use fighting tea for promotion

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 6) continuous and intermittent promotion in priority countries

The day when Sayama tea is on this shelf is ...         Based on this strategy, we try to sell Sayama tea to the world!

March　10th

We visited "Furu-Shoku Matsuri" in Shibuya, Tokyo! The title means “Festival of Hometown Cuisine & Japanese Cuisine.”

There were local food and cuisine stalls from different regions of Japan.

Our top priority was of course Sayama-cha presented by The Saitama Green Tea Association.

It was such an exciting food festival that the temptation to visit other food stalls was unavoidable.  We repeatedly tasted various food, saying, ”What’s this? It looks delicious,” and “Wow. It’s good. I’ll get this.”  Several hours later, we were on our way home with an empty purse and a full stomach.

March 8th

It was the final day of "Foodex Japan 2019" or 44^th International Food and Beverage Exposition.  People concerned with food and beverage industry all around the world gather for this event and it is always in great bustle.

I was excited as if I were in a festival. But, in fact, it was a place to do business. Photos and movies were prohibited inside the event hall. We could take only one picture in front of the hall.  However, we were greatly stimulated by the ingenuity of displays and products exhibited by various countries!

We participated in a business meeting organized by JETRO on this  day in order to negotiate business deals.  On top of that,                                                                               we were able to get a lot of information through this event.

March 7th

We attended the Cultivation workshop for exporting Sayama-Cha in Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Irumano.

The theme for the workshop was "Usage of agricultural chemicals and pest control for exporting products" and "Risk management with the GAP(Good Agricultural Practice)".

Although this workshop is aimed at exporting products, both the issues  are important when we deal with distribution of agricultural products.

Therefore, all the people concerned with Sayama-cha were eagerly listening to the presentation by Saitama Tea Research Institute.

In order to improve the physical and mental health of not only consumers but also all the people involved in tea, all the personnel of Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Irumano, Saitama Tea Research Institute, and Sayama-cha farmers who are trying to keep their traditions, are constantly striving and studying hard.

Seeing such people, we were deeply inspired.

February, 27th

This is not MIB..Many people in black suits attended the meeting.

 (Actually, there were more people in black suits outside of the frame...)

Today, we had a diagnosis of Global Farmers / Fishermen / Foresters / Food Manufacturers Project carried out by Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

NPO's Chair. Kajishima asked them questions and talked about her thoughts on export of tea.

Then, we obtained a lot of advice about "sayama-cha SINGLE ORIGIN TEA branding project" from them.

We really appreciate this opportunity.

February 10 to 11th,

We went to ISETAN KLCC in Malaysia for a demonstration sale of Japanese green tea "Sayama-cha"!

We invited two tea masters: Tsuyoshi Nakajima from Onishi-en tea farm(http://onishi-en.com/) and Tomoya Shimizu from Shimizu-en tea farm(http://simizuen.com/),so that tea lovers could taste and learn about Japanese green tea.

Several people told us brilliant question like "When can I buy Sayama-cha next time?" and "Can I get Sayama-cha anytime in ISETAN?". We became very happy...more

February 7 to 8th,

We received a briefing from JETRO Singapore about the Singapore market and held some business meetings for exporting "Sayama-cha".

he photo is "pig", the zodiac sign of this year. It greeted me at Singapore Changi Airport.

In Japan, this year 's zodiac sign is a "wild boar", but it seems it is a “pig” in many Chinese culture areas such as China and Singapore.

There were many pink pigs celebrating New Year all around the city. I was fascinated by the pretty little eyes of the pigs.

September 20 to 24th 2018,

We participated in "Terra Madre SALONE DEL GUSTO 2018" in Italy!

We opened a store with Masuoka-en tea farm (https://masuokaen.jp/) at the slow food exhibition "Terra Madre SALONE DEL GUSTO 2018". The exhibition is held once in every two years. Many people tasted "Organic Japanese green tea Sayama-cha".

Thanks to many tea lovers, our products sold out!

Our brochures written in Italian, which explain how to make good green tea, were also all given out on the last day

..more

The "Sayama-cha SINGLE ORIGIN TEA Branding Strategy Project"

was selected as a supplementary budget for the fiscal year 2017 Global enterprise development - Innovation promotion subsidy (JAPAN brand development support project).

We, "NPO Agriculture Support Team in Saitama", will continue to strive  in order to make "Sayama-cha" even more familiar to people.

Thank you for your support.