Shizuoka Tea Plantation Tour with Tea Picking and Tasting

The Shizuoka Tea Plantation Tour operates in the Kanaya district of Shimada, at the heart of Japan's largest green-tea growing region, and has run seasonal tea-picking experiences for visitors for several years through local farm guides booked via the byFood platform. The tour begins at Tabinoya, a short walk from JR Kanaya Station, before continuing onto a working tea plantation on the slopes above the Oi River, where terraced rows of tea bushes rise toward views of Mt Fuji on clear days. Over roughly 3 to 4 hours, participants walk the plantation paths with local tea farmers, learn to identify the top two leaves and a bud used for premium sencha, and spend around 30 to 45 minutes hand-picking fresh leaves during the spring first-flush season from late April to May, or leaves suited to summer and autumn harvests the rest of the April-to-October season. The tour includes one tasting stop, where tea brewed from that day's picked leaves is served alongside a short explanation of sustainable, low-pesticide farming methods used on the plantation, and a tasting of tea leaf tempura made from surplus leaves. Transit between Kanaya Station and the plantation is on foot or by short shuttle depending on the group; entrance to the fields, the picking basket, tea brewing demonstration and tastings are included in the price, while lunch, additional tea purchases and transport to Kanaya itself are not. Groups are kept small, generally under 10 participants, guided in Japanese with English support materials or an English-speaking guide depending on the date; the pace is unhurried and suitable for most fitness levels, though the terraced paths involve some uphill walking on uneven ground. Dietary substitutions are limited since the tasting centers on tea and tea leaf tempura, but farmers can generally accommodate requests to skip the tempura course for those with allergies. The experience runs rain or shine, with light rain gear sometimes provided, and is best suited to visitors with an interest in agriculture and Japanese tea culture rather than a purely culinary food tour.