Kajihara Tea Garden

About

Introduction The Kajihara Tea Garden is cultivated by Toshihiro Kajihara , a 3rd generation tea farmer based in the 9-family hamlet of Tsuge in Ashikita Village, Kumamoto. Being first born in his family, he was expected to continue the family business and so specialized in tea during his studies in the Public Agricultural University in Kumamoto prefecture. At the age of 20, he returned home to start his tea career. Inheriting the tea garden from his father and grandfather, Kajihara-san struggled for years to create a sustainable tea business as prices for tea fell and consumers switched to bottled tea. In order to make ends meet and keep the tea garden flourishing, Kajihara-san took a job as a factory operator for the local Agriculture coop. He also worked as heavy machinery operator building forest access roads and took on more financially stable crops such as rice, onions, and shiitake mushrooms. Despite many setbacks and hurdles, Kajihara-san persevered on the path of tea that his ancestors had walked before him. During this time, he refined his cultivation and processing techniques. Today in his late 50s, he is an award-winning producer of kamairicha green tea, black tea, and oolong tea. He takes particular pride in his traditional kamairicha folk tea. Even during a time when tea farmers, wholesalers and businesses are moving more towards steamed tea, his farm sticks to the rare and more labor intensive kamairicha manufacturing methods. Through tea, Kajihara-san hopes to make people smile and believes it are the connections with people that matter and that make the world turn. In July 2020, their tea farms received damage due to the heavy flooding in Kyushu. Throughout this time, their tea farms received support and encouragement from all over Japan and Kajihara-san has been able to restore the damage. Kajihara-san feels there are still many hurdles ahead but he is always encouraged by the compliments and cheers from customers and the smiles that come with the “