Kakegawa Tea: Shizuoka Tea Region Boasting Japan's Top as Deep-Steamed Tea Production Area

Kakegawa is known for fukamushi-cha, or deep-steamed green tea, prized for its mellow, concentrated umami. Even within Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan's foremost tea region, the landscape here — tea fields stretching as far as the eye can see — is something special. Kakegawa tea, which has also drawn attention for its health benefits, is characterized by a deep green color and a full-bodied flavor. Taking in the sweeping views of the tea fields and tasting freshly brewed tea makes for a tea journey that only Shizuoka can offer.

What Is Kakegawa Tea?

Kakegawa tea is green tea produced mainly in and around Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and the area is widely known as a leading producer of deep-steamed tea. Deep-steamed tea is made by steaming the leaves two to three times longer than ordinary sencha (according to Kakegawa City). This suppresses astringency and produces a mellow, rich flavor and a vivid green color. It has also attracted attention because its healthful components dissolve into the cup in abundance, and it has many devoted fans across Japan.

The Taste of Deep-Steamed Tea

The greatest appeal of deep-steamed tea is its rich yet mellow flavor. The long steaming breaks the leaves down finely, so the brewed liquor takes on a deep green color. With little astringency, its body and sweetness come to the fore, and it has a reputation for being easy to drink even for people who normally dislike tea. Because deep-steamed tea lets you take in the nutrition of the whole leaf, it also suits a daily health routine well.

Sweeping Tea Field Views and Tea-Picking Experiences

Kakegawa is covered with beautiful tea fields spreading across gentle hills. A solid expanse of green tea rows is a view that truly symbolizes Shizuoka. In the new-tea season, some farms offer tea-picking experiences, a rare chance to taste leaves you picked yourself. You can also learn how to brew tea in a tea room or enjoy tea-flavored sweets, filling an entire day with tea.

Access and Basic Information

Kakegawa Station on the JR Tokaido Main Line and Tokaido Shinkansen serves as the base for a visit. Because the tea farms and experience facilities are spread across the outskirts, traveling by car is convenient. The area is also reachable from expressway interchanges such as the Kakegawa Interchange on the Tomei Expressway. Tea-picking experiences and factory tours vary by season and facility in terms of dates, fees, and reservation requirements, so check each facility official website in advance.

Practical Travel Notes

For a quick taste, try freshly brewed tea at shops or cafes near the station. For a fuller experience, head to the farms and facilities among the tea fields on the outskirts. Because deep-steamed tea leaves are fine and brew strong quickly, a fine-mesh teapot works well when brewing at home. Combining a tea visit with sites such as Kakegawa Castle makes for a full day of history and tea.

One Piece of Advice

The tea fields are most vivid during the new-tea season, but the neatly trimmed rows are attractive at other times of year too. Tea-picking experiences often require reservations, so inquire early once your dates are set. When buying tea leaves as a souvenir, ask the shop staff about brewing, since deep-steamed tea and ordinary sencha call for slightly different methods. (TabiTabi JAPAN Editorial Team)

📚 Sources

This article is based on information published by Kakegawa City and the local tourism association, guidance from the tea gardens and hands-on facilities, and introductions to tea shops and tearooms serving Kakegawa tea. The reception periods, fees, and reservation requirements for tea-picking experiences and factory tours may change, so please check each facility's official sources before you set out.

Visitor Checklist

• Estimated time: A short visit for a tearoom near the station, or half a day to a full day including a suburban tea garden experience
• Transport: A car is handy, as the tea gardens and hands-on facilities are scattered in the suburbs
• How to get around: Try freshly brewed tea near the station, then head to a suburban garden for the full experience
• Seasonal notes: New tea and tea-picking are best in April and May
• Reservation check: Tea-picking often requires reservations, so inquire early
• Also enjoy: Combine with city sights such as Kakegawa Castle

Practical Information for Your Visit

Awagatake World Agricultural Heritage Chagusaba Terrace (nickname: Kapposhi Terrace) A summit rest house run by Kakegawa City at the top of Mt. Awagatake, 532 m above sea level. It commands views over the tea fields of the "Chagusaba traditional tea-grass farming method of Shizuoka", a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.

• Hours: Tea cafe 10:00-16:00 (last order 15:30); exhibition and multi-purpose space 10:00-16:00; the second-floor "Fuji Terrace" 10:00-16:00. The "Panorama Terrace", "Grass Terrace" and "Sky Terrace", along with the toilets, are partly open at all times
• Closed: Closed on Mondays (the following day when Monday is a public holiday). It is also closed on rainy days
• Admission: Free of charge
• Parking: Free of charge. At the foot of the mountain, about 30 spaces for ordinary cars; at the summit, about 50 spaces for ordinary cars (space is limited)
• Access (by car): About 35 minutes to the foot of Mt. Awagatake from the Tomei Expressway Kakegawa IC or Kikugawa IC, and about 30 minutes from the Shin-Tomei Expressway Shimada Kanaya IC. The road to the summit is narrow; the drive up takes roughly 15 minutes and the drive down roughly 10 minutes. Coming from the Shimada area, the recommended route is via "Nissaka IC" on the National Route 1 bypass rather than Prefectural Route 81
• Access (by public transport): To the foot of the mountain on the Higashiyama side, about 30 minutes by taxi from JR Kakegawa Station, or about 40 minutes on the Kakegawa Bus Service Higashiyama Line bound for "Higashiyama", alighting at the terminus (bus stop 7 at the station's north exit). To the foot of the mountain on the Kurami side, about 30 minutes by bus from JR Kakegawa Station (bus stop 6 at the north exit, Kurami Line bound for "Kurami Onsen", alighting at the terminus)
• Address and telephone: 1051-1 Higashiyama, Kakegawa City, 436-0001 / TEL 0537-27-0845
• Enquiries about Kakegawa tea: Kakegawa City, Industry and Economy Department, Tea Promotion Division, TEL 0537-21-1216

Note: For individual tea plantations and hands-on facilities offering tea-picking experiences or factory tours, the acceptance periods, prices and whether reservations are required differ from facility to facility, and no unified official figures are published by Kakegawa City.

(Sources: Kakegawa City official website, "Kapposhi Terrace (Awagatake World Agricultural Heritage Chagusaba Terrace)" and "Characteristics of deep-steamed Kakegawa tea")