The first tea bidding

In April of Japan, the weather is starting to get warm, and the flowers and leaves are starting to bloom. In middle of April, tea leaves are ready for the first harvest. It is also the time where the Shizuoka tea market co. is becoming busy. Local tea farmers, and tea traders, and retailers are also starting to get ready for the first bidding day. They all gather at the Shizuoka tea market for the first tea bidding of the year. This is called "first bid", and it is the day when the green tea sale officially starts. In 1952, Shuzoka Tea Commerce and Cooperative set the date of "the first bid" to April 20th. Before that, date was not set, and the first tea bidding came always irregular. For 5 years, the date continued to be kept in April 20th. However, it was nonsense to set the date for the first bid, because the first harvest day always came in different day do to the weather, therefore they found difficult to maintain the stable amount of tea on the same day of every year. Also, because of that, the price came not very stable. In 1956, April, Shizuoka tea market co. was established, and became in charge of scheduling the first bidding date every year. In 1957, they announced the first bidding date to be April 26th. After the Shizuoka tea market Co.'s establishment, the first bidding date became irregular according to the weather condition of the year. The earliest date was recorded as April 16th, in 1959, and the latest was recorded as April 29th. Farmers, traders, and retailers pay great attention to the first bidding. By attending the first bidding. Because the first bidding will provide the tremendous information of the tendency of the tea industry, the price, and the quality of tea of the year. The first tea bidding are now locally conducted in each green tea producing prefecture in Japan. In year of 2000, the first bidding were conducted in April 10th- in Kagoshima, April 26th -in Shizuoka, April 28th -in Kyoto and Mie, April 29th-in Kitaise, May 16th -in Shiga, and May 17th -in Nara.

(Shohei Tokita)