About this experience
Have you ever picked green tea on a bright sunny day? Now you have the opportunity to experience tea picking directly at the plantation, dressed in a tea picker's costume that has changed little over the centuries.
Program
My Japanese acquaintances manage several tea plantations in Shizuoka Prefecture, which leads in the production of Japanese green tea. Their staff will help you put on a costume and take you to the plantation, where you will have half an hour to an hour to learn the skills of tea pickers, and/or to have a photo shoot against the backdrop of emerald green tea bushes and the surrounding mountains. Perhaps Mount Fuji, which is very close by, will reveal its beautiful face as well.
During the tour, I will talk about the history of tea, the aesthetic traditions of the Zen Buddhist school, and the traditional desserts that the Japanese consume with tea.
Upon returning to the dressing room, you will be given a package of loose tea leaves as a souvenir, and you can also take the handkerchief bandana with you.
There are several options for continuing the walk on your own. Nearby, they brew good beer, which you can enjoy after visiting hot springs, and an hour's drive away is a major seaport with the freshest sushi.
Organizational Details
From Tokyo to the coveted tea plantation, you can take a super-express train (about 4,000 yen one way) or a regular train (2,700 yen). The train is the most comfortable, fast, and economical way to get there in our case, as renting a taxi for long distances is expensive, and international Russian driver's licenses are not valid in Japan. If there are more than 5 people, it may be worth ordering a transfer on a taxi minivan.
Discounts are possible if the meeting and parting place is Atami or Mishima stations.
