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A Study Program for Aspiring Tea People Around the World

Do you love Japanese tea? Do you want to become a tea expert or do business in the tea industry? Then the Shizuoka Tea Study program is for you! This short-term program in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan's leading producer of quality tea, will give you an in-depth, hands-on experience of every step of the tea-making process, from harvesting leaves to producing tea. Learning from the pros, you'll get a step closer to becoming a tea expert yourself!

Participants' Review

Benefits of Joining the Program

point 1

Learn from experts in Japanese tea

point 2

Gain hands-on experience of every step of the tea-making process

point 3

Receive a certificate upon completing the program

Get one step closer to becoming an expert in the tea industry!

Program Outline

Hosts

Tea companies in Shizuoka Prefecture

Study period

* Study period varies by host

Accommodations

Hotel, apartment, or the like near the study site

* Accommodations vary by host

Languages

English, French, Japanese

*Available languages vary by host

Eligible participants

  • Tea business operators or persons who wish to start a Japanese tea business outside of Japan
  • Tea aficionados with a social influence
  • Bloggers enthusiastic about writing informational posts on Japanese tea

Shizuoka Tea Study Program - Video

Program

Participants who complete the program will receive a diploma. The compulsory study contents below must be completed to fulfill the requirements for a diploma.

How to brew Japanese tea

OrganizerHost tea companies
World Green Tea Association

Japanese tea and Shizuoka tea history, industry, and functionality

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Tea cultivation

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Unrefined tea process

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Refining process

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Tea evaluation method

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Expenses borne by the participant

  • Round-trip travel expenses to host tea company (airfare + domestic travel)
  • Participation fee (amount varies by tea company and program)
  • Accommodation fee (in some cases, this may be included in the paticipation fee.)
  • Meal expenses
  • Enrollment in overseas travel insurance covering farm work and volunteer work
  • Farm work-appropriate clothing and shoes, change of clothes, daily necessities

Flow up to start of program

Complete and send
application form

Document
screening

Web interview

* Applicants who
passed the document
screening

Participation
confirmed

* Applicants who
passed the interview

Submit required
documents

Start of program

* Normally it requires about a month from application to confirmation.

Application

Eligibility requirements

  • As a rule, applicants must be aged 20 or older holding a visa for short-term stay of within 90 days in Japan, including from visa exempt countries. Note that the permitted period of stay varies by country or region: 15 days for foreign nationals from Indonesia, Thailand, and Brunei; 30 days for those from the United Arab Emirates.
  • Confirmed participants must submit documents including participation agreement, and enroll in overseas travel insurance.
  • The program does not accept applications from general tourists.

Participants will not receive any remuneration.

*Please confirm the latest condition when traveling.

 In order to prevent the spread of infectious disease, Japan is currently implementing immigration restrictions on travelers.

 Link to Ministry of Foreign Affaires of Japan: https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001053.html

 

If you want to know about Japanese tea, watch these videos as a first step.

 

Host tea companies

Below is a list of the study program’s host tea companies. If you wish to be a participant, please submit an application using the prescribed form.

COMPANY
INTRODUCTION

OSADA Seicha Co., Ltd.

  The town of Morimachi, in the northwestern Shizuoka Prefecture, flourished in the premodern Edo period as a hub of tea in neighboring Harunocho for more than 30 years. The company also own the tencha tea farm, where...

*temporarily unavailable

Marumatsu Tea Co., Ltd.

  At Marumatsu, a tea master selects tea leaves to be purchased from over hundreds of growers throughout Japan. Seasoned craftsmen then perform finishing and firing processes suitable for each tea leaf, before packaging the final...

*temporarily unavailable

Matcha Organic Japan Co., Ltd.

  Matcha Organic Japan's tea farm spreading across the mountain district practices all organic farming. The company's philosophy is to deliver delicious organic matcha and make people smile around the world, its mission to handle all...

*temporarily unavailable

Kanei Hitokoto Seicha Inc.

  Founded in 1865, Kanei Hitokoto Seicha is an established tea manufacturer based in Shimada City, home to the Makinohara Plateau, the largest tea farming region in Japan. The company is strong in tea OEM services and...

*temporarily unavailable

Marufuku Seicha Co., Ltd.

  Marufuku Seicha purchases teas from Shizuoka and throughout Japan, and engages in tea production, processing, and distribution. Fascinated paticularly by the flavor of tea leaves from the montainous area upstream of the...

Online available!

Ryutsu Service Co., Ltd.

  Our company is based on the idea of integrated tea company, unifying tea farming, unrefined tea processing, making tea products and the sales phases. We are waiting for the participants who want to connect this experience to business...

*temporarily unavailable

Otsuka Green Tea Co., Ltd.

  Otsuka Green Tea is one of the oldest established tea manufacturer in this region. We are mainly making deep steamed sencha which has the strongest taste and blight green color in Japanese green tea. Since 2007, we started...
 
 

Application

Eligibility requirements

  • As a rule, applicants must be aged 20 or older holding a visa for short-term stay of within 90 days in Japan, including from visa exempt countries. Note that the permitted period of stay varies by country or region: 15 days for foreign nationals from Indonesia, Thailand, and Brunei; 30 days for those from the United Arab Emirates.
  • Confirmed participants must submit documents including participation agreement, and enroll in overseas travel insurance.
  • The program does not accept applications from general tourists.

Participants will not receive any remuneration.